The Department of Health and Human Services SBIR/STTR grant solicitation aimed at supporting small business innovation research is now available.
Through the PHS 2013-02 SBIR/STTR Omnibus Solicitation, U.S. small businesses are encouraged to submit investigator-initiated SBIR/STTR grant applications in response to a variety of identified topics related to the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the Administration for Children and Families.
The SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2011 and the recently released SBIR and STTR policy directives have brought about numerous – and often times, complicated – changes. In an effort to keep the small business research community aware of the impending modifications, the NIH has set up a new website providing a detailed overview of its implementation plan. In addition, HHS intends to revise or re-issue the Omnibus solicitation later this year. To stay informed, download a copy of the current solicitation and request to be updated as changes are made.
It’s important to note the NIH will adhere to the new award limitations, only issuing a maximum of $225,000 for Phase I and $1.5 million for Phase II. While there is a waiver process that allows for awards that exceed this guideline, it requires approval and may delay any funding. In addition, up to $5,000 in technical assistance can now be requested. The contractor performing the work must be named and the awardee will forfeit any commercialization assistance offered by the NIH. This solicitation does not allow any crossover from an STTR Phase I to an SBIR Phase II – or vice versa – and prohibits the ability to apply directly to Phase II funding. Venture capital-backed firms are also ineligible to apply for funding. These provisions will be addressed in the upcoming solicitation re-release.
The application due dates are April 5, Aug. 5, and Dec. 5, 2013, while AIDS and AIDS-related applications are due May 7, Sept. 7, 2013, and Jan. 7, 2014. Detailed information, including program contacts, topic descriptions, and instructions for preparing proposals, are available in the solicitation, so please read it carefully to determine your company’s eligibility. For more information, review our online resources or join us at an SBIR Circle, held regularly in ATDC room 207 at Technology Square, 75 Fifth St NW. Please check the ATDC calendar for specific dates and times.
The SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2011 and the recently released SBIR and STTR policy directives have brought about numerous – and often times, complicated – changes to National Institutes of Health (NIH) programs. In an effort to keep the small business research community aware of the impending modifications, the NIH has set up a new website providing a detailed overview of its implementation plan. The site will be regularly updated as the implementation process moves forward so periodically check back. Detailed links to the new policy directives, as well as a synopsis of key changes and FAQs can also be found in this Small Business Administration (SBA) blog post.
In addition, NIH is launching the 9th annual Niche Assessment Program. Open to any SBIR/STTR Phase I awardees funded by grant or contract in fiscal years 2012 and 2012, the free program offers a comprehensive market analysis report designed to help jump-start a company’s commercialization efforts. Applications are now being on a first-come, first-served basis until all 125 slots are filled.
For more information on SBIR/STTR programs, review our online resources or join us at an SBIR Circle, held regularly in ATDC room 207 at Technology Square, 75 Fifth St NW. Please check the ATDC calendar for specific dates and times.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have issued the new SBIR contract solicitation aimed at supporting the development of innovative biomedical and behavioral research technology with the potential for commercialization.
This SBIR solicitation is a separate and independent offering from the NIH and is not connected to their year-long Omnibus SBIR/STTR Grants solicitation. The contract solicitation is much smaller, and the topics are more focused and specific to each agency’s mission. For example, topics available in this year’s solicitation range from New Methods to Detect and Assess Myocardial Fibrosis to Smartphone Application for Global Birth Defects Surveillance. Budgets are also strictly enforced, and are limited to $150,000 for Phase I and $1 million for Phase II.
The deadline for contract proposal submissions is Nov. 13, 2012. It’s important to note that this solicitation does not use the electronic Grants.gov website. Submissions must be on paper and verified by time stamp, so allow ample time for proposal delivery.
Detailed information, including program contacts, topic descriptions, and instructions for preparing proposals, are available in the solicitation. For more information, review our online resources or join us at an SBIR Circle, held regularly in ATDC room 207 at Technology Square, 75 Fifth St NW. Please check the ATDC calendar for specific dates and times.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has unveiled a new SBIR funding program aimed at supporting the development of innovative health information technology that benefits consumers, patients, caregivers and health care providers. With up to $1.5 million available in Phase I and II grants, the award encourages small businesses to apply for funding to accelerate the creation and commercialization of products that translate the behavioral and communication science evidence base for the prevention and control of cancer and other chronic diseases. In particular, co-funding partners National Cancer Institute and National Library of Medicine are interested in supporting health information technology products that have the potential to: prevent or reduce the risk of cancer; facilitate patient-provider communication; and improve disease outcomes in consumer and clinical settings.
Research applications are now being accepted and must be submitted to grants.gov by the standard dates of Aug. 5, Dec. 5 and April 5 to be eligible for the funding. To view the full announcement, please visit: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-12-196.html.
For more information, review our online resources or join us at an SBIR Circle, held regularly in ATDC room 207 at Technology Square, 75 Fifth St NW. Please check the ATDC calendar for specific dates and times. If you are applying to the Aug. 5th grant deadline, come join us for a free hands-on application workshop on July 26. This two hour event is open to the community and will guide you through the details of creating a competitive application.
The USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) will be opening the 2013 SBIR program solicitation for phase I projects on July 14. The maximum value of the award has been increased to $100,000. To be eligible for the grant-based program, all research applications must be submitted to grants.gov by Sept. 6.
Topics range from air, water and soils to food science and nutrition and more. The complete topic list is included in the solicitation, so read it carefully to make sure you meet all the requirements. Special consideration will be given to applications that address one of five challenges identified by NIFA, which include global security and hunger, climate change, sustainable bioenergy, childhood obesity and food safety.
The USDA’s registration process is complex and lengthy, so participants are encouraged to start early. The solicitation can be found on the USDA SBIR website at: www.nifa.usda.gov/funding/rfas/sbir_rfa.html
For more information, review our online resources or join us at an SBIR Circle, held regularly in ATDC room 207 at Technology Square, 75 Fifth St NW. Please check the ATDC calendar for specific dates and times.
Each year, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) invests more than $700 million into small businesses performing biomedical and biohavioral R&D to advance products to the commercial marketplace. On May 30 – June 1, at the Louisville Marriott Downtown, hundreds of health and science managers, small business executives, university researchers and entrepreneurs will gather for the 14th Annual NIH SBIR/STTR Conference in Louisville, KY. This year’s conference, “Changing the Face of SBIR/STTR,” will cover the “ins and outs” of the NIH SBIR/STTR programs provided by NIH staff, and include opportunities to meet one-one with NIH Program Managers. Attendees will also be informed of any program changes due to the 2012 Reauthorization Act, including policy updates and modifications to the gap funding and commercialization assistance programs.
A public scientific poster session will be held during the conference, featuring approximately 80 abstracts selected by the NIH to represent both SBIR and STTR Phase II awards. These poster sessions highlight the successes of SBIR/STTR funding and provide an opportunity to build strategic alliances and foster conversations that could lead to future partnerships. Abstract submissions are being accepted until April 20 for these poster sessions.
Registration is now open for the annual conference and costs $350 to attend. After April 30th, the price increases to $450. For an additional fee, participants are invited to stay on for a unique third day opportunity to hear from NSF and DoD staff, speaking on their respective SBIR/STTR programs and to participate in an optional intensive workshop focused on Phase I or Phase II proposal development or the valuation of intellectual property.
Do not miss the opportunity to learn the value of SBIR/STTR funding for your R&D operation. Register now.
Now that SBIR Reauthorization has been passed and signed by the President, many are waiting to see how these new rules will be implemented by each agency. Currently, the rules are in legislative form only, and have not been interpreted by any agency. Many small businesses are specifically interested in the VC eligibility rule, but as it stands, the agencies are only accepting applications from small businesses that comply with the original regulations. Several of the agencies have open solicitations to which you can apply. For more information, please see the links below.
- The Department of Health and Human Services has released it’s 2012 solicitation. Standard submission dates apply: Apr 5, Aug 5, Dec 5.
- The Department of Education has two solicitations available with receipt dates of Feb 13 and Feb 22.
- The Department of Defense has pre-released it’s 2012.A STTR topics. If you are interested in discussing the specific topics with a Program Officer, you must do so prior to the solicitation official release. The final solicitation will be released on Feb 27 and applications are due Mar 28.
- National Institute of Standards and Technology solicitation is available and submissions are due Mar 2.
The process of reauthorizing the SBIR/STTR Program has been, like many other government programs, a long journey. It appears that the House has agreed to the Senate’s modifications for SBIR/STTR reauthorization as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2012 NDAA. As reported by Rick Shindell of the SBIR Gateway almost 1000 small businesses contacted their Representatives and urged them to agree to the Senate modifications for SBIR/STTR. As the final bill has not yet been authorized we do not have all the details. Here is what is known:
- Reauthorization through 2017.
- Increased Set Aside: SBIR from 2.5% to 3.2%, STTR from 0.3% to 0.45%.
- VC Majority Ownership: Allowable for 25% of awards from NIH, DoE and NSF, 15% of awards from all other agencies.
- Limit on Number of Awards Per Company: Rejected, but language included to monitor a company’s success.
- Agency Administrative Fund: 3% of SBIR funds can be used by the agencies for outreach and administration.
- Phase I Skip: Allowable for NIH, DoD and DoEd, at the agencies discretion.
The National Cancer Institute has announced the release of the 2012 SBIR Phase II Bridge Award program. The award helps bridge the funding gap, known as the “Valley of Death,” that currently exists between the end of the SBIR Phase II award and the next round of financing needed to advance a promising cancer therapy or imaging technology toward commercialization. The program is specifically intended to foster relationships between small business applicants and third-party investors and strategic partners who can help finance their development efforts.
The NCI intends to commit $10 million in fiscal year 2012, covering as many as 10 grants of up to $1 million annually for as long as three years. Development efforts may include preclinical R&D needed for regulatory filings or clinical trials in three project areas:
(1) cancer therapeutics
(2) cancer imaging technologies, interventional devices and in vivo diagnostics
(3) in vitro and ex vivo cancer diagnostics and prognostics
There are two deadlines to submit an SBIR Phase application: December 28, 2011 & March 27, 2012. For more information, visit the National Cancer Institute website.
Applications for the NIH Contract solicitation are due at 5 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, Nov. 7. The NIH Contract solicitation is released only once yearly, and contains a list of topics pertinent to each agencies mission. Unlike the grant solicitation, contracts are for specific work on a topic that has been pre-defined. Topics available in this year’s solicitation range from Wireless Telemetry for MRI to Rapid Point-of-Care tests for Fungal Diagnosis. Topics are highly specific and only proposals matching the published topics will be accepted; no investigator-initiated applications will be allowed. Budgets are also strictly enforced, and are limited to $150,000 for a Phase I and $1M for a Phase II. And, unlike other applications to the NIH, this solicitation must be submitted in paper form and received, as verified by time stamp, at the agency by the deadline above. Detailed information, including program contacts, detailed topic descriptions, and instructions for preparing proposals, are available in the solicitation.
Participating agencies, with the approximate number of contracts each expects to award:
NIH: National Cancer Institute (37); National Center for Research Resources (1-2); National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute (18 – 29); National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism 2-4); National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases (1); National Institute on Drug Abuse (15 – 21).
Centers for Disease Control: Center for Global Health (2); National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (1); National Center for Emerging Zoonotic & Infectious Diseases (2); National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, SDT, & TB Prevention (3) ; Office of Public Health Preparedness & Response (1).
Proposals will be reviewed between February and June 2012, with award dates between July and September 2012, depending on the awarding unit (see the solicitation for details).