March 2021

NIH AND NSF SALARY LEVELS:
KEEPING IT ALL STRAIGHT
NIH now allows up to $199,300 in salary for an individual. NSF does not have a limit but a proposed salary must be based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics median wage by geographic region for specific labor categories. The attached article will provide a bit more clarity — but to learn all the details you'll need to know, contact a BBCetc consultant.

TIPS FOR REVIEWING (OR DRAFTING)
PATENT CLAIMS
A patent application needs to combine legal skill with technical and business knowledge to produce a document that will serve as a foundation for the company’s valuation and future profitability. Find out more in Eric Blatt’s article.
 
WHAT DOES "USPTO" MEAN FOR "SBIR" IN TERMS OF "NIST"?
Getting government funding means confronting a multitude of acronyms ­– and you’ll need to recognize US Patent and Trademark Office, Small Business Innovative Research and National Institutes of Standards and Technologies. Learn more with our SBIR/STTR Glossary.
 

DID YOU KNOW?
THE SDA NEEDS YOU
The Space Development Agency (SDA) has now issued six Small Business Opportunities under the SBIR and STTR programs (see Funding Opportunities below). Find out what Technical Focus Areas the SDA is interested in pursuing.
 
What happens
after the award?

Tip #9
NIH AWARDEES: BE PREPARED TO REPORT POSSIBLE RESEARCH MISCONDUCT
The Office of Research Integrity (ORI) may require you to file an annual report on possible research misconduct. But they not only oversee research integrity; they also have tools and templates to help make it a lot easier to do the report.
NSF HAS ISSUED PHASE I AND PHASE II UPDATES
There is now a three-month COVID-related Phase II proposal extension for Phase I awardees with start dates between Dec 4, 2018 and Dec 4, 2019. The NSF now requires a specific form for Biosketches and Current and Pending support. And there’s more.

HOW DOES A “BROADER IMPACT” REQUIREMENT IMPACT YOUR
NSF PROPOSAL?
What is the difference between “broader impacts” and “narrow impacts”? Understanding that will be key to writing a compelling NSF SBIR proposal.

 
Funding Opportunities

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES 
NIH/CDC/FDA Omnibus
Due: April 5, 2021
 
SBIR Omnibus/Parent Clinical Trial Not Allowed Funding Opportunity Announcement 
 
STTR Omnibus/Parent Clinical Trial
Not Allowed Funding Opportunity Announcement 
 
SBIR Omnibus/Parent Clinical Trial
Required Funding Opportunity Announcement 

STTR Omnibus/Parent Clinical Trial Required Funding Opportunity Announcement 

Due: 4/5/2021.
The goals of these solicitations are to facilitate commercialization of products funded by SBIR/STTR Phase II or Phase IIB projects by providing further technical and/or later stage research development such as Investigational New Drug (IND)/Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) enabling studies, clinical studies, manufacturing costs and regulatory assistance. The funding opportunities can be found here.
 
SBIR/STTR Commercialization Readiness Pilot (CRP) Program Technical Assistance (SB1, Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
 
SBIR/STTR Commercialization Readiness Pilot (CRP) Program Technical Assistance and Late Stage Development (SB1, Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
 
SBIR/STTR Commercialization Readiness Pilot (CRP) Program Technical Assistance and Late Stage Development (SB1 Clinical Trial Required) 
 
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF)
FY21 SBIR Phase I: NSF 21-562
FY21 STTR Phase I: NSF 21-563
FY21 SBIR Phase II: NSF 21-565
FY21 STTR Phase II: NSF 21-566
Submission windows for 2021:
Feb 12 to March 4
March 5 to June 3
June 4 to Sept 2
Sept 3 to Dec 2
 



DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Space Development Agency
Broad Agency Announcement (BAA)
Oct 26, 2020 04:03 pm EDT
Updated Date Offers Due: 
Sep 30, 2021 05:00 pm EDT
 
Specific Topics at Space Development Agency
They are all due on Mar 31, 2021 12:00 pm EDT
 
Mesh Network NSA Certifiable Cryptographic Solution (STTR)
Mesh Network NSA Certifiable Cryptographic Solution (SBIR)
Advanced Space Mesh Networking (STTR)
Advanced Space Mesh Networking (SBIR)
L-Band Multiband/Interleaved Electronically Scanned Array (ESA) Antenna (SBIR)
Free-Space Optical Communication (FSOC) Technology for Optical Intersatellite Links (OISLs) (SBIR)


Opens: 3/1/2021
Due: 3/31/2021


DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Opened: 2/4/2021
Due: March 8, 2021 at 3pm ET
 
Full descriptions of FY21 Research Topics are included in Section VIII of the Solicitation.
 

DEPT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA)
USDA-NIFA-SBIR-008080
Due: 5/3/2021
___________

__________

Upcoming Training and Events
For the time being, most training is being done virtually. Check the BBCetc Events Calendar for updates.
About BBCetc
BBC Entrepreneurial Training & Consulting, LLC (BBCetc) works with technology-based entrepreneurs and companies across the U.S. on strategies to advance their R&D efforts to commercialization. The BBCetc team is nationally recognized for its success in helping clients secure federal funding through the SBIR and STTR programs. BBCetc services include research grant assistance, SBIR/STTR training and proposal development assistance, and grants and contract management.

Contact us: www.bbcetc.com / 734.930.9741 / [email protected]