Overview of NSF SBIR & STTR Programs Jesus Soriano, MD, PhD, MBA Program Director, SBIR/STTR
NSF SBIR/STTR Programs We Invest in For-profit Small Businesses To Catalyze Innovation Through Technology Commercialization http://www.nsf.gov/eng/iip/sbir/ http://www.nsf.gov/eng/iip/sttr/
NSF s SBIR Program Seeks to fund transformational, game-changing technology Early stage platforms Strong focus on commercialization Encourages ties to private sector Industrial Innovation & Partnerships Small Business Partnerships www.nsf.gov/eng/iip/sbir/ 3
Award Information Type of Award fixed-price grants (SBIR: 6 months; STTR: 12 months) Award Amount: Phase I not to exceed $150,000 (STTR: $225,000) Phase II not to exceed $750,000 SBIR: 2/3 of the work must be done by the small business Balance of work may be done by others STTR : Minimum of 40% of research done by the small business Minimum of 30% of research done by research institution. Industrial Innovation & Partnerships 4
SBIR Program Status FY 2012 Ø 632 companies awarded Ø Median Company size: 5 employees Ø Median Company age: 4 years Ø 75% of Phase I companies did not have a previous Phase II award.
Funding and Review Criteria Ø High-risk, high-payback innovations Ø High commercialization potential is a must Ø Proposals should demonstrate, ü Sound research plan ü Highly qualified technical and business team ü Marketable product with significant commercialization potential
Doing Business with NSF NSF is not the Final Customer; NSF is not buying your product NSF has broad market-driven technology topics: You identify the problem/opportunity, propose the technological solution, and devise your business strategy NSF wants to see you commercialize your research successfully NSF encourages you to find private sector investment (Phase IB and Phase IIB Supplemental funding) Industrial Innovation & Partnerships Small Business Partnerships www.nsf.gov/eng/iip/sbir/ 7
Top Reasons to Seek SBIR Funding Provides funding for technologies on a path toward commercialization Provides pre-seed funding to demonstrate proof-ofconcept Not a loan/no repayment Provides validation, recognition, visibility May be leveraged to attract investment/partnerships Allows small business to retain IP Values/encourages/facilitates partnerships, which enable success Industrial Innovation & Partnerships Small Business Partnerships 8
Merit Review Criteria Intellectual Merit - Quality of the Research A sound approach for establishing technical and commercial feasibility Qualified technical team Sufficient access to resources Significantly advances state-of-the-art Broader Impact Potential impact on society Commercial and societal benefits Marketable product Commercialization track record Business expertise Intellectual Property/Other Competitive advantages Industrial Innovation & Partnerships Small Business Partnerships www.nsf.gov/eng/iip/sbir/ 9
Commercialization Potential Review Criteria The company s strategic vision The addressable market opportunity Is this an enabling technology The company/team Business and commercialization experience The product features and benefits compared to the competition Financing and revenue model Positioned to attract additional investment Industrial Innovation & Partnerships Small Business Partnerships www.nsf.gov/eng/iip/sbir/ 10
Specific STTR Program Features Special STTR Requirements Coopera(on research agreement between small business and university/non- profit research ins(tu(on in place to protect intellectual property A minimum of 40% of budget resides with the small business; a minimum of 30% of the budget goes to the university/non- profit research ins(tu(on; the remaining 30% can be distributed as appropriate for the project Three- phase approach: PHASE I Feasibility Research (12 months - $225,000) PHASE II Research Toward Prototype (24 months - $750,000) PHASE IIB Matching Funds against outside investment (12 to 24 month extension up to an addi(onal $500,000) PHASE III Product Development to First Revenues (non- SBIR/STTR funding) 11
Technology Thrusts Detailed topic descriptions and Program Director contact info at: http://www.nsf.gov/eng/iip/sbir/topics/combined.pdf Educational Technologies and Applications (EA) Information and Communication Technologies (IC) Semiconductors (S) and Photonic (PH) Devices and Materials Electronic Hardware, Robotics and Wireless Technologies (EW) Advanced Manufacturing and Nanotechnology (MN) Advanced Materials and Instrumentation (MI) Chemical and Environmental Technologies (CT) Biological Technologies (BT) Smart Health (SH) and Biomedical (BM) Technologies
Important Resources Follow NSF SBIR on Twitter @NSFInnovateSBIR Visit our You Tube Channel: How to Successfully Apply to the NSF SBIR/STTR Program and other webinars: hwp://www.youtube.com/user/nsfinnova(oniip Register to our Listserv: send blank email to INNOVATION-SUBSCRIBE-REQUEST@listserv.nsf.gov SBIR/STTR Topics Home Page: http://www.nsf.gov/eng/iip/sbir/topicshome.jsp Step-by-Step User Guide: submitting a proposal through FastLane: http://www.nsf.gov/eng/iip/sbir/documents/ Phase_I_Proposal_Preparation_Booklet.pdf Read out immediately past solicitations: SBIR NSF 13-599 http://nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=504961 STTR NSF 13-598 http://nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=504962
Questions? Contact info: Jesus Soriano, MD, PhD, MBA Program Director, SBIR/STTR Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships National Science Foundation Office: (703) 292-7795 Email: jsoriano@nsf.gov