July/August 2018  top                                                                               Follow us on Twitter  View our profile on LinkedIn  View our videos on YouTube  Visit our blog
NIH Issues SBIR CONTRACTS Too?
Many of you are familiar with the Health and Human Services (HHS) SBIR/STTR Omnibus GRANT solicitation. You may be less familiar with the once yearly NIH and CDC SBIR CONTRACT solicitation that was released recently with a closing date of October 22, 2018.

Even though HHS/NIH is primarily a granting agency that accepts investigator-initiated research topics, CDC and NIH's Institutes and Centers (ICs) may also request proposals for focused, specific topics using the Contract solicitation. SBIR contracts allow an IC to direct companies to develop products in areas of high priority, usually with a narrow technical focus. Companies may NOT submit the same project to both the grant and contract mechanisms. Read on
Common Mistakes in NIH Biosketches
As the Sept. 5 deadline nears, people are feverishly working on finalizing their proposals, including the Biosketches section. Make sure yours is up to snuff by checking your whole team's biosketches for these common errors:
  1. Not explaining your role on the project in the Personal Statement. We can't judge whether you're qualified for your role if we don't know what your role is.
  2. Citing more than four publications under your Personal Statement. The limit is four.
  3. Not including a Contributions to Science Section. This section is required for every Key Person (i.e. on every biosketch). It should be a short paragraph not just one sentence. 
  4. Citing more than four publications or research products after each Contribution to Science. The limit is four.
  5. Inventing your own formatting. Follow the format. 'Nough said.
  6. Including Completed Research that goes back further than three years. The instructions say to limit this section to the past three years, so do just that.
  7. Not fixing your collaborators' and your team's biosketches to make them all look beautiful and consistent. Take the time to do this. Look professional! 
Attention to detail is important so stay alert and keep moving forward when preparing your proposal! 
NIH Requests JIT Info - Are you prepared?
You received an email from NIH requesting Just-in-Time (JIT) information; time to crack open the champagne to celebrate being funded? Not just yet. Although this is a very good sign, it is not an indication of Notice of Award. When you get a request for JIT information you will be asked to respond quickly (within 3-to-7 days is not unusual). There are some documents that are consistently required so preparation ahead of the request can help you get this information gathered quickly.

Standard information that will be requested includes:
* Other support (both active and pending) for senior/key personnel
* SBIR or STTR Funding Agreement Certification, and
* Financial questionnaire

Other items that may be applicable to your application include: Read on

We Never Do This! But then ... 
At BBCetc, we shy far away from providing clients with redacted samples of actual SBIR/STTR proposals, despite being asked for them often. But our NIH lead, Andrea Johanson, PhD, has been working on and off on a "Facilities and Other Resources Section" for ages (really, ages). Andrea took a more creative approach with no redacting necessary. An ardent sci-fi fan, Andrea has created a sample that, even if you don't need help on that exact topic, is very fun ride, while also being useful!  Have a read. 

Oh, and by the way, here's why we don't usually do this:
  • Unless the example is really close to your technology, it may not help you as much as you think. A project to develop an app to stop smoking will not be helpful at all if you're developing a cancer therapeutic.
  • Badly-written proposals do get funded for various reasons (i.e. the PI is an NIH Rock Star, or the technology is earth-shattering). If you use a redacted proposal as a guide, and you're not the exception, you may suffer the consequences. 
  • Formatting or other instructions may have changed since the sample was written. 
  • What we do know is that BBC's outlines work. We have over 20 years of evidence to that effect. Our outlines are based on the actual solicitation and the review criteria. They are improved and updated as things change. Reviewers thank us often for them!
More Funding Opportunities
BARDA (the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority) is soliciting proposals for advanced research and development of medical countermeasures (MCM) for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) agents, pandemic influenza, and emerging infectious diseases that threaten the U.S. civilian population. A Quad Chart and White Paper may be submitted on any day during the open period of the BAA. Submission deadlines are July and October 31, 2018, and January 31, April 30, July 31, and October 31, 2019. Learn more

DOD Air Force Office of Scientific Research 
Funding Opportunity:  FA9550-18-S-0003
Title: Research Interests of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research Synopsis 1
FY18 funding opportunities for the Hearing Restoration Research Program (HRRP) and the Spinal Cord Injury Research Program (SCIRP) managed by the office of Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). Posted until superseded.

CDMRP  ( Office of Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs).  Opportunities are available in the following programs: 
  • Orthotics and Prosthetics Outcomes Research Program
  • Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Research Program (PH/TBIRP) Joint DOD and Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA)
  • Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Research Program (PH/TBIRP) Complex TBI Rehabilitation Research (CTRR)
  • Reconstructive Transplant Research Program (RTRP). 
Descriptions of the funding opportunities, eligibility, key mechanism elements, and funding can be found in the respective program pre-announcement. 

EDA Regional Innovation Strategies Program - i6 and Seed Fund Support
$21M in funding is available for organizations supporting innovation and entrepreneurship through business acceleration and incubation, and the formation, launch, and growth of early stage seed funds through angel groups, venture funds, etc.  View program page

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: 

[email protected] 
734.930.9741

Copyright © 2017 BBC Entrepreneurial Training & Consulting LLC
  training on tap
Formatting and Readability Tips for SBIR/STTR Proposals
Aug 8 - Ann Arbor, MI

SBIR/STTR Road Tour
Aug 20 - Wilmington, DE

SBIR/STTR Road Tour
Aug 23 - Manchester, NH

SBIR 101: Intro and Overview
Aug 29 - Traverse City, MI

Intensive Workshop: Preparing for Phase II
Sept 11 - Seattle, WA

NIH Proposal Prep and Commercialization Planning Workshop
Sept 12-13 - New Orleans, LA

ABC's of SBIR/STTR Funding
Sep 12 - Ann Arbor, MI
Oct 2 - New York, NY

SBIR/STTR Proposal Prep for NSF
Sep 18 - Kalamazoo, MI

University Participation in SBIR/STTR: From Pre-submission to Post-award
Sep 26 - E. Lansing MI

SBIR/STTR Proposal Prep for NIH
Sep 26 - Ann Arbor, MI
Oct 4 - Detroit, MI (registration opens soon)
Oct 3-4 - New York, NY
Oct 3-4 - St. Louis, MO
(registration opens soon)

Check out our
of recorded webinars
  
    
  solicitations
HHS-NIH/CDC/FDA/ACF Omnibus:
Standard close dates: Apr. 5, Sept. 5 & Jan. 5

DOE SBIR/STTR 
LOI due Aug. 13; opens Sept. 4; closes Oct. 15

NIH/CDC SBIR Contract
Closes Oct.17

USDA/NIFA
Closes Oct. 25

  from nih
... From Extramural Nexus
When you submit an NIH SBIR/STTR proposal the eRA Service Desk is there to help on issues with ASSIST or eRA Commons. But, do you know where to go for other support? The best people to talk with about the scientific or administrative information in your application or award are in the NIH institute or center that may fund the grant. Check out this link for help understanding the roles of NIH program officials, scientific review officers, and grants management officials, when to contact them, and where to find their contact information.
 
... By Sheri Cummins, NIH Office of Extramural Research
You want to give staff and reviewers ALL the information you think they need to provide a thorough review of your proposal. There is certainly nothing wrong with that - right? Well, it depends. The application guide and funding opportunity announcement provide very specific guidance on what to include in your application and, in some cases, there are page limits you must stay within to convey the requested information.

If you have information that doesn't fit in page-limited attachments like your Specific Aims and Research Strategy, rework those attachments until you tell the best story possible within the confines of the page limits. Read on