NSF SBIR and STTR Solicitations Released
The National Science Foundation recently released both a FY-2014 SBIR and a STTR solicitation. These are two separate solicitations. They share a number of common characteristics, but there are also some distinct differences. We've highlighted some key considerations below. Note that this is not a comprehensive list and it is critical that you read the solicitation(s) carefully and then contact the relevant program director early in the process, as noted in item #7.
1. Submission deadline, project duration, and maximum budgets
differ between the two solicitations.
2. Both the SBIR and STTR solicitations will consider proposals in four broad topic areas of:
3. Restrictions applicable to both programs include:
- Maximum of 2 proposals per organization (e.g., 2 SBIRs, 2 STTRs, or 1 of each)
- Maximum of 1 proposal per Principal Investigator (either SBIR or STTR)
4. Of specific note pertaining to the STTR Phase I solicitation - it encourages the commercialization of research with an "NSF funding lineage".
"This STTR Phase I solicitation aims at encouraging the commercialization of previously NSF-funded fundamental research (NSF funding lineage). It is highly desirable that the core innovation described in the submitted proposals can in some manner be linked to fundamental research funded by the NSF."
7. Communication with the appropriate Program Director is strongly encouraged. You will find the relevant contact information in the topic descriptions (see item #2 above). You will also find specific instructions as to how to contact them and what information to provide. Now is the time to start if you are considering an application to NSF. Don't hesitate to contact the team at BBC if you have questions or for additional guidance.
Michael Kurek,PhD, Managing Partner
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University Researchers are Focus of NSF Innovation Corps
The National Science Foundation is funding a major expansion of its  Innovation Corps program, an effort to teach NSF-funded university researchers to extend their focus beyond the laboratory and broaden the impact of select, NSF-funded, basic-research projects. Combining experience and guidance from established entrepreneurs with a targeted curriculum, I-Corps is a public-private partnership that teaches grantees to identify valuable product opportunities that can emerge from academic research, and offers entrepreneurship training to student participants.
Through the program, nine universities have formed three regional consortia - or nodes - sharing a total three-year grant award of $11.2 million. The regional consortia members will coach local researchers through the Lean LaunchPad process, with the goal of increasing the success rate for scientists hoping to commercialize their government-funded discoveries. These nodes add to existing I-Corps nodes at Georgia Tech and the University of Michigan. Information on the nodes can be found at:
Bay Area Regional Node
DC, Maryland, Virginia Regional Node
New York City Regional Innovation Node
Michigan I-Corps
Georgia Tech I-Corps
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USPTO Finalizes Rules/Guidelines for First-Inventor-to-File
The U.S. Department of Commerce's Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) last month published final rules of practice implementing the first-inventor-to-file provision of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA). The provision, which went into effect on March 16, is a major step towards harmonization of the U.S. patent system with those of the United States' major trading partners, allowing greater consistency in the prosecution and enforcement of U.S. patents. The AIA also includes safeguards to ensure that only an original inventor or his/her assignee may be awarded a patent under the first-inventor-to-file system.
The USPTO also published final examination guidelines setting forth the agency's interpretation of how the first-inventor-to-file provision alters novelty and obviousness determinations for an invention claimed in a patent application. In particular, the agency's final examination guidelines inform the public and patent examiners how the AIA's changes to the novelty provisions of law alter the scope of what is prior art to a claimed invention and how the new grace period operates. Read the entire press release
Read the Federal Register publications:
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NIH Has New Tech Transfer Plans 
NIH's Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) has developed plans for technology transfer and commercialization innovations for the years 2013-2018. The overall goal of the plans is to increase the number and pace for tech transfer/commercialization activities in partnership with non-federal entities, including private firms, research organizations, and nonprofit entities. Here is an overview of the new features:
- An Electronic Transfer Agreement Dashboard to facilitate the exchange of proprietary materials and information needed to advance biomedical research.
- A new web catalog: "Electronic Research Materials" (eRMa) that expedites the process for transferring unpatented research materials to for-profit entities.
- pay.gov, a web-based application allowing licensees to make payments by debit from a checking or savings account.
- A new Start-Up License to expedite the process for start-up companies to license their technologies for use as drugs, vaccines, and therapeutics. NIH has developed a similar license for non-profit institutions, such as NGOs and for Product Development Partnerships (PDP) to help develop new products for low income regions of the world.
- Electronic and social media tools (RSS feeds, iPhones, and iPad apps, email subscriptions, Twitter, and Facebook) to promote NIH inventions and technologies for development and commercialization.
- NIH also participates in www.ctsaip.com, a website that aggregates technologies from across the NIH-supported Clinical and Translational Science Awards.
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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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upcoming...
deadlines
Proposal Prep Workshop
Proposal Prep for NIH
SBIR/STTR 101: Intro & Overview
Proposal Prep for DoD
SBIR At-A-Glance
Essentials of Commercialization
May 2 - Overview of DoD topics & Components
May 7 - Submitting to DoD? Learn Their Language!
May 16 - Preparing a Budget for SBIR/STTR Proposals
May 22 - ABCs of SBIR/STTR Funding
May 23 - What You Need to Know About Gov't. Audits
May 30 - Practical Strategies For Indirect Rate Development
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Ah Shucks!
To Michael Kurek, BBC Partner: Your advice and information in yesterday's webinar will be very useful for me and I'm so very thankful that kind people like you share your insight and guidance with people like me...who have a good (great!) idea to do something meaningful in the world. I have been working with a VT SBDC rep who has been tremendously helpful...he recommended your session to me and his other clients. Marie Ambusk, Founder and CEO, TREES roi
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NASA's Space Technology Program . . .
has called for proposals to develop miniaturized electrospray propulsion
technologies that could revolutionize small satellite propulsion systems. More information
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Upcoming National Conferences
Don't miss these opportunities to interact directly with the Agencies!
2013 National SBIR Spring Conference
May 14 - 16, 2013
Washington, DC
15th Annual NIH SBIR/STTR National Conference
October 28 - 30, 2013
Souix Falls, SD
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Submitting to NIH This Cycle?
A quick tip . . .
You may have already written the title of your SBIR/STTR project, but with the NIH deadline fast approaching (April 5, but for best results think April 1) we suggest taking another look. Make sure that it really tells your story, conveying what your product is (Innovation), and what public
health problem it addresses (Significance).
The title and Abstract affect how NIH will assign your application and report your research dollars to Congress, and NIH referral officers depend on these to assign your application to the most appropriate Study Section and Institute.
Your title should be unique. Make sure it differs from any other applications or awards and has suitable keywords so NIH referral staff assign your application to the correct institute and study section.
An SBIR/STTR Phase II application should have the same title as the previously awarded Phase I grant.
Please Note: You have only 81 characters to describe your project (including spaces and punctuation). Thanks to a quirk of the application forms it will allow you to type in more than 81 characters into the title field, but this will be truncated on the application, which makes for some mysterious titles, so please watch out for this.
Andrea Johanson, Principal Consultant.
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