November 2017                                                                         Follow us on Twitter  View our profile on LinkedIn  View our videos on YouTube  Visit our blog
SBIR/STTR Budgets Provide the Numbers; 
The Budget Justification Tells the Story
As you prepare your NIH or NSF budget, you will also need to prepare a detailed budget justification. This is an important and mostly underutilized part of many proposals. Numbers on a spreadsheet are only half of the story. The reviewers need to see WHY you are spending money on the things in your budget and if what you are requesting is reasonable in comparison to the work you are proposing to do. Here are four things to consider as you approach your budget and justification:
  • Identify - What labor, supplies, partners or collaborators, travel, etc. will be needed?
  • Itemize - Without going overboard, provide enough details to allow the reviewer to understand what is to be purchased.
  • Estimate - Include an estimate of costs based on prior research or experience.
  • Justify - Why this money is needed; provide a reason for each category of costs.
The most important things to remember are: Read on                   
BBCetc Welcomes Two New Consultants     
BBCetc is delighted to welcome new team members, Jerry Hollister and Austin Dean, both of whom further deepen the pool of experience, knowledge and capabilities BBCetc is able to offer our clients. Meet Jerry and Austin:

Jerry joins the company with 30 years of leadership experience in government, higher education, non-profit and for-profit enterprises. Jerry was previously COO for Michigan-based Niowave, a developer of superconducting electron accelerators, where he worked to build the successful start-up company from 2008-17. Jerry was instrumental in Niowave receiving $20 million in SBIR awards. Niowave was named the 2010 SBIR/STTR Small Business of the Year by the Dept. of Energy and, in 2016, was honored with the S.B.A.'s Tibbetts Award, which recognizes the best in SBIR achievement. 

Austin Dean joins BBCetc with a background in business incubation, acceleration services and early-stage investing. Most recently, Austin served as the Operations Director for Grand Rapids-based Start Garden Inc. Prior to that, he managed an accelerator program, served as gatekeeper for statewide capital programs, and supported a portfolio of high-growth companies on behalf of Michigan's Grand Rapids SmartZone. Austin has owned and operated businesses in enterprise SaaS, consumer products, and human resources.  

Neat Tech!
This new, regular feature highlights BBCetc clients who've developed amazing technologies to solve solve problems and improve life!                            
Based in Brooklyn,NY, DrinkSavvy, Inc., is developing colorimetric chemical sensors that detect analytes, such as drugs, pathogens, bacteria, and explosives, for real-time detection in field use, without the need for secondary analysis using lab equipment or spectrometry. The chemical sensors will be embedded in plastic stirrers, straws and cups and provide a colorimetric signal to the consumer in order to prevent consumption of illicit drugs and ensuing drug-facilitated sexual assault and crime. Sign up for updates.

eRA Commons: One is the Only Number for Open Windows/Tabs
eRA Commons holds and manages all the data about your applications and grants, and when you have too many browser windows or tabs open while you're working on your applications, things can get confused, and the result can be bad data.

From a non-technical perspective, when you are working within eRA Commons, your browser makes a secured, encrypted connection with eRA Commons. One connection, one stream of data back and forth, from you to the server, a bit like a two-lane highway. If you open multiple windows, perhaps while working on various parts of a form at the same time, you are adding additional lanes of traffic, increasing opportunities for a crash and the creation of bad data. Advice: work in only a single window or tab at a time. eRA Commons is doing some updating so that you will be able to open multiple windows at the same time to data correct and help you avoid issues later. Stay tuned...
NSF Website Sports New Look
The National Science Foundation's SBIR/STTR program is now America's Seed Fund powered by NSF. Its program details haven't changed but its positioning is based on research revealing that users wanted an experience that felt more modern and less academic, thus a new website was born. According to NSF, "...our new visual identity, with its bold palette, engaging imagery, and clean typefaces, conveys our values of supporting high-risk technologies, mentoring diverse entrepreneurs, and promoting cutting-edge products and services that will improve Americans' quality of life." The site's content has also been updated and reorganized to make information even easier to find.
More Funding Opportunities

Agency
Title
FOA#
Posted/Due Date
HHS-NIH
Technology to Detect, Monitor & Assess Daily Functions in Individuals with Cognitive Decline, Alzheimer's Disease and/or Alzheimer's Disease Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) (R43/R44 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Synopsis 1
Posted: 10/25/2017
Due: 1/5/20

HHS-NIH
Advancing the Science of Multipurpose Technology for the Prevention of HIV and Unintended Pregnancy (R41/R42)
Synopsis 1

Posted: 11/6/17
Due: 1/10/18

DOD-DHP-CDMRP
Lupus Research Program-Concept Award
W81XWH-17-LRP-CA
Due: 1/4/18
DOD-DHP-CDMRP
Lupus Research Program-Impact Award
Due: 1/4/18


who we are
BBCetc is nationally recognized for its expertise in helping technology-based entrepreneurs win federal funding through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs and use it strategically to propel growth.  BBCetc capabilities include:
  • Commercialization planning
  • Research grant assistance
  • SBIR/STTR training and proposal development assistance
  • Grants/contracts management
  • Tech-based economic development programs
Contact us: info@bbcetc.com  / 734.930.9741

Copyright © 2017 BBC Entrepreneurial Training & Consulting LLC
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@BBC_etc tweets daily on #SBIR/STTR agency and program news, available training and tips for success. 
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#sbirpros
  training on tap
SBIR/STTR Proposal Prep Essentials: NIH, NSF, DOD
Nov 29-30 - Farmington, CT

SBIR/STTR Proposal Prep: DOD/DOE
Dec 5 - Durham, NH

SBIR/STTR Proposal Prep for DOD and Special NAVSEA/NAVAIR Event  view flyer
Dec 5 - Southfield, MI

SBIR/STTR Proposal Prep: NIH
Dec. 6 - Manchester, NH

Commercialization Planning for SBIR/STTR-Stage Companies
Dec 7 - Concord, NH 

How to Engage With Lockheed Martin on Your DOD-Focused SBIR/STTR Technology (Read our LM interview on connecting with primes)
Dec 7 - Webinar

How to Use ASSIST to Submit Your NIH Proposal
Dec 12 - Webinar

ABC's of SBIR/STTR
Jan 9 - NY, NY

SBIR/STTR Proposal Prep: NIH
Jan 10  - Newark, DE
Jan 10-11 - NY, NY
Jan 18 - Plymouth, MI

SBIR/STTR Grant Writing Workshop
Jan 30-31 - Chicago, IL
  solicitations  
HHS-NIH/CDC/FDA/ACF Omnibus:  SBIR / STTR
Released June 5, 2017; Closes Jan. 6, 2018

Dept. of Defense
Closes Oct. 25

Dept. of Energy
Closes Dec. 4
LOI due Jan. 8; Closes Feb. 26  View list of upcoming topic webinars

Nat'l Science Foundation
Close Dec. 4

Nat'l Oceanic/Atmospheric Administration (DOC)
Closes Jan. 31, 2018

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Closes Dec. 19

 QuizTime
The NSF SBIR/STTR deadline is Dec. 4. Answer these three simple questions to prove that you know your stuff!
1. What is the maximum hourly rate NSF allows consultants to be paid?
  a. $75 per hour
  b. $600 per 8-hour day
  c. $1,000 per 8-hour day

2. What is the name of the interactive real-time system used to conduct NSF business over the Internet? 
  a. Fasttrack
  b. FastLane
  c. Fastbreak

3. On how many projects can a person be listed as PI per NSF cycle?
  a. 3
  b. 1
  c. 2
  d. Unlimited

Answers below. No cheating!


QuizTime Answers:
1. C - The consulting rate under this solicitation can be a maximum of   $1,000 per day (NSF defines a day as 8 hours). 
2. B - FastLane
3. B - One PI per NSF proposal per cycle.

Get them all?     
     
Not so much? Next time!