 Seven Items of Interest from the National SBIR Conference
The SBIR National Conference June 16-18 in Washington, D.C. was an opportunity to interact with government SBIR/STTR program managers and staff, industry leaders and SBIR/STTR awardees as well as to get an update on program developments across the agencies. BBCetc's Becky Aistrup attended the conference, and we asked her to give us her top seven items of interest gleaned from the event. Here's what she said: - DoD will be issuing three STTR solicitations in 2015 rather than just two. They will be issued at the same time as the three SBIR solicitations. Additional components will begin participating in STTR also, including DLA (Defense Logistics Agency) and CBD (Chemical & Biological Defense).
- EPA will be moving to an electronic submission process instead of its previous paper submission with the planned solicitation opening July 9 (View pre-solicitation). Submitting companies will need to be registered with FedConnect.
- NIH is totally revamping their SBIR/STTR website and will have the updated version posted in mid-July.
- Now is the time to suggest NASA topics for the mid-November release date. The topics are currently being developed and tweaked for the next solicitation. Contact Program Managers to discuss your ideas.
- Ditto for DOE. Program Managers are required to have their topics in by mid-September for the 2015 Release 2 which issues on October 27. Since DOE has become very topic driven (even though it is a granting agency), this is the best way to learn more about DOE priorities and influence topics.
- Phase I companies should consider attending the upcoming conferences that have just recently been finalized:
- Even though the SBIR/STTR programs have been reauthorized through FY2017, companies were encouraged to continue to voice their support for and benefits received from the program with their legislators in Washington D.C.
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 Tips from USDA Program Leader, Charles  ClelandWith the opening of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) FY-2015 SBIR solicitation on June 20, BBcetc was pleased to host a USDA SBIR Program Overview webinar on June 26 featuring Dr. Charles Cleland, a USDA National Program Leader. In addition to providing an update on the program that included a history of funding, Dr. Cleland offered the following advice to Phase I applicants:
- Be sure to provide a vision of where you want to be at the end of Phase II
- Focus Phase I research on critical enabling factor(s)
- Sell the importance of your project
- Provide a detailed experimental plan
- Provide insight into commercial potential
- Show connectivity with the communities you are intending to serve
Dr. Cleland also offered the following factors that improve the chances for commercial success:
- High Scientific/Technical Merit
- Good Consultants
- CRADA (Cooperative Research & Development Agreement
- Business Expertise
- Phase III Partners
- Marketing Plan
- Commercialization Assistance Program
Dr. Cleland recommends getting in touch with program officers listed below to discuss your project. Contact them at (202) 401-4002. USDA email: sbir@nifa.usda.govWebsite: www.nifa.usda.gov/fo/sbirAbout the current solicitation:The USDA's FY2015 Phase I SBIR solicitation opened June 20 with a closing date of October 2, 2014. Topics areas in the solicitation are:
8.1 - Forests and Related Resources 8.2 - Plant Production and Protection - Biology 8.3 - Animal Production and Protection 8.4 - Air, Water and Soils 8.5 - Food Science and Nutrition 8.6 - Rural and Community Development 8.7 - Aquaculture 8.8 - Biofuels and Bio-based Products 8.12 - Small and Mid-Size Farms 8.13 - Plant Production and Protection - Engineering More highlights of the solicitation
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Budget Justification: An Important, yet Underutilized Part of NIH Proposals
If you're preparing an SBIR/STTR proposal for the Aug. 5 NIH deadline don't underestimate the power of your budget justification. Numbers on a spreadsheet are only half of the story. Reviewers need to see WHY you are spending money on the things in your budget. Here are some important things to  remember: - This is the only place in the proposal that really tells the reviewers who is doing what, where. It should be a valuable overview of the way the project is set up, which will help answer a lot of questions reviewers have about your company.
- This is not where you justify the project and talk about how great it is. That information should be in the Research Strategy. The Budget Justification is where you explain in narrative detail how you will spend NIH's money.
- Every line item (including project personnel) in the project budget should have a subheading and corresponding paragraph in the Budget Justification. Keeping the order, numbering and headings as in the budget spreadsheet will help you to do this.
- Include all justification information for all years of a multi-year project in the same document. There should be Year 1, Year 2 and Total columns for each line item. Read on
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iCorps Training Pilot for NIH SBIR/STTR Grantees
A collaboration between the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health will give NIH-funded researchers training to help them evaluate their scientific discoveries for commercial potential, with the aim of accelerating biomedical innovations into applied health technologies. I-Corps at NIH is a pilot of the NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program specially tailored for biomedical research. Academic researchers and entrepreneurs with SBIR/STTR Phase I awards from participating NIH institutes will be eligible to apply to I-Corps at NIH. Read on
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> Tips from USDA Program Leader, Charles Cleland
> Budget Justification: An Important yet Underutilized Part of NIH Proposals
> iCorps Training Pilot for NIH SBIR/STTR Grantees
> eRA Makes iEdison Available for Invention Reporting > Training
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Onsite
How to Write an NIH SBIR/STTR Proposal July 14 - Lebanon, NH
Agency Similarites & Differences
July 15 - Lebanon, NH
SBIR/STTR 101: Intro and Overview
July 16 - Kalamazoo, MI
Proposal Prep for DoE
August 11 - Ann Arbor, MI
Proposal Prep for DoD
August 12 - Sterling Hts., MI
Webinars
July 8 - Tips on Electronic Submission to NIH August 7 - ABC's of SBIR/STTR Funding August 19 - Budget Prep for DOD Proposals August 20 - Commercialization Planning for DOD Proposals August 21 - Policies & Procedures for SBIR/STTR Awardees August 26 - DOD Solicitation Topics, Components & Program Overview
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solicitations
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HHS (NIH, FDA, CDC, ACF) PHS 2014-2 Omnibus
- Closes August 5
NIAID and NIDDK SBIR - Technology Transfer Direct Phase II (to move commercially-viable diagnostic inventions from intramural research laboratories to market. Posted July 2; opens October 14; closes November 14
NIDA One-topic Contract SBIR "156 Development of a Standardized Electronic Cigarette for Clinical Research" - Closes September 30
EPA SBIR Ph I - Opens July 9; closes September 8
DOT 14.2 SBIR - Opens July 15; closes September 15
DOE FY 2015 SBIR/ STTR Ph I - Opens July 14; closes October 14 NIH SBIR Contract Solicitation - Opens August 18; closes November 18 DOD SBIR 2014.3/STTR 2014.B Opens August 21; closes October 22
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news from nih
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eRA Makes iEdison Available for Invention Reporting
ERA has launched a new iEdison website for external users of the iEdison module for invention reporting. iEdison (Interagency Edison) is a unified electronic data system that allows government grantees and contractors to report inventions, patents, and utilization data that have resulted from federally funded research projects. The new website offers a centralized and current source of information on the iEdison system, which is managed by NIH and used by more than 30 federal agency offices. Learn more
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helpful links
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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. BBCetc capabilities include:
- Commercialization Planning
- Research Grant Assistance
- SBIR/STTR Training
- Grants/Contracts Management
- Tech-Based Economic Development Programs
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