Pursuit REvision
  top NOVEMBER 2014
Preparing an NSF SBIR/STTR Proposal? Final Words of Advice
The current NSF deadlines are Dec. 2 for SBIR's and Dec. 5 for STTR's. So as you put the finishing touches on your proposal, remember that NSF evaluates funding proposals on the basis of two equally-weighted Review Criteria: Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts.

Intellectual Merit focuses on the strength of the technical plan, the innovation of the proposed approach, the qualifications of the project team members, and the quality of the resources available to the project.

Broader Impacts describe the potential short- and long-term impacts of a successful project on your company, on the market, on the technical field, and on society in general. The Grant Proposal Guide specifies that "the Project Description must contain, as a separate section within the narrative, a discussion of the broader impacts of the proposed activities." However, you can decide where in the proposal it fits best.

Keep these review criteria in mind as you draft your proposal. It's helpful to be aware of the instructions that NSF gives to its reviewers. After reading your proposal reviewers are asked to answer a series of questions on each of the two criteria. As you tell your story, make the reviewers' job as easy as possible by providing clear and complete answers to those questions in your proposal.

Beyond Phase II Conference Offers Opportunities for Doing Business with DoD
DoD's SBIR/STTR Beyond Phase II Conference is set for Dec. 1-4 in San Antonio, TX, and will feature presentations and panel discussions by Program Executive Officers (PEOs), program managers, and prime contractors. The goal of the event is to bring SBIR Phase II companies together with these key technology and acquisition personnel to enable transition of their R&D into products for military, government and private sector markets. These customers will be highly motivated to expand their market research of SBIR technologies and companies in the one-on-one matchmaking sessions. The conference is being held simultaneously with the Defense Manufacturing Conference (DMC) 2014 and the Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages (DMSMS) Conference. 
Solicitation News
The Department of Energy has released the topics for its second round of SBIR/STTR grant funding with a proposal submission deadline of February 3, 2015. Participating offices include:
  • Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability
  • Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
  • Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
  • Fossil Energy
  • Fusion Energy Sciences
  • High Energy Physics
  • Nuclear Energy
The actual solicitation is due to be released on November 24, 2014. Prospective applicants are required to submit a Letter of Intent specifying a topic and subtopic by December 15, 2015.
The program in Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy includes topics and subtopics in Advanced Manufacturing, Bioenergy, Buildings, Fuel Cells, Geothermal, Solar, Vehicles, Water, and Wind.

Maximum grant awards are $150,000 for Phase I and $1.0 million for Phase II, except in the Solar topic where they are $225,000 and $1.5 million, respectively.

NASA's 2015 SBIR/STTR Phase I and SBIR Phase I Select solicitations are now open with a closing date of Jan. 28, 2015.
The SBIR/STTR Phase I is NASA's conventional solicitation, though topics and some rules are different for each program. Under this solicitation NASA will not accept more than 10 proposals to either program from any one firm. NASA does not plan to award more than 5 SBIR contracts and 2 STTR contracts to any offeror.
The SBIR Select is for a small group of select topics that are of particular interest to NASA. NASA will accept no more than 3 proposals to this solicitation from any one firm and does not plan to award more than 2 Select SBIR contracts.

Dept. of Education pre-released its  2015 Phase I SBIR and SBIR Phase I/II Fast Track solicitations on Nov. 16 with an estimated opening date of Dec. 1 and estimated deadline of Jan. 15, 2015. The 2015 priority areas for both solicitations are either:
  1. Education Technology Products Used by Students or Teachers (or other Instructional Personnel) in Authentic Education Settings; or
  2. Education Technology Products Used by Infants, Toddlers, or Students With or At Risk for Disabilities, or Teachers (or other Instructional Personnel, Related Services Providers, or Family Members) in Early Intervention or Special Education Settings.

Products must fall into one of the above priority areas (but not both). 

 

DoD's Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) FY 2016 solicitations were released Nov. 4, 2014. SERDP is seeking environmental research and development proposals for funding beginning in FY 2016.
The
Core Solicitation provides funding opportunities for basic and applied research and advanced technology development in the program areas of Environmental Restoration (ER), Munitions Response (MR), Resource Conservation and Climate Change (RC), and Weapons Systems and Platforms (WP). All Core pre-proposals are due Jan. 8, 2015.
The
SEED Solicitation provides funding opportunities for work that will investigate innovative environmental approaches that entail high technical risk or require supporting data to provide proof of concept. Funding is limited to not more than $150,000 and projects are approximately one year in duration. This year, SERDP is requesting SEED proposals for the Munitions Response and Weapons Systems and Platforms program areas. SEED proposals are due March 10, 2015.

who we are
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.  Capabilities include:
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  training on tap
Onsite
Dec 3 - SBIR 101: Introduction & Overview -
Sault Ste. Marie, MI
Dec 5 - Proposal Prep for DOE - Detroit, MI
Dec 8 - Getting Ready for Your Phase II NIH Proposal - Detroit, MI
Jan 13 - SBIR/STTR Agency Overview and Proposal Preparation - Cleveland, OH
Jan 21-22 - Proposal Prep for NIH - Chicago, IL
Jan 28-29 - Proposal Prep for NIH - Minneapolis, MN -
Registration coming soon
 
Webinars 
Nov 24 - Pushing the Button and Tracking Your NIH Submission (FREE!)
Dec 9 - ABC's of SBIR/STTR Funding
 
  solicitationssolicitations  
HHS (NIH, FDA, CDC, ACF) PHS 2014-2 Omnibus
- Closes Dec 5

 

NSF SBIR Ph I (14-603)  - Closes Dec 2


NSF STTR Ph I (14-608) - Closes Dec 5
 
NOAA SBIR Ph I 2015 - Closes Jan 14, 2015

NASA SBIR/STTR 2015 Ph I and SBIR Select2015 Ph I - Open Nov 15; close Jan 28

DOD SBIR 2015.1 and STTR 2015.A - Opens Jan 15; closes Feb 18

DOE FY 2015 SBIR/ STTR Ph I Release 2 - Opens Nov 24; closes Feb 3 
 
  news from DOE  
The Energy Department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) launched a new all-in-one online tool to help small businesses find information needed to successfully complete the SBIR application. The all-in-one interactive web tool streamlines the SBIR application process by bringing together information from the nine websites that host information needed to apply for SBIR. It takes you through a step-by- step process that puts you on the right path for your specific needs and enables you to save time by easily identifying the technical, legal, and financial requirements to complete your application. In addition, the tool is a comprehensive source of information for EERE SBIR applications, which have very specific requirements and procedures.
  did you know? 
During a recent NSF webinar, Jesus V. Soriano of the NSF Division of Industrial Innovation & Partnerships noted that in 2013:
> 385 Phase I awards (23% success rate)
> 101 Phase II awards (54% success rate)
> 86% of awardee companies had less than 10 employees 
>
76% had never received a Phase II award from any agency

NSF Reviewer Focus:
> Phase I review panels are typically 75% Technical + 25% Commercial.
> Phase II panels are 50% Technical + 50% Commercial