For many, the New Year equals “new start”. It’s full of promises and resolutions: plans to lose weight, quit smoking, get organized, etc. In these tough economic times, though, it might also mean companies are asking “what can I do that’s new, fresh, innovative to keep my company going?” Many researchers with innovative ideas might also take this time to leap into entrepreneurship, nervously striking out on their own. We can dream about changes and make resolutions without much effort, but sometimes to actually pursue ideas and make them a reality, we need money.
While not a guarantee of funding, if you have an idea for a truly unique innovation that will lead to a commercial product (meaning, someone will actually want to purchase it from you if developed), you might consider pursuing SBIR or STTR funding as an option. There are currently SBIR and STTR solicitations which are accepting proposals; others are in the queue to be released in the coming months. Here’s what the horizon looks like at this point:
DOEd IES Fastrack Closes January 22nd
NIST Closes January 22nd
DOD SBIR 2008.1 Closes January 14th
NOAA SBIR Closes January 14th
NSF STTR Closes February 25th (Letters of Intent due January 25th!)
In the coming months, NASA, USDA, DOD, DOE, EPA, DHS, NIH, and DOT will also have additional solicitations, so stay tuned!