SBIR Proposal Preparation John P. Ujvari Small Business and Technology Development Center SBIR Program Workshop The SBTDC is a business development service of the University of North Carolina system operated in partnership with the NC Department of Commerce and the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Personal Overview Technology and SBIR Program Specialist at NC – SBTDC, Chapel Hill MBA, Wake Forest University BS, University of Virginia Small Business consulting

Presentation Overview Part 1 - Getting Ready to Write Part 2 - Solicitation selection Part 3 - Writing Process Part 4 – Review Process

Part 1: Getting Ready to Write ….the hard part

SBIR or STTR Right For You? Does it fit your business plan? Is the timeline realistic for your firm? Is the timeline realistic for your technology and its market? Do you have the needed resources?

Points to Ponder Proposal prep. Is an investment Program is highly competitive Must be committed to long-term R&D program

Points to Ponder SBIR/STTR is not for end-stage commercialization Must have desire to bring product to market Does not provide sole support for a firm

Applicant Profile Which Proposer is Best Candidate?

Proposer 1 One-track mind Consumed by his/her idea Wants money from anywhere

Proposer 2 Proposer looking for a way to make a living Claims to be able to do anything Resume resembles rummage sale of technical/marketing activities

Proposer 3 Proposer has been a previous academic grant winner, or has conducted/managed corporate R&D in large firm Now interested in government-sponsored R&D Never written an SBIR proposal Never run a small business

Proposer 4 Proposer is a researcher with entrepreneurial skills and a good idea Sees SBIR as a long-term product development effort Understands the small business game and nature of the challenge Willing and able to expend resources needed to be competitive

Key Strengths Proposer’s credibility (technical and business) is essential Inventions are a dime a dozen – proposer must know what to do with the idea – must be an entrepreneur Willing to be a team player Proposer 4 WINS!

Part 2: Solicitation Selection

Tools Zyn.com SBIRworld.com Agency websites Dialog with Program Manager Speak with previous winners

Solicitation Dates

Part 3: Proposal Preparation

Proposal Preparation Is a process--not just writing task No magic formulas for success Teamwork is important No guaranteed-to-win strategies

Do Your Homework Communicate with federal SBIR persons Search the literature –Your own field of expertise –Alternative technical areas –Key application areas –Potential market opportunities –The patent situation

Sell, sell, sell Determine how to differentiate your approach from similar tech ID competing tech and present +/-’s fairly Assess how well prepared you are to demonstrate feasibility in Phase I ID weaknesses in personnel or facilities and find ways to shore up weaknesses Seek a variety of input early on

Know Your Audience Know the agency’s mission/goal Find out what has previously been funded View the agency as a customer – not just as a source of $

Know Your Audience Understand agency’s review process Assume reviewers are: – skeptical, – in a hurry, – and less knowledgeable than you, – but that they understand the field in general

The 10 Components 1. Cover sheet 2. Abstract/project summary (important section–write last!) 3. Description of the problem or opportunity (a hook) 4. Background and technical approach (state-of-the –art) 5. Technical objectives (what you want to determine) 6. Work Plan (how you will get there - milestones) 7. Related Research (what has been done before) 8. Commercial applications (who will you sell to) 9. Key personnel (the team) 10. Budget (justification for $$)

Reviewing and Editing Read for content without stopping to edit Edit for grammar, punctuation, and consistency Use several stages of peer review (scientific and business)

Reviewing and Editing (cont.) Use one or more outside technical reviewer(s) Use a spell-checker, but don’t depend on it Allow enough time at end for a thorough detailed checklist procedure

Strong Competition Up to 40% of P1 Proposals have been eliminated upon initial screening Must Have a Solid Proposal Package that Meets All Agency Requirements Follow the rules!!!!

Submission Done electronically for most agencies now Proposals are not read on a rolling-basis

Part 4: Agency Review …. It’s out of your hands now

Agency Review Significance Approach Innovation Investigators Environment Safeguards for animal and human subjects (if applicable) Appropriateness of the budget

The upside Free review of company and ideas May lead to government contracts Recognition, verification and visibility Tremendous $$$ leveraging tool Establishes credibility for other SBIR/STTR, potential Phase III partners, VCs $ 1.3 Billion – with very few strings attached

Questions ? John P. Ujvari SBIR Program Specialist Phone: