Take Notice of What's New in NIH FY-2013-2 Omnibus SBIR/STTR
The Dept. of Health & Human Services (HHS) issued its 2013 SBIR/STTR Omnibus on Jan. 24. The solicitation opens March 5, with submission deadlines of Apr. 5, Aug. 5 and Dec. 5 (May 7, Sept. 7 and Jan. 7 for AIDS-related proposals). HHS participating agencies include the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF).
A few things to notice in the new solicitation: 
- While SBIR/STTR Reauthorization has paved the way for small businesses to be eligible for SBIR/STTRs while being majority owned by multiple venture capital firms, hedge funds, and private equity organizations, the Omnibus is not currently implementing the new rule, and such companies will not be eligible to apply for the April 5, 2013 deadline.
- HHS intends to make revisions to the Omnibus Funding Opportunity Announcements mid-year "to implement additional reauthorization provisions as guidance from the SBA is received and electronic system and form updates at NIH and SBA are implemented." Reauthorization is complicated, and each agency is tasked with determining its own implementation schedule, so progress will be slow.
- If you are re-submitting an application, it must be done within 37 months after the date of receipt ("receipt date") of the initial New, Renewal, or revision application (see NOT-OD-10-140 and NOT-OD-12-128). It was decided that a lengthy hiatus, after the initial submission, may be marked by significant advances in the scientific field and the comments of the reviewers may no longer be relevant.
- In this Omnibus, NIH has adopted a Reauthorization mandate that agencies offer discretionary technical (commercialization) assistance of up to $5,000 to awardees with the option to select your own service provider. Note that applicants choosing this option will not be eligible to participate in the NIH-sponsored commercialization assistance programs.
- NIH has received approval from SBA to consider selected topics for budgets greater than $225,000 for Phase I SBIR/STTR awards and greater than $1,500,000 for Phase II SBIR/STTR awards for the PHS 2013-2 SBIR and STTR Omnibus grant solicitations. NIH strongly encourages applicants to communicate with program staff prior to submitting any award in excess of the guidelines. In all cases, applicants should propose a budget that is reasonable and appropriate for completion of the research project. BBC suggests that you get a response IN WRITING that a budget exceeding the caps is approved for submission. Applicants are also required to follow NIH Institute- and Center-specific budget guidance found in PHS 2013-2 SBIR/STTR.
Click here for more information about the 2013 Omnibus.
Andrea Johanson, PhD, Principal Consultant
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Understand the Buying Process to Identify Customers
Who is your customer? It's a deceptively simple question ... but many entrepreneurs we work with at BBC have no ready answer.
 Perhaps, the more relevant question is: what is a customer? Is the customer the end-user of your product, the person that makes the buying decision, or the actual purchaser? In many cases these are one-and-the-same individual. But often it's not that simple. So you need to carefully analyze the market environment in which your product or service will exist. For example, if you're selling a new pain medication to a health maintenance organization (HMO) the end-user is obviously the patient. However, the physician makes the prescribing (i.e., buying) decision, and the purchasing department places the order. But that's not all. The critical "influencer" or gatekeeper in the buying decision is the HMO's formulary committee. If they don't add your medication to their list of approved drugs, there is no sale. So who really is the customer?
What we're actually talking about here is the buying process, and critical marketing decisions will need to be made based upon, first, a thorough understanding of that process, and second, getting your planning in step with the process. Always be guided by customer behavior, not your thoughts about how the customer should be behaving.
The more you know about the steps leading up to a "buy" decision and the better you understand the roles and players along that path, the more adept you will become in anticipating customer needs and tailoring your product or service to meet them. It turns out that "The customer always comes first" is not a cliché, but a sage piece of timeless advice.
Michael Kurek, PhD, Partner
A great technology is only truly great if it reaches its market and impacts lives. BBC helps entrepreneurs and companies evaluate the commercialization alternatives for their technology, product, or service, develops and writes commercialization plans, and assists in their implementation. Learn more about BBC commercialization services.
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Improving Women/
Minority Access to Federal R&D Funding Is a Focus
of New FASTconnect Program
By Kristin Burgard, Principal Consultant
If you are part of an early-stage technology company, the government's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs can be an important source of funding for your project.
Through the SBIR/STTR programs, 11 federal agencies award over $2.3 billion in non-dilutive grants and contracts annually through a competitive awards-based process. The programs encourage technology-based businesses to explore ideas and profit from their commercialization. They are a great way for technology-based companies to raise money without giving up equity.
Historically, women- and minority-owned businesses have been underrepresented in the SBIR/STTR programs, although there is renewed emphasis on improving outreach to these groups. Read on
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upcoming...
deadlines
Overview of SBIR/STTR Funding through DoD
Proposal Prep for NIH
SBIR/STTR 101: Intro & Overview
SBIR At-A-Glance
Proposal Prep for NSF
Feb 27 - Essentials of Commercialization Planning
Mar 12 - ABC's of SBIR/STTR Funding
Mar 14 - Tips on Electronic Submission to NIH
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Lisa Kurek a Speaker at AUTM Annual Meeting
Heading to the AUTM Annual Meeting in San Antonio, TX, Feb. 27-March2? BBC's Lisa Kurek, will be a panelist on Thurs., Feb. 28 at 1:30 p.m. for "Implementation of the AIA, SBIR-STTR Reauthorization & JOBS Act: At the crossroads of US patenting, small business innovations & start-up laws & the impact on commercialization & tech transfer offices." The session will examine how the recently implemented Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, the SBIR-STTR Reauthorization and the JOBS Act will impact U.S. patent law, small business innovation research awards and business startup regulations. Lisa and other panelists will explore pragmatic approaches for universities and non-profits to take advantage of these newly implemented laws to strengthen the competitive position of universities and non-profits, to secure commercially valuable IP and to advance business startups in their community.
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Special BBC Programs
Learn more about BBC's programs for technology -based economic development organizations.
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who we are
BBCetc is nationally recognized for its expertise in helping technology-based entrepreneurs to win federal grants and contracts through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs and to use that funding strategically to propel growth. BBC services include proposal preparation, grants and contracts management, and commercialization and business planning. For more information, email or call us at 734-930-9741.
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