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How do I know if NIH is interested in funding my project?
The Sept. 5 NIH SBIR/STTR deadline has passed but Jan. 5 now looms, so exactly how do you go about assessing if your project will interest the National Institutes of Health (NIH)? 

The NIH is one of the 'easier' federal agencies to apply to because every year it issues an Omnibus Solicitation, requesting investigator-initiated topics. This means that rather than issuing a call for specific topics, the NIH asks you, the investigator, to come up with the ideas. If these ideas are related to Human Health, have the requisite level of Technological Innovation and Commercial Potential, they may be appropriate for SBIR/STTR.

However, you still need to do some homework to make sure your idea fits within the research interests of the NIH's Institutes and Centers. Each NIH Institute has its own independent budget and areas of interest, and it is the institutes that will ultimately fund your project. So before you put a lot of work into developing your proposal, it's important to do some background research to 'find a home' for your project. There are a few ways you can do this: 
BBCetc and University of Kansas Awarded NIH Grant to Spur Innovation in Traditionally Underserved Areas 
BBCetc and the University of Kansas are among the recipients of four new STTR Fast-Track grants intended to help translate scientific discoveries and technologies out of the lab and into commercial products that improve patient care and enhance human health. The Awards for Regional Technology Transfer Accelerator Hubs for Institutional Development Award (IDeA) states are managed by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The IDeA program builds research capacities in states that historically have had low levels of NIH funding by supporting basic, clinical, and translational research; faculty and student development; and scientific infrastructure improvements. The program also enhances the ability of investigators to compete successfully for additional research funding and serves the research needs of medically under-served communities. The 23 IDeA states and Puerto Rico historically have had disproportionately few SBIR and STTR awards. The new grants will support the creation of one accelerator hub in each of the four IDeA regions (Central, Northeastern, Southeastern, and Western).  Read on
Wonder what happens to your application once it's received by NIH? 
All grant applications submitted to the NIH go to the Division of Receipt and Referral (DRR) within the Center for Scientific Review (CSR).

After receiving the application DRR:
  • Checks the application for completeness
  • Determines area of research and determines which specific NIH Institute or Center to assign it to for possible funding
  • Assigns an application identification number
  • Assigns application to a specific study section, also known as a Scientific Review Group (SRG) or review committee that has the expertise to evaluate the scientific and technical merit of the application.
    • CSR coordinates the reviews for most R01s, fellowships, and small business applications, as well as some PAs, PARs, & RFA's
    • Institutes and Centers coordinate the review for applications that have Institute-specific features such as program project grants, training grants, career development awards, and responses to Requests for Applications.
Learn more at this link.

Planning to submit a DoD SBIR/STTR proposal this cycle?
If you're submitting a proposal for the 2018.3 SBIR/2018.C STTR DoD BAA (closing 10/24/18), be aware of a couple of key points.

Volume 6: Applicants are now required to complete a NEW Volume 6: Fraud, Waste and Abuse Training. There are component-specific instructions about how each program office will handle this requirement, so please pay attention to the instructions. Note that Air Force and DLA both require completion of the training before you can submit the proposal. Starting Sept. 24, when proposals can be submitted online, you will be able to view and complete training.

AF Special Topics (AF183-001 - AF183-008)
For the second cycle, AF is piloting "Special Topics" that are intended to accelerate technologies to the warfighter. Note that the budget and period of performance are significantly less than standard topics, and the proposal preparation requirements are much different as well. AFWERX has posted a Q&A video about topics AF183-005 and AF183-006. However, the content is beneficial for any of the Special Topics. BBCetc is happy to provide additional assistance on these or any of the topics in this DoD BAA.

More Funding Opportunities
Agency
Title
FOA #
Posted/Due Date
NSF
Plant Biotic Interaction
Posted: 8/31/18
Closes
NIH-NIMHD
Technologies for Improving Minority Health and Eliminating Health Disparities 
Posted: 8/1/18
Opens: 3/1/19
Closes: 4/1/18
NIH-Multiple Institutes
BRAIN Initiative: Development Optimization, & Validation of Novel Tools & Technologies for Neuroscience Research (STTR) 
Posted: 7/24/18
Opens: 8/5/18
Closes: Standard due dates
NIH-NIGMS
Better Defining Growth Medium to Improve Reproducibility of Cell Culture (STTR) 
Posted: 6/5/18
Opens: 8/5/18
Closes:  Standard due dates

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 © BBC Entrepreneurial Training & Consulting LLC
  training on tap
SBIR/STTR Proposal Prep for NIH
Sep 26 - Ann Arbor, MI
Oct 3-4 - NYC, NY
Oct 3-4 - St. Louis, MO
Oct 4 - Detroit, MI

SBIR/STTR Proposal Prep for NSF
Oct. 5 - NYC, NY

ABC's of SBIR/STTR Funding
Oct 2 - NYC, NY

Formatting & Readability for SBIR/STTR Proposals
Oct 15 - E. Lansing

SBIR/STTR for Post Grads and Graduate Students
Oct 18 - Kalamazoo, MI

Fall SBIR/STTR Innovation Summit
Oct. 23-25 - Tampa, FL
BBCetc's Becky Aistrup with present Phase II Proposal Prep, Oct 23, 3-5pm

20th Annual HHS SBIR/STTR Conference 
Oct 31-Nov 1 - Dallax, TX
BBCetc's Becky Aistrup will present Phase I Proposal Prep on Oct 31 and Phase II on Nov. 1

SBIR/STTR Proposal Pre and Commercialization Planning Workshop
Nov 6-7 Richmond, VA

Pursuit Library 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

DOD SBIR/STTR
Close Oct. 24

USDA/NIFA
Closes Oct. 25

NSF
Close Dec. 4

  did you know?
NSF has announced a program that awards a maximum of $40,000 to work with Community Colleges during your Phase II project.  

Highlights of the program:
> Proposing company MUST talk with NSF Program Officer prior to requesting additional funds under this program.
>  Up to $40,000 added to the Phase II project
>  A minimum of 75% of the additional funds must go the the CC
> A maximum 10 page application is required detailing the collaboration and how the CC can aid in the research
> There is no deadline for the application, but work must be completed during the Phase II period of performance.
>  Funds are limited to 30 projects per year, so applications submitted earlier in the Fiscal Year are more likely to receive funding.

  lockheed list
Lockheed Martin (LM) has released its list of DOD SBIR 2018.3, STTR 2018.C solicitation topics with LM points of contact identified.
This listing helps connect companies with the appropriate LM technical points of contacts to explore opportunities for partnership and innovation. 

If your firm is considering a proposal on one of the topics and would like to seek LM's support through an endorsement, sponsorship and/or partnership opportunity, please send one email with the completed quad-chart addressed to all of the Points of Contact listed on that particular topic. If no points of contacts are listed, there is no current interest by LM. Please contact LM no later than Monday, Oct. 8 and allow 10 business days for LM review of your technology.