Blog
First Step in Preparing for Your DOE SBIR/STTR Proposal: Talk to the Program Manager
The Dept. of Energy has issued the topics for its FY 2019 Phase I Release 2 topics. The solicitation opens Nov. 26, Letters of Intent are due Dec. 17 and proposals are due Feb. 4, 2019. The following DOE program offices are participating: Office of Cybersecurity,...
How do I know if NIH is interested in funding my project?
The Sept. 5 deadline has passed but Jan. 5 now looms, so exactly how do you go about assessing if your project will interest the National Institutes of Health (NIH)? The NIH is one of the ‘easier’ federal agencies to apply to because every year it issues an Omnibus...
NIH Issues SBIR CONTRACTS too? Who knew??
Many of you are familiar with the Health and Human Services (HHS) SBIR/STTR Omnibus GRANT solicitation. You may be less familiar with the once yearly NIH and CDC SBIR CONTRACT solicitation that was released recently with a closing date of October 22, 2018. Even though...
Building Social Capital Fundamental to Market Success
BBCetc thanks H.S. Dracones LLC for providing this guest article Technology transition is rarely a linear path. Between concept and commercialization there is a virtual chasm, a disconnect between the world of research and the world of application. Many important and...
Be kind to your SBIR/STTR proposal reviewer; formatting matters
While quality content and impactful science is the basis of a strong SBIR/STTR proposal, one of your primary goals in putting your proposal together is making it easy for the reviewer to read. You want the reviewers reading your proposal to be happy, yes, happy. Happy...
SBIR/STTR Budgets Provide the Numbers; the Budget Justification Tells the Story
As you prepare your NIH or NSF budget, you will also need to prepare a detailed budget justification. This is an important and mostly underutilized part of the proposal. Numbers on a spreadsheet are only half of the story. The reviewers need to see WHY you are...
How to Connect with Prime Contractors: An Interview with Lockheed Martin
If you are planning to or have already submitted an SBIR/STTR proposal to the Dept. of Defense you probably have a keen interest in learning how to connect with prime contractors. Primes provide small businesses with various assistance during different phases of their...
Using the DoD Topic Description to Do Your Homework
If you are interested in winning SBIR/STTR proposals from Department of Defense, you probably know the importance of talking to the Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) or Topic Author during the “open period” before you write your proposal*. You will want to ask any...
Writing your NIH SBIR/STTR Specific Aims: Impact is Key!
We have found that the best first step in developing an SBIR/STTR proposal is to draft the one-page Specific Aims document. This section is the most important page in your proposal. In it you should state concisely the goals of the proposed research and summarize the...
Tips on Writing Your Commercialization Plan
Martin Zwilling, CEO of Startup Professionals, is one of my favorite bloggers on wide-ranging topics of interest to entrepreneurs and small business owners. One of his recent articles “13 Red Flags to Avoid in Your Investor Funding Pitch” contains solid advice for...
