Talk to the Federal Agency!

An earlier posting touched on doing your homework in getting to know the federal agency you are applying to for SBIR funding and also understanding the competition for your technology.  Next you need to talk to the people at the agency who should be interested in your technology about how it can solve their problems.  Some agencies encourage this, others allow it, and a few make it difficult.  However, it is important with all of them.

 Why would you want to talk to the federal agency?  After all, the problem they want solved is stated in their SBIR solicitation.  There are several reasons:

1. You want to introduce yourself, your company and your technology.  People, even federal employees, would rather do business, including funding R&D, with people they know.  So, let’s start that process by introducing yourself.
2. You want to get feedback on whether your technological approach would be considered.  If they tell you that they have already wasted much time and money on approaches similar to yours, you may have just saved yourself a considerable amount of unproductive effort.  While you will never get a positive commitment to fund a project, you might get encouragement and even guidance on points to include in your proposal.
3. You might need clarification on what the agency wants so that you can better focus your proposal.  Intelligent, insightful questions can give you added information and build creditability.

 But before you pick up the phone or shoot off an email, realize two things:

1. This communication will either start to build your creditability or undercut it. 
2. The federal employee you are contacting is a busy person therefore you will not have an unlimited amount of their time.

So, you must be organized and get to the important points.

 Not sure about who to contact, when to contact them, or what to say?  The answers vary from one agency to another.  The ATDC staff members who provide guidance on the SBIR program (John Mills, Connie Ruffner and Julie Collins) can answer these and other questions.

Credibility Wins! Homework Establishes the Foundation

We are often asked what it takes to win SBIR awards.  In one word it is credibility. In a webinar earlier this year a company that has been successful in receiving SBIR funding stated that “You start with zero credibility with the federal agency and can go negative from there.”  To avoid that you must have sound science, a well thought out plan to develop it, the people who are clearly qualified to accomplish all aspects of the plan, the needed facilities and equipment, and a reasonable approach to reach a viable market for the product developed.  But you can greatly enhance your credibility by first doing your homework.

The first issue to address in doing your homework is to understand the mission of the agency and the particular sub-agency or center you are considering applying to.  This will better aid you in orienting your proposal so that it aligns with the needs of that agency.  You can start with information available on the web, but most agencies have conferences where they discuss current developments and future needs.  Yes this takes time and money, but who said getting to know your customer would be easy.

Next you need to know what other products are available and what other research is being done in this field to address the problems that you want to solve.  Stating “There is no competition for this technology” will not get you any credibility.  If you do not know what others are doing, you cannot explain why your solution is better.  And your claim that you are knowledgeable in this field is damaged.

Then you need to get to know the federal agency people and start establishing your credibility.  More on that later.

Successful People Get Help!

Some years ago I was chatting with the then Dean of the College of Engineering at Georgia Tech about some of the changes that had been implemented to make that school more “student friendly.”  One of these was a free tutoring service that was available to all freshmen.  Georgia Tech had found that this tutoring service was not being used by the students who were struggling and really needed it, but by good students who were using it to get even better.

Those of us in the ATDC who “tutor” companies in applying to the SBIR and STTR programs often wonder why more companies don’t seek our help.  I believe there are a number of reasons including:

1. Companies wait until the last few days to write their proposal and therefore do not have time to get it reviewed and make changes.  I often did this with course work while a college student and that’s a prime reason I was a “C” student.  Well a “C” will not get you very far with SBIR because the competition is submitting “A” work.  Even companies who have won SBIR awards in the past could be more successful with a little more lead time and some help.
2. Those who come from academia are often experienced in submitting research proposals and do not think they need the help.  The biggest problem here is that SBIR proposals are different than the pure scientific research that university faculty have proposed in the past.  Without some help these otherwise successful people fail by not adequately covering the equally important commercialization portion of the proposal.
3. A variation of the above is companies that have smart people who believe they can figure it out by themselves.  Yes, eventually they can.  We all know that we can learn from our failures, but successful people more often learn by the failures of others.  We can help with those lessons.
4. Companies have secrets that they don’t want to let anyone else know, sometimes their technology, their market strategy or their salaries.  Well, since the company is going to reveal these things to the federal agency anyhow, wouldn’t it be better to do so with a proposal that has a better chance of success?  If we had been revealing company secrets, we would have been run out town long before now and most successful people understand this.
5. Some people do not want to hear frank and honest feedback, particularly about their “baby”, the technology that is going to be the next greatest thing.  Most successful people welcome unbiased frank and honest feedback.  So if they want to avoid our feedback, we don’t mind them not seeking our help.  They can get their feedback from the federal agency after they waste time and effort in putting a failed proposal together.

If you and your company do not fit in one of the above categories and are interested in applying for funding under the SBIR or STTR programs, contact John Mills, Julie Collins or Connie Ruffner who provide detailed guidance in this area.