How to get started with SBIRs?

September 25, 2017 1:34 PM

I would like to explore SBIR funding for a some technology that my small business is developing and hopes to commercialize. I am completely new to this process, and the SBIR websites are very intimidating. Are there online resources that provide a gentler introduction to SBIRs and the application process?

In case it is relevant:

I am located in the Boston area.

The technology is adaptive software that helps people continue to use smartphones and tablets independently in the presence of degenerative diseases.

posted by Winnie the Proust to Work & Money (3 answers total)

You might want to look for meetups targeting small businesses and entrepreneurs - I don't have any specifics to endorse but something called the Boston Entrepreneurs Network is having a meetup called SBIR Grants and Non-Dilutive Funding to Bootstrap your Startup Company in Waltham next Tuesday.
posted by mskyle at 2:17 PM on September 25, 2017

I wrote a bunch of these at my last workplace (to NSF, NIH, NIEHS, and USDA at various times). My experience was that learning the process is a sort of trial by fire, but the webinars offered by various agencies can be helpful. They are also often archived on YouTube, depending on which agency you are looking to submit a SBIR to - here is NSF's.
posted by pemberkins at 2:30 PM on September 25, 2017

It's been a long time since I wrote SBIR proposals, but I agree with pemberkins's remarks above about the "trial by fire." It's a long process, and it's not something a company can do if well if it doesn't have other revenue or funding, unless you're an "SBIR shop" which specializes in going after SBIR projects.
posted by willF at 12:52 AM on September 27, 2017