This week at NYCEDC
This week at NYCEDC:
- We caught up with previous BigApps winner Roadify
- We saw Applied Sciences on the cover of the Chronicle of Higher Education
- We reminded you about this weekend’s NYC BigApps Hackathon
- We mentioned endorser of Applied Sciences Bill Clinton
- We greeted the NYC Open Data Tumblr
- We read about immigrant entrepreneurs in The New York Times
- We noted NYC tech companies among the 20 most innovative startups
- We invited you to the NYC Advanced NIH SBIR Funding Proposal Workshop
- We rounded up events in NYC’s bioscience sector
- We reminded you about General Election Day
- We celebrated Meat Week NYC
- We invited you to the Eds & Meds CEO Workshop
- We congratulated Coney Island on drawing their biggest crowd since ‘64
- We lauded the NYC Marathon winners
NYC Advanced NIH SBIR Funding Proposal Workshop
By Julie Chan, Senior Project Manager, Center for Economic Transformation
Are you an academic, businessperson or entrepreneur in NYC’s life sciences and healthcare community? NYCEDC and the New York Academic Consortium will host its next workshop on Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant programs on Thursday, November 17th at the Levin Institute. SBIR and STTR grants are open to a wide range of industries, from life sciences and physical sciences to education and technology. This free workshop will focus on advanced NIH funding opportunities for companies ready to apply for Phase II awards of over $1 million. Attendees will also have a chance to receive one-on-one, personalized assistance from SBIR expert Lisa Kurek on Friday, November 18th. For details on the agenda and featured speakers, visit Small Business Innovative Research on the NYCEDC website or register at nycnihsbir.eventbrite.com.
Thus far, NYCEDC has hosted seven workshops that have helped over 500 entrepreneurs and academic researchers from the tech and bioscience communities learn how to access federal R&D funding available for small businesses. These one-day sessions have focused on funding opportunities from the Department of Defense (DoD) and National Institutes of Health (NIH), guiding attendees through several aspects of proposal development. To learn more, please see our overview of the Small Business Innovation Research Program.
NYCEDC President Seth Pinsky speaks at an SBIR workshop for NYC’s bioscience community.
Funding Opportunities for Applied Sciences Companies in NYC
By Lenzie Harcum, Kristy Sundjaja, and Steven Strauss
Center for Economic Transformation
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding represents an important federal funding opportunity for research companies in New York City. On Friday, September 9th, NYCEDC will host a workshop covering all aspects of developing a winning SBIR funding proposal. We encourage New York City’s tech, energy, engineering, life sciences and educational technology companies to join us. Learn more and register for the workshop.
This event represents the seventh in our series of SBIR workshops for NYC companies. In our most recent workshop in May, almost 100 entrepreneurs and academic researchers attended from the tech and bioscience communities. Focused on the SBIR/STTR programs at the National Institutes of Health, the session guided attendees through several aspects of proposal development, such as how to avoid common pitfalls and how to outline a commercialization plan.
Our next session in September will focus on advanced aspects of the SBIR/STTR programs at the Department of Defense.
Life Sciences and Healthcare Entrepreneurs: Access SBIR Funding
By Lenzie Harcum, Kristy Sundjaja, and Steven Strauss
Center for Economic Transformation
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding represents an important opportunity for New York City. On May 25th, NYCEDC will host an Advanced NIH SBIR Workshop. We encourage NYC’s life sciences and healthcare entrepreneurs to join us. Learn more and register for the workshop.
In March, we hosted our fifth workshop on applying for SBIR funding. Nearly 100 entrepreneurs and academic researchers from the tech and bioscience communities attended the one-day workshop to learn how to access federal funding available for small research businesses. Focused on the SBIR/STTR programs at the Department of Defense, the session guided attendees through several aspects of proposal development, such as how to avoid common pitfalls and how to outline a commercialization plan.
Our next session will focus on advanced aspects of the SBIR/STTR programs at the National Institutes of Health.
Key points to know about SBIR
Eleven federal agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) contribute 2.5 percent of their annual R&D budget to fund entrepreneurs and small businesses performing research. This results in about $2.5 billion per year dedicated to conduct research in small businesses.
Would You Like To Access $2.5 Billion/Year In Funding?
By Lenzie Harcum, Kristy Sundjaja, and Steven Strauss
Center for Economic Transformation
On March 17, 2011, NYCEDC will be hosting a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) workshop. Learn more and register for the workshop.
What is SBIR?
Eleven federal agencies, including the Department of Defense (DoD) and NIH, are obligated to contribute 2.5 percent of their annual R&D budget to fund entrepreneurs and small businesses performing research; this results in about $2.5 billion/year that can be provided to small businesses under this program. This funding is neither a loan nor an investment, but rather, a grant—with no obligation to repay and no dilution of equity.
Key points to know about the program:
- SBIR can be used for just about any industry: life science, physical sciences, information technology, or even education technology.
- Phase I award: typically provides about $100,000 for feasibility studies and proof-of-concept experimentation.
- Phase II awards: If Phase I proves successful, the company may be invited to apply for a Phase II award providing upwards of $1 million over multiple years. Phase II expands upon the initial Phase I results and further develops the concept, usually to the prototype stage. Only Phase I awardees are eligible to participate.
- By the way, a sister program known as Small Business Technology Transfer, or STTR, allows for R&D to be performed in partnership with a University or non-profit research institution.
Are you eligible?
The basic eligibility criteria are:
- The company is of small business concern located in the United States.
- The company is for-profit and employs no more than 500 employees.
- For SBIR, the principal investigator’s (PI) primary employment must be, at least, 51% with the small business during the project. For STTR, the PI may have full-time appointment with a partnering university or institution.
- The company is at least 51% American-owned and independently operated; firms with greater than 50% VC ownership are ineligible.
How do you apply and how do the federal agencies decide on awards?
Federal agencies use the SBIR program to source external brainpower to solve their most intractable problems. Each year, the agencies issue program solicitations describing the technical areas for which they are interested. The solicitations, their release and due dates, and submission instructions are available at each agency website, available at zyn.com. The SBIR proposal is your response as to how you will solve the agency’s problem.
