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As you probably know by now, the SBIR/STTR programs have FINALLY been reauthorized. After 14 continuing resolutions and over 3 years of futzing around, Congress passed a 6 year reauthorization giving us the SBIR/STTR programs through December 2017. Kudos to Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana for showing the leadership and determination needed to secure a compromise reauthorization between the House and Senate that we can live with.

The compromise reached by the Senate and House has some "interesting" twists and changes to the current SBIR/STTR programs. There also is a need for the Small Business Administration (SBA) to issue policy guidelines on how some of the new provisions are to be implemented by the agencies. This will all be unfolding over the coming year, during which we will be assessing how they impact the programs, and how you need to consider them as you prepare proposals for SBIR and STTR funding. As we determine this, we will incorporate our recommendations into our training.

Which brings us to the main purpose of this email, namely to announce a tentative list of upcoming workshops we'll be offering in early 2012. With so much uncertainty surrounding the reauthorization, plus the inevitable impact of the Holidays, we anticipate this initial list will expand considerably but we wanted to make you aware of those opportunities that are already firmed up.

But, you know the drill--before we get into our Spring 2012 SBIR/STTR training schedule, let us first remind you of the Federal agencies that are requesting Phase 1 proposals in the next several months. Those agencies with an asterisk (*) next to their names will be accepting both SBIR and STTR proposals on the dates shown.

                Agency                                                   Solicitation           Proposals               Website
                                                                                 Available                 Due
Dept of Homeland Security                                        Now                Jan 5 '12        http://www.sbir.dhs.gov/
Dept of Defense, FY12.1 SBIR                                     Now                Jan 11 '12      http://www.acq.osd.mil/osbp/sbir
Dept of Energy*                                                          Now                Jan 31 '12      http://science.energy.gov/sbir/

National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Admin Now Feb 1, '12 http://www.oar.noaa.gov/orta/

Dept of Education                                                 Mid Dec '11          Early '12         http://www2.ed.gov/programs/sbir/applicant.html
Dept of Defense, FY12.A STTR                              Jan 26 '12             Mar 28 '12     http://www.acq.osd.mil/osbp/sbir
National Institutes of Health*, CDC, FDA-grants     Jan 15 '12            Apr 5 '12        http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/sbir.

Now, let's talk about those upcoming training events:

1. SBIR/STTR PHASE 2 PROPOSAL PREPARATION WORKSHOP, Louisville, KY, January 10, 2012. This workshop is aimed primarily at recipients (current or anticipating) of Phase 1 SBIR/STTR awards who want to learn about the critical next step in their projects, known as Phase 2, and those who help such companies. We will differentiate Phase 2 from Phase 1 proposals and projects, talk about the myriad of differences among the agencies when it comes to Phase 2, and recommend how to prepare a Phase 2 proposal. We also address the all-important commercialization plan, and show you how other firms are commercializing their SBIR/STTR projects. For more information on the workshop or to register, check out http://ksef.kstc.com/?288

2. SBIR/STTR PHASE 1 PROPOSAL PREPARATION WORKSHOP, Orlando, Florida, February 3, 2012. This is our most popular workshop. offered in warm, sunny Florida in the middle of winter--what more can you want? This workshop is chocked-full of information for newcomers to SBIR/STTR and veterans alike. A strong overview of the SBIR/STTR programs is where we start, and then we take you through a simple but comprehensive four-step process for developing a credible and competitive Phase 1 proposal. As a group, we review an actual SBIR proposal and critique it using the tools you learned during the day. For more information on the workshop or to register, contact Jack@ucf.edu.

3. Tech Drivers III Conference, Randolph, Vermont, March 5, 2012. This all day event will focus on three important topics in SBIR/STTR: Content and implications of the Reauthorization, Approaches to commercialization, and Intellectual Property Rights. Both guest speakers and panels of successful SBIR/STTR companies will present. For more information or to register, check out http://www.vtsbdc.org/tech-drivers-iii.

4. Phase 1 & 2 Proposal Preparation Workshops, Albuquerque & Santa Fe, New Mexico, March 15-16, 2012. This important two day event begins in Albuquerque on the 15^th with our most popular workshop: it covers the basics of SBIR/STTR, and then goes through a four-step process for developing a competitive Phase 1 proposal. The event moves to Santa Fe on the 16^th, where we will focus on developing the Phase 2 proposal, including the all important commercialization plan. Both days will include discussions of the SBIR/STTR reauthorization and its implications for proposal strategy and development. For more information, contact clow@lanl.gov.

5. ADVANCED SBIR/STTR DOD PROPOSAL PREPARATION WORKSHOP, New York City, New York, March 28, 2012. This workshop will consist of a unique blend of both Phase 1 and Phase 2 issues, with an emphasis on the Department of Defense's SBIR and STTR programs. That emphasis does not mean we will ignore the 10 other SBIR agencies, but will simply spend more time on the DoD which is, by the way, roughly 50% of the entire SBIR/STTR programs and could be a candidate for your proposal regardless of your technical area. For more information or to register, contact lharcum@nycedc.com.

6. SBIR/STTR PHASE 1 PROPOSAL RESUBMISSION WORKSHOP & COST PROPOSAL/GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTING WORKSHOP, Omaha, Nebraska, April 3-4, 2012. Day 1, which will be by invitation, will be an opportunity for entrepreneurs who have previously submitted at least one Phase 1 proposal that was not awarded. We will focus on specific recommendations for resubmitting proposals by those attending this workshop. Day 2's workshop will focus on the exciting world of the SBIR/STTR cost proposal and government accounting. Exciting? You bet, because this is the stuff that most SBIR/STTR companies do not understand and LOSE MONEY on every award they receive. If you had a hole in your pocket through which money fell out, you'd get it fixed, right? Then why aren't you learning about government accounting and the cost proposal before you lose any more money on your SBIR/STTR projects? Oh, and by the way, the Reauthorization makes a big deal out about cracking down on SBIR/STTR companies that are not playing by the rules, and a fair number of those rules are accounting/cost proposal/procurement related! For more information of either or both of these workshops, to find out whether you can be an invited participant in Day 1, or to register, contact vdoga@mail.unomaha.edu.

7. SBIR/STTR COST PROPOSAL/GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTING WORKSHOP, Gainesville, Florida, April 20, 2012. Did you read the description of the Day 2 workshop in Omaha? Do you understand the term "LOSING MONEY?" If you are submitting SBIR/STTR proposals and don't know all the rules or don't understand concepts like indirect rate, ir&d, reasonableness and unallowable costs, then you are about to LOSE MONEY. If you already have SBIR/STTR awards and don't know the 7,000 rules pertaining to Federal government procurement (not to mention agency supplements like the DFAR), then you are LOSING MONEY. And guess what? After some period of LOSING MONEY, you are going to GO BROKE and GO OUT OF BUSINESS. Do we have your attention? Good. We trust we will see you at either the Omaha event or this workshop in Gainesville. For more information on the Gainesville workshop or to register, contact vawiad@research.ufl.edu. By the way, this workshop will include a noontime "lunch and learn" session in which we provide a quick overview of SBIR/STTR geared for both newbies as well as veterans who want to learn the latest about the programs.

8. Phase 1 Proposal Preparation Workshop with DoD Focus, Chicago, Illinois, April 24, 2012. This all day event will be based on our most popular workshop, in which we cover everything from the basics of SBIR/STTR, to a description and analysis of the recent Reauthorization legislation, to a comprehensive four step process for developing a competitive Phase 1 proposal. The unique twist to this event will be the focus on the Department of Defense, which represents 50% of the SBIR/STTR programs in terms of awards and funding, and which has interests in many fields including energy, life, and environmental sciences. Concepts discussed will also be relevant to the other agencies participating in SBIR/STTR. For more information, contact efetters@istcoalition.org

OTHER UPCOMING SBIR/STTR WORKSHOPS & EVENTS:

SBIR/STTR workshops, Santa Fe/Albuquerque, New Mexico area, Spring 2012

Annual New Jersey SBIR/STTR Conference & Workshops, Newark/North Brunswick, New Jersey area, November 14-16, 2012 (tentative)

National SBIR Conference, Portland, Oregon area, Fall 2012

Remember that if you attend one of our full day workshops (except those held as part of a national or regional conference), you are eligible for a free critique of your SBIR or STTR proposal. The idea is to give you the training you need to be able to write a very good draft, and then provide the feedback to allow you to refine the draft into an even more competitive proposal. We've reviewed hundreds of SBIR/STTR proposals, and have always found some things that could be improved upon to increase the proposer's chances of success

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions. Please note our new email address is gail-jim@g-jgreenwood.com, although the old one will continue to work for at least a few more months. Or consider checking 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 are published monthly by the SBIR Alerting Service.

ATTENTION POTENTIAL WORKSHOP SPONSORS: We have received many requests for SBIR/STTR workshops from prospective attendees. If you would like to sponsor a workshop, please let us know. Thanks...

Until next time, we wish you the best of luck in your business endeavors, and hope to see you at one of our upcoming training events!

Business Incubator Training

THE NBIA ANNUAL CONFERENCE, Atlanta, GA, May 6-9, 2012

GCGI continues its record of being a presenter at every annual NBIA conference since 1989. At the 2012 conference being held in Atlanta in early May, we will be presenting on two topics. The first is a discussion on including non-profit organizations in an incubation program, and the second will address inclusion of anchor (or non-incubating) tenants in an incubator facility. To register for or to see specifics about the '12 conference as they become available, check the NBIA website at http://www.nbia.org/.