TABA

Supplemental SBIR/STTR funding you might not know about.

The TABA supplement is essentially a mechanism to help you cover commercialization and business costs that otherwise could not be included in your SBIR/STTR proposal. TABA stands for “Technical and Business Assistance”, and was authorized in 2019 as part of the SBIR/STTR programs. Specifically, TABA supplemental funding enables the awardee business to secure the services of one or more third-party service providers, to assist with one or more of the following commercialization activities:

• Identification and development of customers for the SB-funded technology
• Advice on financing strategy and fundraising from the private sector
• Establishing strategic partnerships with relevant stakeholders
• Evaluation and protection of intellectual property
• Establishment and evaluation of regulatory and reimbursement strategy
• Other activities to accelerate or strengthen the commercialization case for the underlying technology

Several agencies are implementing TABA services, but funding amounts vary by agency. Typically, TABA supplements can be $6,500 for a Phase I project and up to $50,000 for a Phase II project. In addition, some agencies (for example NIH, some DOD components, DOE) provide their own programs for commercialization assistance at no cost to the company. If you choose to include TABA funds in your proposal, you may not use these agency-sponsored programs. You need to carefully read the instructions from the specific agency funding your project. In addition, instructions are changing so you can’t assume that any information you already have — perhaps from a previous solicitation — is still valid.

Feel free to contact us with additional questions.