How to Win SBIR Grants
Millions of dollars in federal research funding are set aside each year to help small businesses through the Small Business Innovation Research program. Although the formal rules, regulations, and schedules are easy to find online, there are a number of other things to consider that can give a small business an edge over the competition for SBIR grants.
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Instructions
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Learn the system. The SBIR program is managed by 11 different federal departments, many with their own agencies and sub-agencies. To understand the mechanics of how it all works — small business requirements, topic solicitations, proposal format, schedules, etc. 1 you'll need to dig down deep. Start with the central SBIR website and then explore the individual agencies' websites. Gather as much information as possible about the actual organizations that are sponsoring the research funding. Make sure your business meets all of the requirements and make a note as to when solicitations will be posted and when proposals are due.
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Review past SBIR solicitations. If you wait until the current solicitation is posted to draft a proposal and make contact with the sponsor, you will be way behind the curve. Instead, spend some time reviewing past topic solicitation. Look for topics that align well with your research capabilities and make note of the sponsoring agency and the TPOC (technical point of contact). Because SBIR grants are often sponsored by the same small group within a larger agency, there's a good chance that past TPOCs will sponsoring additional research.
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Research sponsoring organizations. Once you've found a few (or more) agencies that have a history of sponsoring SBIR grants, researching individual organizations. Learn their mission or charter, research areas of interest, location, etc. — anything that will help you to better understand your target customer. Search for information on the individual TPOCs, too. Many federal researchers have published papers and conference presentations that are in the public domain.
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Develop research ideas and market them. Jot down topics that would fit well with the federal agencies you've researched and draft a short white paper. Try not to exceed about four pages. Don't write for the management. The topic sponsors are often working-level researchers. These same individuals often make the initial funding decisions, too, so keep your paper technical and to the point.
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Email the paper to the TPOCs that you identified in Step 2. Include a short cover message to introduce yourself and your company. If your time and budget allows, offer to make a presentation in person (this will be on your own dime, not the government's). Also request that the TPOC forward your paper to other interested parties.
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Send a follow-up message. If you do not hear from the TPOC in about four weeks, it's appropriate to follow up with a note. Be careful, however, to avoid making a pest of yourself. Many government offices are undermanned, and badgering an overworked TPOC will be counterproductive. Ask the TPOC to keep you apprised of any solicitations that are relative to this research area.
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Tips & Warnings
In SBIR-speak, the term solicitation means RFP (request for proposal).
When preparing your proposal, do not exceed the maximum page length. The reviewers will never see those additional pages and your review will suffer.
