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SBIR / STTR Grants

738 Views | 2 Replies | Last: 7 yr ago by TXTransplant
Hugh Jass
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AG
Does anyone here have experience with procuring research grants for small businesses along the lines of SBIR or STTR? If so, I'd be interested in picking your brain about a few launching considerations. Thanks!
TXTransplant
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I'm familiar with them from both sides (academic and industry). Because the RFPs are managed independently by each funding agency, you really want to narrow down the agency and agency-specific program that you want to apply to. And then make contact with the program manager. Applying for these things cold is usually a wasted effort, as the application process is not trivial. Also, under STTR, the research institution you partner with must perform at least 30 percent of the work. Unless you have a contact at a university/research institution who is already familiar with your work and willing to partner with you, it can be a tough sell. Most faculty don't want to fool with them because it's a lot of effort for usually very little money.

Not trying to discourage you. But when I was faculty, I used to get unsolicited emails from people wanting to file these things. Most of them had no idea what they were doing technically and hadn't bothered to learn how the programs work. So, you have an initial hurdle to get the attention of a legit researcher, if you haven't already.
Hugh Jass
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AG
Many thanks for your reply! Can you tell me a little more about the application process (from the industry side) once one has narrowed it down to a specific agency and research program? Despite contributing to a number of grants from the academic side before, this would admittedly be our first time going down the SBIR / STTR route. We've got several collaborators in academia that are interested in collaborating via STTR, but as you've already keenly point out, I suspect their relative contributions will need to exceed the minimum 30% in order for it to ultimately be attractive.

Have you dealt with any of the NSF grants? Those seem to be among the most competitive, but they also appear cover the widest spectrum.
TXTransplant
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You are correct in your impressions of NSF. Their RFPs tend to be the most broad because the agency's mission isn't limited to a specific scope (like USDA, DoE, or DoD). They do also tend to be the most competitive, though, because they usually get the most submissions.

As a whole, NSF also tends to be the most open/inclusive of all the funding agencies. Meaning getting funding isn't as dependent on "who you know" as it is with DoD or DoE. I'd encourage you to call the program manager to ask how many proposals they are typically getting per RFP and what percentage are being funded. I would also use their website to search and see exactly what types of projects are being funded (they have a public database called Fastlane that is accessible through their website). With that said, the agencies I worked with re small business/university collaborations were USDA and DoE, and it has been several years since I worked with any funding agency.

As far as applying goes, you need to leave PLENTY of time. Universities have offices of sponsored research that have to review every single research proposal that includes university resources (even if you/your business will be the one submitting the proposal). The staff members in this office DO NOT like to do things last minute. I'm fact, the university I worked for had a policy that all proposals had to be submitted for review at least one or two weeks (can't remember exactly which because it's been so long) before the deadline. There is enough red tape in the university approval process that, if you don't plan accordingly, you could miss the application deadline.

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