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SBIR/STTR ALERTING SERVICE * August 1, 2008
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The SBIR/STTR Alerting Service is a free service that provides bi-weekly notification of SBIR and STTR solicitation announcements, news and information, and Internet resources relevant to the SBIR/STTR programs. This service is provided by the Economic Development Office of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).
Back issues of the SBIR Alert are available at www.pnl.gov/edo/opportunities/sbir.stm. Subscription instructions appear at the end of this newsletter.
The next issue of this newsletter will be sent on August 22, 2008.
NEWS IN THIS ISSUE
-- PHS (DHHS) 2008-2 SBIR/STTR Solicitation Deadline Reminder
-- DoD SBIR 2008.3 and STTR 2008.B Solicitations Pre-Released
-- DOT FY08.2 SBIR Solicitation Opens
-- EPA SBIR Collaboration with USDA
-- DOC NIST SBIR TT Program Announcement
-- SBIR Reauthorization Compromise Passes Senate Committee
-- SBIR Proposal Writing Tip: Increase Your Chance of Success
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SBIR/STTR NEWS AND INFORMATION
-- PHS (DHHS) 2008-2 SBIR/STTR Solicitation Deadline Reminder
The second of three deadlines in response to the 2008 SBIR and STTR Omnibus Solicitations of the NIH, CDC, and FDA is August 5th. Proposers are encouraged to review the Check Submission Status FAQ page (http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/faq_check_submission.htm) and follow applicable instructions to assure your application was received error-free. It is the applicant’s responsibility to track their application through Grants.gov and NIH eRA Commons.
For more information, contact the PHS SBIR/STTR Solicitation Office at or visit http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/sbir.htm.
-- DoD SBIR 2008.3 and STTR 2008.B Solicitations Pre-Released
The Department of Defense (DoD) has made pre-release versions of SBIR Solicitation 2008.3 and STTR Solicitation 2008.B available on their SBIR/STTR website (http://www.acq.osd.mil/osbp/sbir/). DoD will begin accepting proposals on August 25, 2008. The deadline for receipt of proposals is September 24, 2008.
As is usually the case with DoD solicitations, you may talk directly with the Topic Authors to ask technical questions about the topics prior to the opening date. Names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses are listed within each solicitation topic. For reasons of competitive fairness, direct communication between proposers and topic authors is not allowed starting August 25, when DoD begins accepting proposals for this solicitation.
For more information or assistance with the solicitations, contact the Help Desk at http://www.dodsbir.net/helpdesk/ or 866-724-7457.
-- DOT FY08.2 SBIR Solicitation Opens
The Department of Transportation (DOT) began accepting proposals in response their FY08.2 SBIR solicitation. Proposals are due September 5, 2008. It is estimated that DOT will award approximately 3 Phase I contracts with an anticipated potential maximum of 5 awards of up to $100,000 each unless otherwise noted. The Phase I research topics are listed below:
Federal Highway Administration -- (2 Awards)
082-FH1 Dilemma Zone Detection and Warning System
1082-FH2 Origin-Destination – Travel Time Measurement and Characterization
Federal Railroad Administration -- (1 Award)
1082-FR1 Cursory and Non-regulatory Removable Safety Appliances for Intermodal or Semi-Permanently Attached Railcars
The solicitation is available to view/download in html, doc, or pdf file formats at the DOT SBIR Program Internet site: http://www.volpe.dot.gov/sbir. The solicitation will be issued through electronic means only; no hard copies will be available.
-- EPA SBIR Collaboration with USDA
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released a notice concerning linkages between current EPA technology needs and the topics in the Department of Agriculture (USDA) SBIR Phase I Solicitation. A portion of this announcement appears below:
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) SBIR Phase I Solicitation is now closed and the next SBIR solicitation will open in March 2009. However, there are opportunities NOW for SBIR funding of environmental technologies in the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) SBIR Phase I Solicitation closing on September 4, 2008. There are at least three possible areas of collaboration between USDA’s SBIR topics and EPA’s technology needs. EPA technology needs are described in the last Phase I Solicitation that is still posted on the EPA SBIR Website. The linkages between the EPA technology needs and USDA topics are summarized below:
EPA Technology Needs (Topics): Water and Water Monitoring corresponds to USDA Topic 8.4 (Air, Water and Soils);
Biofuels and Biobased Products corresponds to USDA Topic 8.8 (Biofuels and Biobased Products); Animal Waste Management corresponds to USDA Topic 8.11 (Animal Manure Management)
EPA’s next SBIR Phase I Solicitation opens on March 19, 2009 and closes on May 20, 2009. Previous EPA solicitations are available on the EPA SBIR website at: www.epa.gov/ncer/sbir. The Solicitations have different topics and provide detailed descriptions of EPA technology needs. Questions about EPA environmental technologies can be addressed to James Gallup, phone (202) 343-9703 or email: or James Gentry, Phone (202) 343-9798 or email: or April Richards, Phone (202) 343-9836 or email: . The USDA SBIR Phase I Solicitation is NOW available at: http://www.csrees.usda.gov/funding/rfas/sbir_rfa.html.
-- DOC NIST SBIR TT Program Announcement
The following announcement was recently posted on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) SBIR website (http://tsapps.nist.gov/ts_sbir/):
For its FY09 SBIR Solicitation, NIST will release subtopics specifically describing R&D needed to commercialize NIST-developed technologies. Until Sept 15, 2008, companies interested in specific NIST technologies (patented or not) are invited to submit their interest. Click here (http://tsapps.nist.gov/ts_sbir/public%20announcement1.pdf) for an overview and instructions on how to participate in the SBIR "TT" Program.
-- SBIR Reauthorization Compromise Passes Senate Committee
On July 31, 2008, the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship passed a Senate version of the SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2008 (S. 3362). The bill will now be addressed by the full Senate -- likely after they return from recess in September.
The Senate bill provides a compromise to the House bill that was passed in May. Some of the items in the bill include:
- Reauthorizing the SBIR program for 14 years and increase award set-asides for agencies’ R&D budgets from 2.5 percent to 3.5 of percent over ten years.
- An increase in award sizes for Phase I to $150,000 and Phase II to $1 million with the ability to exceed the guidelines by a maximum of 50%..
- Firms majority owned and controlled by multiple VC companies can compete for up to 18 percent of the HHS SBIR funds. All other agencies would only be allowed to apply for such authority up to 8 percent of their SBIR funds.
- Elimination of the House’s proposal to allow businesses to bypass Phase I and go directly to Phase II.
A copy of the Senate bill is available courtesy of Rick Shindell at the SBIR Gateway: www.zyn.com/sbir/insider/s3362_bill.pdf. The latest issue of the SBIR Insider Newsletter which contains additional information of the latest reauthorization developments will likely be posted soon at http://www.zyn.com/sbir/. The Small Business Technology Council also has a summary of the latest Senate bill at http://www.nsba.biz/content/1920.shtml.
-- SBIR Proposal Writing Tip: Increase Your Chance of Success
The following proposal writing tip was provided by Gail & Jim Greenwood. Past SBIR proposal writing articles written by the Greenwoods are available on the Greenwood Consulting Group, Inc. (GCGI) web site at http://g-jgreenwood.home.att.net.
SBIR Proposal Writing Basics: 3 Words That Increase Your Proposal’s Chance of Success By 10%
Copyright© 2008 by Greenwood Consulting Group, Inc.
Yes, there are actually three words that can increase your SBIR/STTR proposal’s chances of being awarded by 10%. They aren’t even big or obscure words, so it should be easy to grasp them: Follow The Instructions.
Of course, we’re referring to the instructions found in the current solicitation (also known as a “funding opportunity announcement” or FOA among some agencies) for the agency to which you are sending your SBIR/STTR proposal. How can following these instructions increase of your proposal’s chance of success? Because roughly 10% of proposals received by agencies are thrown out because they fail to comply with their instructions.
Too many SBIR/STTR proposers get so focused on the innovation and technical content of their proposals that they neglect this simple but critically important part of the proposal preparation process. Others assume that their great ideas and dazzling teams will cause agency reviewers to “overlook” their failure to comply with the agency’s proposal instructions. The fallacy with this latter assumption is that clerical or administrative personnel, who frankly may not understand or care about your nifty innovation, first screen your proposal to make sure it meets minimum standards (i.e., follows the instructions) before the proposal ever gets a review for its technical content and merit.
“Not a problem,” you say, “because I have been submitting proposals to this agency for years, so I know their instructions like the back of my hand.” That’s fine, but ignores an important fact: agencies change their instructions over time. For example, NASA used to make the Phase I briefing chart “optional,” whereas the new FY2008 solicitation states that it is “required.” And what about the Department of Homeland Security? Their Phase I award maximum was $100k, then they changed it briefly to $99.9k, and now it is back to $100k—and all those changes occurred in less than a year’s time!
Maybe you feel you’re too busy to focus on such details. Perhaps you are so familiar with the agency’s instructions that you don’t think you’ll notice “minor” changes. Then there’s a very simple thing you can do to help ensure that your proposal doesn’t get tossed out because of a “nitpick.” Give the draft proposal and the latest agency’s solicitation/FOA instructions to someone who has not been involved in drafting the proposal, and ask them to look for any inconsistencies between what you’ve written and what the agency requires. Anyone who is a stickler for detail, or who is very critical of you (maybe a teenager in your household, or your mother-in-law), may catch something that, if not corrected, could put your proposal in the ol’ circular file.
Gail and Jim Greenwood may be reached at the following address:
Greenwood Consulting Group, Inc.
1150 Junonia
Sanibel, FL 33957
(239) 395-9446 (voice & fax)
(email)
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CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS
NATIONAL
National SBIR Fall Conference, Hartford, CT, November 12-14, 2008. All 11 federal SBIR agencies will attend and be available to meet one-on-one with small high tech firms and manufacturers. For more information and to register, visit http://www.ccat.us/sbir_conference_08 or contact Merrie London at or 860-282-4211.
REGIONAL
SBIR/STTR Industry Day, National Harbor, MD, August 7, 2008. The Missile Defense Agency and the National Defense Industrial Association Missile Defense Division will host this event which will cover a series of short presentations on the following SBIR and STTR topics of interest: Space; Interceptor; Manufacturing; Radar Systems; Modeling, Simulation & Phenomenology; C2BMC; Directed Energy; Information Assurance; and Safety/Insensitive Munitions Technology. In addition there will be opportunities for potential SBIR and STTR bidders to schedule one-on-one meetings with Government technical staff. For more information, visit www.ndia.org/meetings/8160, (Schedule of Events, Event #8160) or contact Danny Rovenger, at or 703-247-2540.
How To Win SBIR Awards, Largo, MD, August 14, 2008. Maryland Minority R&D Initiative will present this workshop with extra emphasis on business development at DoD & NASA. Topics on the agenda include Strategic Planning & the SBIR/STTR Programs; Competitive Proposals & Grant Requests; and Outside Information and Support Resources. For more information, visit http://sbir.us/course/MD80814.html, call 410-315-8101 or E-mail the SBIR Center at .
How To Win SBIR Awards, Boston, MA, August 20, 2008. This workshop will be hosted by Burns & Levinson LLP, SBANE (Smaller Business Assocition of New England) and NDIA (National Defense Industrial Association) New England. Topics on the agenda include Strategic Planning & the SBIR/STTR Programs; Competitive Proposals & Grant Requests; and Outside Information and Support Resources. For more information, visit http://sbir.us/course/MA80820.html, call 410-315-8101 or E-mail the SBIR Center at .
2008 SBIR Beyond Phase II: Partnering to Enhance Innovation Conference & Exhibition, Desert Springs, CA, September 2-5, 2008. For more information, contact Andy Talbert, Conference Manager, DoD SBIR/STTR, at 703-412-3152 or .
* Phase I Proposal Preparation Workshop, Boise, Idaho, Sept 5, 2008. This workshop will cover the basics of SBIR/STTR programs, and will present a four-step process for developing a competitive Phase 1 proposal. Attendees, as a group, will review a sample Phase I proposal and comment on its strengths and weaknesses before learning the history of that proposal. For more information, contact
* Phase I Proposal Preparation Workshop, Memphis, Tennessee, Sept 9, 2008. This workshop will discuss the basics of the SBIR/STTR programs (including the latest on reauthorization of SBIR by Congress), then cover a four-step process for developing a competitive Phase 1 proposal. Attendees, as a group, will review a sample Phase 1 proposal and comment on its strengths and weaknesses before learning the history of that proposal. For more information contact .
SBIR/STTR Phase I Proposal Writing Workshop, Little Rock, Arkansas, September 17, 2008. This eight-hour workshop, hosted by the Arkansas Small Business Development Center at UALR, can help your business move from SBIR applicant to awardee. It is for early-stage, first-time or unsuccessful writers of SBIR Phase I proposals. Space is limited to 40 participants. The program will focus on two areas key to winning SBIR funding: the work plan and the commercialization plan. You will learn how to integrate knowledge of the state-of-the-art with the work plan, and how to master requirements unique to different federal agencies. Participants will receive guidance in researching government organizations, topics and financial and administrative requirements and will explore specific steps to attract commercialization partners, even at the Phase I stage. This interactive workshop, with in-class exercises, uses tools and techniques that help in writing more successful proposals. Each major proposal section will be considered in detail. You will walk away with the essential elements of your Phase I proposal outlined. The ASBDC is pleased to offer this program in partnership with Arkansas EPSCoR. For more details, visit http://asbdc.ualr.edu/sbir or contact Mildred Holley at or 501-683.7716.