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SBIR/STTR ALERTING SERVICE * November 21, 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.
NEWS IN THIS ISSUE
-- NSF FY2009 SBIR Phase I Solicitation Deadline Reminder
-- PHS (DHHS) 2008-2 SBIR/STTR Solicitation Deadline Reminder
-- DoD SBIR Program 2009.1 Presolicitation Notice
-- SBIR Proposal Writing Tip: Proposing Same Idea to Agencies
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SBIR/STTR NEWS AND INFORMATION
-- NSF FY2009 SBIR Phase I Solicitation Deadline Reminder
Proposals in response to the second round of the National Science Foundation FY2009 SBIR Phase I solicitation are due December 4, 2008. It is strongly advised that proposers review Administrative and Technical Screening Information items on the Solicitation web page (http://www.nsf.gov/eng/iip/sbir/stop.jsp), and the SBIR/STTR Frequently Asked Questions web page (http://www.nsf.gov/eng/iip/sbir/faq.jsp). .
For more information regarding the solicitation, contact one of the individuals below:
Gregory T. Baxter, Program Director, Biotech and Chemical Technologies (BC), telephone: (703) 292-7795, email:
Errol Arkilic, Software and Services (SS) Program Director, telephone: (703) 292-8095, email:
Juan E Figueroa, Program Director, Electronics, Components, & Engineering Systems (EL), telephone: (703) 292-7054, email:
-- PHS (DHHS) 2008-2 SBIR/STTR Solicitation Deadline Reminder
The third of three deadlines in response to the 2008 SBIR and STTR Omnibus Solicitations of the NIH, CDC, and FDA is December 5, 2008. 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 Program 2009.1 Presolicitation Notice
The Department of Defense (DoD) posted a presolicitation notice for their 2009.1 SBIR program on the Federal Business Opportunities (http://www.fedbizopps.gov) website on November 10, 2008. A portion of the SBIR notice appears below for your convenience. To view the entire announcement, visit https://www.fbo.gov/index?tab=core&s=opportunity&mode=form&id=4f9477c23dc21c91fd1281e9683cd9b8.
Notice Type: Presolicitation Notice
Solicitation Number: DoDSBIR2009-1
Posted Date: November 10, 2008
Original Response Date: January 14, 2009
Synopsis:
Small high-technology firms are encouraged to submit proposals to DoD for R&D projects with both military and commercial applications in response to SBIR solicitation 2009.1, which will be publicly released on the DoD SBIR Web Site (http://www.acq.osd.mil/sadbu/sbir) on Nov 12, 2008. The 2009.1 SBIR Solicitation will open for receipt of proposals on Dec 8, 2008 and will close at 6:00 AM Eastern Time, Jan 14, 2009.
Seven DoD components will participate in the 2009.1 solicitation - the Department of the Air Force, Department of the Army, Department of the Navy, Office of Secretary of Defense (OSD), Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Chemical and Biological Defense Program (CBD), and United Stated Special Operations Command (SOCOM).
Small firms apply first for a six-month phase I award of $70,000 to $100,000 (unless otherwise specified in the component instructions) to test the scientific, technical, and commercial merit of a particular concept. If phase I proves successful, the firm may be invited to apply for a two-year phase II award of $500,000 to $750,000 to further develop the concept.
Questions may be directed to the SBIR/STTR Help Desk at (866) 724-7457 or Mr. Michael Caccuitto at (703) 588-8610, or by e-mail: or Ms. Amy Smith, Contracting Officer at (937) 255-0493, e-mail . Current Point of Contact: SBIR Help Desk at (866) 724-7457.
-- SBIR Proposal Writing Tip: Proposing Same Idea to Agencies
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: Proposing Same Idea to Multiple Agencies
Copyright© 2008 by Greenwood Consulting Group, Inc.
One of most commonly asked questions is whether an SBIR/STTR proposal can be submitted to multiple agencies. The short answer is “Yes,” it can. But there are a lot of factors to consider before you do so.
First, make sure you follow each agency’s unique proposal rules and requirements. If you’ve been involved in SBIR/STTR, then you are not surprised to hear that each agency has a different format, different submission requirements, and so forth.
Second, the proposal must be tailored to the interests, priorities, and culture of each agency. Do not write a generic “everyone will want one” proposal and submit it to all the agencies. Instead, think about each agency’s concerns and needs, their terminology, their level of emphasis on commercialization, and custom tailor each proposal to fit the agency.
Third, the agencies require that you disclose in each proposal whether you are submitting a “similar or related idea” to other agencies. Some want to know about similar awards, and some even want to know if you have previously submitted this idea to other agencies that decided not to fund it. We recommend that you always disclose some proposal/project that might be considered “similar or related,” but we also recommend you take an additional important step, and differentiate between those proposals and this one. Why is it important to differentiate the proposals? Because of the fourth thing you want to consider….
Fourth, if the proposals are truly duplicative, and if multiple agencies want to give you an SBIR/STTR award, then you can only accept one offer. Well, you could accept more than one, but then you will likely find yourself serving time in your nearest Federal penitentiary. But if there are substantial and important differences between the proposals you submitted to different agencies, and more than one agency wants to give you an award, now you CAN accept multiple awards, provided the agencies agree to it. Assuming the proposals do have some common elements, you will need to negotiate with the agencies which one(s) will pay for that common research. You might agree with the agencies that each will pay 50% of the cost of this common research; now you are not “double dipping” (which keeps you out of jail), and you have freed up some money under each project with which you can propose to accomplish some additional work.
Finally, different agencies have different rules about submitting the same idea multiple times within the same agency. To our knowledge, all allow you to submit the same basic idea to other agencies at the same time they are considering your proposal. However, the agencies differ considerably on how they view multiple proposals on one topic in their solicitation, whether you can submit the same idea in multiple proposals to them, and whether you can submit an idea for consideration under both SBIR and STTR programs. Make sure you read the agency’s solicitation/Funding Opportunity Announcement carefully if you are planning to do anything along these lines.
One final bit of advice: do not submit multiple proposals on the same idea if it means that you have to sacrifice the quality of the proposals. We have known applicants who try to generate as many proposals as possible with the hope that one or more will be successful. If submitting two proposals means putting half as much time into each one as is needed to do a good job, then we suggest you pick one or the other and focus all your resources on it. SBIR/STTR demand high quality proposals, so don’t sacrifice quality for quantity.
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
REGIONAL
SBIR/STTR Seminar, Tucson, Arizona, December 9, 2008. This informative event will include the information you need to get started on preparing an award-winning proposal and provide step by step guidance through contract/grant award. Presenters include: Sandy DiCosola, Summit Contract Management, Jaymie Parker, ADOC Office of Innovation and Technology, Stephen O’Neil, Ph.D., U of A Office of Technology Transfer, John Waszczak, Ph.D., Raytheon. For more information or to register contact the Small Business Development Center at 520-206-6404 or , or visit http://www.pima.edu/smallbusiness/sbdc/TrainingWorkshops.shtml.
Developing Successful Federal Cost Proposals, Annapolis, MD, January 9th and 13th, 2008. This workshop, be sponsored by the Maryland SBDC Network and the Maryland Procurement Technical Assistance Center, will include an overview of Federal cost accounting, contracts vs. grants, a cost proposal overview, basic bid requirements, and more. For more information and to register, visit http://sbir.us/course/MD81209.html, or email .
* DoD SBIR/STTR Symposium and Proposal Training, Fayetteville, NC, December 10-11, 2008. The Symposium on the 10th will include a variety of interesting sessions, including an overview/date of the DOD SBIR/STTR programs, a panel highlighting differences among the DOD components and their interests, and advice on working with DOD prime contractors in transitioning or commercializing your technology into the DOD. On the 11th, the focus will be on preparing the DOD Phase 1 SBIR/STTR proposal, covering proposal strategy, drafting the proposal, getting a presubmission review, and the debriefing. An abbreviated session on the 11th on DOD Phase 2 proposals will also be offered. To register, contact or 919-962-8297, or visit www.sbtdc.org/events/sbir/dod.
* Cost Proposal Preparation Workshop, Gainesville, Florida, December 12, 2008. This intensive, day-long workshop will describe the basics of government accounting, and SBIR/STTR cost proposals. It will also provide information on how to estimate your company's indirect/F&A rate, and how to justify your fee/profit request. For more information, contact at for more information or to register.
* Phase II Proposal Preparation Workshop, Orlando, Florida, February 23, 2009. This workshop We will cover the basics of Phase II, how it differs among the various agencies, how to prepare the Phase II proposal, and what should be covered in the commercialization discussion in the Phase II proposal, as well as information regarding the cost proposal. For more information or to register, contact .
* Phase I Proposal Preparation & SBIR/STTR Commercialization Workshops, Stillwater, Oklahoma, February 25-26, 2008. Day 1 will cover the basics of SBIR/STTR, then cover a four-step process for developing a competitive Phase I 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. Day 2 is aimed at helping you better understand the commercialization side of your SBIR/STTR project. Contact for more information and/or to sign up for either or both days of this information-packed event.
Other possible upcoming SBIR training opportunities include:
SBIR Workshop, Santa Fe, New Mexico area, February 2009
* Greenwood Consulting Group, Inc will provide training at these workshops. Any attendee of one of these workshops is entitled to a free critique of his or her draft SBIR or STTR proposal. If you have questions, contact Gail or Jim Greenwood at (239) 395-9446 (voice & fax) or , or visit their web site at www.g-jgreenwood.com.
If you are sponsoring or are aware of SBIR workshops in your area and would like to post an announcement feel free to contact us.
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SOLICITATIONS CURRENTLY OPEN
SBIR
NSF FY2009 SBIR Phase I
Due December 4, 2008
http://www.nsf.gov/eng/iip/sbir/index.jsp
PHS (DHHS) 2008-2 SBIR Omnibus Solicitation
Due December 5, 2008; AIDS and AIDS-related applications are due January 7, 2009
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/sbir.htm
DHS S&T SBIR FY09.1 SBIR
Due January 5, 2009
http://www.sbir.dhs.gov
DOC NOAA FY2009 SBIR
Due January 14, 2009
http://www.oar.noaa.gov/orta/.
DOC NIST FY2009 SBIR
Expected January 22, 2009
http://tsapps.nist.gov/ts_sbir/
STTR
NSF FY2009 STTR Phase I
Letter of Intent (required) Due January 14, 2009
Proposals Due February 25, 2008
http://www.nsf.gov/eng/iip/sbir/index.jsp
PHS (DHHS) 2008-2 STTR Omnibus Solicitation
Due December 5, 2008; AIDS and AIDS-related applications are due January 7, 2009
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/sbir.htm
COMING SOON
Ed IES 2009 SBIR
Expected December 2008
http://www.ed.gov/programs/sbir/index.html
DoD SBIR 2009.1
Expected December 8, 2008 (on the web now)
http://www.acq.osd.mil/osbp/sbir/
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SBIR/STTR INFO ON THE INTERNET
PARTICIPATING AGENCY SBIR WEB SITES:
Department of Agriculture
www.csrees.usda.gov/funding/sbir/sbir.html
Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
www.oar.noaa.gov/ORTA/
National Institute of Standards and Technology
http://tsapps.nist.gov/ts_sbir/
Department of Defense
www.acq.osd.mil/sadbu/sbir or
www.dodsbir.net
Defense Technical Information Center
www.dtic.mil/dtic/sbir/
Air Force
www.sbirsttrmall.com/Portal.aspx
Army
www.aro.army.mil/arowash/rt/sbir/sbir.htm
Chemical and Biological Defense Program (CBD)
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
www.darpa.mil/sbir/
Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA)
www.dtra.mil/acq/business/acq%5Fsmallbus.html
Missile Defense Agency (MDA)
www.winbmdo.com/
Navy
www.navysbir.com/
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)
www.nga.mil/portal/site/nga01/index.jsp
Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD)