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How do I know if NIH is interested in funding my SBIR/STTR project?
The NIH is one of the 'easier' federal agencies to apply to because every year it issues an Omnibus Solicitation, requesting investigator-  initiated topics. This means that rather than telling you exactly which projects they will fund, the NIH asks you, the investigator, to come up with the ideas.
As long as these ideas are related to Human Health, have the requisite level of Technological Innovation and Commercial Potential, they may be appropriate for SBIR/STTR. However, you still need to do some homework to make sure your idea fits within the research interests of the NIH's Institutes and Centers. So before you put a lot of work into developing your proposal, there are a few things you can do:
- Check in the Program Descriptions and Research Topics Document A good place to start is to look at the SBIR/STTR 'Program Descriptions and Research Topics'. This can be downloaded as a pdf or Word document. The document lists all of the Institutes and Centers at NIH and outlines their areas of interest. It also gives the contact details for all of the program staff in each institute.
- Speak with Program Staff at NIH Once you think you have identified an Institute within the NIH that might be appropriate for your research idea, you can contact the relevant Program Staff to discuss your idea with them. NIH strongly encourages you to do this. Some Institutes have several program staff, responsible for different areas, so make sure you find the one most appropriate for your project. It's recommended that you first send an email to the program staff listed, and ask to follow up with a phone call. If your proposal might be a possible fit in more than one NIH institute (e.g. an intervention for children with asthma might equally fit within the National Institute for Heart, Lung and Blood, and the National Institute for Child Health and Development), you can contact program staff from both Institutes.
- Visit NIH's RePORTER Database The RePORTER
is an online searchable database tool that allows users to search all previously and currently NIH-funded research projects. You can use keywords to search for projects, view their abstracts, and determine whether NIH has previously-funded projects in your research topic and which NIH Institutes might be most likely to fund particular projects.You can use the drop-down menus to restrict your search by funding mechanism (e.g. SBIR/STTR or other NIH funding mechanism such as R01, R21 etc.), by state, by year, by Principal Investigator etc. Identify the Institutes and Centers that funded the projects (both Phase I and Phase II).
Andrea Johanson, Principal Consultant
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Look at the DOD 2013.2 Solicitation for Medical Topics!
By Becky Aistrup, Principal Consultant
Although you may not consider the Department of Defense (DOD) as a key prospect when it comes to funding your medical product research through the SBIR program, DOD can be a significant source of support for health and medical funding.
However, you must be aware that, unlike NIH or NSF, DOD is a CONTRACT agency. This means that applicants may submit proposals only to topics specifically solicited by a participating DOD component-all topics must be agency initiated, not investigator initiated.
Accordingly, you need to be alert and ready to respond when an appropriate topic is issued. The current DOD SBIR solicitation for the FY2013 cycle includes medical topics from DHP (Defense Health Program), Army and Navy. If possible, we recommend that you look through the topics during the "open" solicitation period (this one closes on May 24) while you can still talk to the Topic Authors about whether your technology fits the needs of the soliciting component. All component topics can be viewed at the DOD 2013.2 SBIR Solicitation site.
Defense Health Program
The Defense Medical Research and Development Program (DMRDP) allocates funds for DHP (Defense Health Program) research projects and is focused on advancing the state of medical science in areas of the most pressing needs. DHP medical research mission areas include: casualty care; infectious disease; brain health; medical simulation and modeling; rehabilitation; psychological health; radiobiology; blast injury; hemorrhage control; pain management; e-health; and human performance optimization.
The current DHP 2013.2 SBIR solicitation contains 17 DHP medical topics covering a broad range of technology needs including medical training systems; insect repellent and control; identification of pathogens; risk assessment software; blast and TBI (traumatic brain injury) technologies; wound dressings; sensors for assistive technology; and vaccine administration, among others.
Army
The US Army Medical Research & Materiel Command (MRMC) located at Fort Detrick, MD ensures our armed forces remain in optimal health and are equipped to protect themselves from disease and injury, particularly on the battlefield. MRMC has included nine medical topics in the current Army SBIR solicitation including: Rapid therapeutic drug monitoring; software tool for musculo-skeletal performance; nerve regeneration technologies; biocompatible materials for ocular injuries; rehabilitation systems; stem cell processing; medical waste treatment; remote triage; and cognitive assessment for TBI.
Navy
The Navy's SBIR program is heavily mission oriented and integrates the needs and requirements of the Navy's Fleet and sponsoring System Command. The 2013.2 Navy solicitation includes one specific medical topic (a Hypoxia training device) and several others with potential dual use medical applications (i.e. situational awareness displays).
Feel free to contact BBC for assistance with your DOD proposal.
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Agency Updates
EPA... The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) contemplates awarding approximately - 24 firm-fixed price SBIR contracts of $100,000 each during FY 2014. During Phase I (covered by its upcoming solicitation), contractors conduct feasibility-related experimental research or R&D efforts on the following agency topics:
- Safe and Sustainable Water Resources
- Chemical Safety for Sustainability
- Sustainable and Healthy Communities
- Air/Climate/Energy
- Homeland Security
- People, Prosperity and the Planet
- Special funding opportunity
The anticipated release date of the solicitation is June 5, 2013, with an expected due date of July 17, 2013. The Phase I awards are expected to be made by April 15, 2014. The solicitation will be available at www.epa.gov/ncer/sbir/.
DOD... The DoD SBIR/STTR program is now on Twitter. Follow them @dodsbir. The current DOD SBIR solicitation (2013.2) opened May 24, The proposal deadline is June 26 at 6 PM (EDT).
NIH... In July, NIH will introduce a new Personal Profile interface for eRA Commons. Electronic Research Administration (eRA) Commons is the online interface where grant applicants, grantees and federal staff at NIH and grantor agencies can access and share administrative information relating to research grants. New features will include easy identification of missing data, the ability to update email addresses in multiple places at one time, a rationale for why each data element is requested and other improvements to make the system more intuitive and easier to navigate. Watch for a webinar next month to explain details.
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June 18-19 - St. Louis, MO
SBIR/STTR Grant Writing Workshop
SBIR Overview and Proposal Prep for USDA
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 "If you listen to your fears, you will die never knowing what a great person you might have been"
- Robert H. Schuller
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who we are
BBCetc is nationally recognized for its expertise in helping technology-based entrepreneurs win federal grants and contracts through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs and use it strategically to propel growth. Its Michigan clients have been awarded over $100 million in funding since 2002. BBCetc capabilities include:
- Technology Assessment
- Commercialization Planning
- SBIR/STTR/Other Research Grant Assistance
- Entrepreneurial Training
- Grants/Contracts Management
info@bbcetc.com
734-930-9741
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