Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Training

UPCOMING SBIR/STTR WEBINARS & WORKSHOPS

UPCOMING SBIR/STTR TRAINING

The Holidays are upon us, but the SBIR/STTR agencies aren’t slowing down. With some important deadlines coming within the next few months, now is the time to sharpen your knowledge and proposal writing skills. Luckily, we are offering a wide variety of webinars in the not-so-distant future, starting later this week!

While we do a lot of training that’s only open to the sponsoring organization, all of the events listed below are open to anyone, usually at little or no cost.

1. SBIR/STTR Overview & Abbreviated Phase I Proposal Preparation, with an Emphasis on National Institutes of Health, Webinar, December 5, 2024. After providing an overview of the SBIR/STTR programs, this half-day webinar will cover a 7-step process for creating a competitive Phase I proposal. The webinar will emphasize the National Institutes of Health and its upcoming January 6, 2025 deadline. Sponsored by University of Wyoming’s SBDC, this webinar is open to all interested parties. To register, go to https://wyomingsbdc.org/events/nih-sbir-sttr-proposal-development/.

2.. Overview of Dept of Education’s SBIR Program, Webinar, December 11, 2024. Dept of Education is one of the smallest SBIR agencies, but it has one of the more complex SBIR programs. This is a brief, 60-minute overview of the two Phase I programs, and the Direct to Phase II program at DoEd with deadlines of January 8, 2025. To register, go to https://wyomingsbdc.org/events/sbir-sttr-opportunities-at-the-department-of-education/.

3. Overview of Dept of Energy Phase I Letter of Intent, Webinar, December 16, 2024. Dept of Energy is one of a few SBIR/STTR agencies that won’t accept your Phase I proposal unless you have submitted a pre-proposal document. Known as the Letter of Intent (LOI), this document must be received by January 7, 2025, or DOE won’t accept your Phase I proposal for its February 26 deadline. This 60-minute webinar will cover the basics of what goes into the LOI, how DOE reviews it, and what DOE’s response to your LOI means. Registration can be made at https://wyomingsbdc.org/events/department-of-energy-doe-letter-of-intent-workshop/.

4. SBIR/STTR Overview & Abbreviated Phase I Proposal Preparation, with an Emphasis on Dept of Energy, Webinar, January 13, 2025. OK, you got your mandatory LOI submitted by the deadline. Now what goes into the DOE Phase I proposal? This webinar will answer that question! After providing an overview of the SBIR/STTR programs, this half-day webinar will cover a 7-step process for creating a competitive DOE Phase I proposal. To register, contact Haigler@uwyo.edu. BONUS: Wyoming-based firms have an opportunity for a 1-on-1 consultation with us after the webinar.

5. SBIR/STTR Commercialization Plan, Webinar, January 14, 2025. One of the weakest parts of many SBIR/STTR Phase I proposals is the commercialization discussion. And it tends to be a bigger problem in Phase II proposals, where agencies may expect up to 15 pages of detailed plans about marketing, pricing, intellectual property protection, and funding the commercialization effort. This webinar addresses many of the components of a commercialization effort of an innovation-based product/service, which can both influence your thinking and give you fodder for discussing commercialization in your Phase I or II proposal. Kudos to the SBIR FAST program in Utah for offering this important webinar, which is open at no charge to anyone. To register, contact https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sbirsttr-commercialization-virtual-workshop-with-jim-greenwood-tickets-1112048419759?aff=oddtdtcreator

6. The Business Side of SBIR/STTR, Webinar, January 15, 2025. What’s your perspective: is SBIR/STTR a way to fund a fun R&D project, or a chance to build or expand your business? If your perspective is the latter, then this session will help you better understand how to use an SBIR/STTR award to create an important future revenue stream for your company. If your perspective is the former, then you REALLY need to attend because you not only aren’t getting the full benefit of an SBIR/STTR award, but you also are not meeting the expectations of the agencies (and therefore are less likely to get future awards). To register, contact https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-business-side-of-sbirsttr-hybrid-workshop-with-jim-greenwood-tickets-1112053334459?aff=oddtdtcreator7. Phase II Overview & Proposal Preparation, Webinar, February 6, 2025 (tentative date). So, you got your Phase I SBIR/STTR award but now want to find out what is required to go on to Phase II? This is the webinar for you. We’ll cover Phase II basics, differences among Phase II programs among the agencies, Phase II proposal prep, and the tip of the iceberg of commercialization. For more information or to register, contact hutch.mcclendon@LA.GOV.

8. SBIR/STTR Cost Proposal & Government Accounting, Webinar, March 6, 2025. This all-day workshop will cover one of the most important but least appreciated aspects of the SBIR/STTR programs, the cost proposal. If someone tries to rob you on the street, you take steps to protect yourself in the future—so why do you let the Federal Government continue to take money from you in the SBIR/STTR cost proposal? Come learn the terms, concepts, and tricks—and then learn how to estimate an indirect rate that you can defend in negotiations. Don’t know what an indirect rate is? Then you really need to attend. For more information or to register, contact Haigler@uwyo.edu.

9. NSF SBIR/STTR Accelerator, Webinar, March 19-20, 2025. This is an intensive two-day event for those serious about submitting to the National Science Foundation. Topics covered include SBIR/STTR basics, the mandatory NSF project pitch, Phase I technical proposal preparation, and cost proposal basics. Sponsored by the Alaska FAST program, these sessions are open to all interested parties. For more information or to register, contact edjacome@alaska.edu..

OTHER UPCOMING SBIR/STTR WORKSHOPS & EVENTS:

SBIR/STTR Overview & Abbreviated Phase I Proposal Preparation, with an Emphasis on Dept. of Defense, Webinar, April 10, 2025

National SBIR/STTR Conference, Austin, TX, June 9-11, 2025 (& Phase I workshop, June 11)

Remember, you may be eligible for a free critique of your SBIR or STTR proposal if you attend one of our all-day events. The idea is to give you the training you need to be able to write a very good draft, and then provide the feedback you need to refine the draft into an even more competitive proposal. We've reviewed hundreds of SBIR/STTR proposals, and have always found things that could be improved upon and increase the proposer's chances of success.

Check out our website at www.g-jgreenwood.com where we list our training events and have copies of our SBIR/STTR proposal preparation tips that we’ve been publishing monthly since “the turn of the century” (i.e., 1999).

DO YOU WANT INDIVIDUALIZED ASSISTANCE WITH YOUR SBIR/STTR PROPOSAL OR PROJECT? Yes, we consult and coach SBIR/STTR applicants and recipients on a variety of topics, ranging from agency selection to proposal strategy to indirect cost estimation to award administration. Let us know your needs and, if we aren’t the right party to help, we will refer you to someone who is.

ATTENTION POTENTIAL WORKSHOP SPONSORS: We continually receive requests for SBIR/STTR webinars and workshops from prospective attendees. SBIR/STTR continue to be very competitive programs, so your clients need help getting an advantage over other applicants—that’s where our training and free proposal reviews come into play. If you would like to sponsor a training event, please let us know.
It’s been a busy spring, with lots of SBIR/STTR training events on our plate. While things are slowing down for the summer, there are still some webinars and other training opportunities that we want to make you aware of. If you are thinking of finally pursuing SBIR/STTR, or want to hone your proposal preparation skills, we have some great training opportunities for you. We do a lot of training that’s only open to the sponsoring organization, but all of the events listed below are open to anyone.

Business Incubator Training

THE INBIA ANNUAL CONFERENCE, Boston, MA, March 30-31, 2020

We’ve been invited to present at 28 of the last 30 annual INBIA/NBIA conferences, so we’ll be doing a session in the MA. Stay tuned for updates as sessions are finalized.

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