 In This Issue
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Strategic Partnering for SBIR/STTR Companies: What motivates large companies to partner?
 Strategic partnering is an important component of the commercialization plans of many SBIR awardees. In fact, NASA SBIR website provides some informative guidelines on strategic alliance partnering. This is the first in a BBC series of blogs on various aspects of finding, consummating, and maintaining a productive inter-company partnership. From the perspective of the small company, the motivation seems both simple and obvious - the need for funding. However, whether an entrepreneur is simply chasing dollars or views alliances more strategically, he or she might be surprised that large corporations are even more interested in partnerships. A Booz Allen survey of 2,000 firms identified six reasons why big companies partner, including:
- Accelerating growth
- Accessing critical capabilities
- Entering new markets
- Building critical mass
- Accelerating R&D, and
- Reducing costs or capacity.
Two or three of these goals can be pursued through partnerships with small technology companies. Big company−small company alliances might be most common...and most successful...in the pharmaceutical industry. Merck claims to have "more than 50 actively-managed alliances currently underway." That level of activity is understandable when the company reveals that approximately 60% of its revenue comes from alliance-related products and enabling patents. As they struggle to build sophisticated products and get them to market faster, even large corporations are challenged by today's accelerating pace of technological change. In response they must concentrate on their core competencies and on those areas where they can add significant value. As a result, other capabilities, including innovative technology and expertise, must be sought outside the organization. These market realities present
 opportunities to SBIR-stage companies that are able to position themselves correctly with a well-matched corporation.
Next time we'll explore the most common types of strategic alliances and what, in addition to money, should motivate small companies to partner. |
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 (next deadline: Dec. 5), 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 couple of 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 from here. 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 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 and ask to follow up with a phone call. If your proposal might be a possible fit in more than one 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 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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 Which NIH CSR Study Section should I request to review my SBIR/STTR proposal?
You are probably aware that NIH gives you the opportunity to submit an "Optional" cover letter with your SBIR or STTR proposal. Hopefully you know that the cover letter really isn't "Optional" at all if you want to receive assignment to the most appropriate CSR Study Section to review your proposal. So how do you determine which Study Section is the best one for you to request?
NIH's Center For Scientific Review (CSR) is the single receiving point for most NIH applications. CSR assigns applications to the Scientific Review Group (aka "Study Section") deemed most aligned with the content of your research proposal. Recurring Special Emphasis Panels (SEPs) review SBIR/STTR applications, and the reviewers generally make a three-year commitment to be available for a Study Section. Accordingly, a panel in one cycle generally contains quite a few members from the  previous cycle. A listing of the Study Sections for the previous three SBIR review cycles is available on CSR's website.
You'll want to look at the roster for the Study Section(s) that seem most appropriate for your technology. Although the make up of your panel will not be identical, there will be some overlap. Continue reading and view illustrations.Becky Aistrup, Principal Consultant
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BBCetc Partner Profile: Ohio Aerospace Institute (OAI)
The mission of the Ohio Aerospace Institute (OAI) is to enhance its partners' aerospace competitiveness through research and technology development, workforce preparedness, and engagement  with global networks for innovation and advocacy. With technology and commercialization experts on staff, OAI's 20+ year track record of managing successful Research and Technology partnerships among industry, academia and government laboratories is a proven model for successful collaborations: greater than $270 million of successful projects.
OAI's membership and partner base, the largest of its kind in the Midwest, includes a growing list of nearly 100 major industrial partners, small business, universities and federal aerospace laboratories - the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and NASA Glenn Research Center. Regional, state and federal funding supports OAI in providing assistance for grant writing and proposal preparation for technology companies pursuing SBIR/STTRs. A grant writer/reviewer of your choice will provide a review of the concept/idea and review the draft proposal prepared by your company's chosen principal investigator. A detailed review will provide feedback on the technical write-up, the commercialization aspects (if required as part of the proposal), suggest improvements regarding teaming/partners, information/message conveyed to strengthen the overall proposal. For more information, visit oai.org/
Upcoming OAI SBIR/STTR Training:
SBIR/STTR Proposal Prep for DoD and NSF
SBIR/STTR Proposal Prep for DoE
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Onsite
Proposal Prep for DoD & NSF
Nov 5 - Cincinnati, OH
Nov 7 - Cleveland, OH
Proposal Prep for DoD
Nov 13 - Ann Arbor, MI
Proposal Prep for DoE
Dec 3 - Detroit, MI
Dec 5 - Warren, OH
SBIR/STTR 101: Introduction & Overview
Dec 4 - Ann Arbor, MI
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BBC to Host NASA and DARPA SBIR/STTR Program Directors for Special Program Overview Webinars:
Nov 7 - Overview of NASA's SBIR/STTR Program with Director, Richard Leshner
Nov 19 - Overview of DARPA's SBIR/STTR Program with Director, Susan Nichols
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More Webinars
JUST ADDED! Nov 4 - Lisa and Becky Recap the 15th Annual NIH SBIR/STTR Conference
Nov 7 - Tips on Electronic Submission to NIH
Dec 4 - DoD Topics and Component Review
Dec 5 - Budget Prep for DoD and DoE
Dec 5 - SBIR/STTR Funding Overview & Program Updates
Dec 12 - ABC's of SBIR/STTR Funding
Dec 12 - SBIR/STTR Project Scope: What do SBIR/STTR Projects Look Like?
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The US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) has issued its FY2014 BAA for extramural medical research. This is a continuously open announcement; applications may be submitted at any time through Sept. 30, 2014. Total period of performance may be up to 5 years. Research areas of interest are:
* Military Infectious Diseases
* Combat Casualty Care
* Military Operational Medicine
* Clinical and Rehabilitative Medicine
* Medical Biological Defense
* Medical Chemical Defense
* Medical Training and Health Information Sciences
* Radiation Health Effects
* Special Investment Areas/Innovation Funding (see full package)
This program has no small business set aside--any organization is eligible to apply. View Package
The current National Science Foundation SBIR and STTR solicitations close Dec. 2 and 4, respectively. The solicitations encompass nine topic areas, including:
Educational Technologies / Applications -- Information / Communicatio Technologies (IC) -- Semiconductors (S) / Photonic (PH) Devices & Materials -- Electronic Hardware, Robotics & Wireless Technologies (EW) -- Advanced Manufacturing & Nanotechnology (MN) -- Advanced Materials & Instrumentation (MI) -- Chemical & Environmental Technologies (CT) -- Biological Technologies (BT) -- and Smart Health (SH) & Biomedical (BM) Technologies. The Smart Health and Biomedical Tech topic is new in this solicitations and present new opportunities, particpualrly in the IT arena. Click here for more information.
Save the Date for the National SBIR/STTR Conference June 16-18, 2014 in Wshington DC. More information |
BBCetc is nationally recognized for its expertise in helping technology-based entrepreneurs win federal funding 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 $120 million in funding since 2002. BBCetc capabilities include:
- Technology Assessment
- Commercialization Planning
- SBIR/STTR/Other Research Grant Assistance
- Entrepreneurial Training
- Grants/Contracts Management
734-930-9741
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