SBIR/STTR Phase I Proposal Workshop

March 18, 2016

Attendees learned the basics of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants, how the program can be used by small businesses and the details of how to write a competitive proposal for funding. Each year the federal government awards SBIR and STTR grants to U.S.-based small businesses for the purpose of research and development, and strengthening small business innovation and access to new technology. Once funded, businesses will have six months to conduct a Phase I feasibility study at funding levels up to $150,000. They can then move into Phase II prototyping and testing for two years at levels up to $1 million. Businesses can then convert the funded research project into new commercial products and technologies without giving up equity or paying interest on a business loan. (For additional information on the SBIR/STTR programs visit:  www.sbir.gov.)  

The workshop was led by Dr. Marie Talnack whose career in Technology Transfer and Business Development has spanned over 25 years since the SBIR and STTR programs were first established. She has worked in technology transfer and commercialization at four research universities and two national research laboratories as well as her own consulting firm established in 1991. She has worked with over 300 companies with new technologies and written well over 500 technical proposals and grants which have been leveraged into $60 million in private capital funding. Her workshops on grant writing have been held across California through the Small Business Administration’s SBDC program, Sandia National Laboratories, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and the National Small Business Innovation Research Conferences. She is a winner of the SBA and National Science Foundation’s Tibbets SBIR Advocate of the Year award. She holds a Doctorate in Science and Technology Policy from the University of Southern California, MBA in Finance and Marketing, and Masters in International Management. 

Click here to view SBIR 2020 application deadlines.

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