Mark your calendar! The WSSI State Conference is just around the corner!

This year's agenda includes a Pre-conference Networking Reception at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center; federal agency representatives from DOT, NASA, NIH, & NSF; a session specifically for newcomers to the program, a full day phase I proposal preparation with SBIR experts Mark Henry and Randy Dipner from Personal Business Consultants (PBCinc) out of Denver, plus much more.

Inventions & Innovation (I&I), within the U.S. Department of Energy, recently launched its redesigned Web site. The new site features an enhanced interactive format and updated information about I&I technologies, partners, funding opportunities, and resources. One improvement is the Pre-Application Self-Assessment Tool, which walks potential grantees through a brief questionnaire and features a schedule of Announcements of Funding Opportunities and links to open announcements.

A highlight of the site is the Energy TechNet portal, a one-stop-shop for information on research, development, and commercialization of energy-efficiency and renewable-energy technologies. The Energy TechNet Web site is the only government-sponsored site targeted specifically for individual inventors and small businesses that are developing energy-related technologies. For help with transforming their ideas into commercial realities, I&I grantees and non-grantees alike can utilize the extensive, unbiased information on the site-much of it available at no cost. Its comprehensive databases of resources, clear and informative discussions about the essential steps of development and commercialization, regularly updated news and events, and hundreds of links to related sites make Energy TechNet an invaluable tool that will increase the development, and therefore adoption, of energy-saving technologies.

The DoD has released its 2004.2 SBIR Solicitation which opens on May 3, 2004 and closes June 17, 2004 at at 6:00 a.m. EST. In previous years the DoD issued two large SBIR solicitations during a fiscal year, but for FY 2004, a total of four solicitations (two large and two small) are offered. The current SBIR 2004.2 offering is rather small in that there are 30 topics from the Navy and 3 topics from DARPA. (It is expected that the 2004.3 SBIR will be a major release with hundreds of topics and the 2004.4 SBIR will be a smaller offering similar to the 2004.2.)

The National Governor's Association (NGA) has published "A Governor's Guide to Strengthening State Entrepreneurship Policy." The four main document sections are:

Section 1: Entrepreneurial Policy: This section "focuses on the importance of entrepreneurship to economic vitality."

Section 2: What Entrepreneurs Want from States: This section "discusses how poorly entrepreneurship is served by most existing state economic development policies and on what entrepreneurs want from states."

Section 3: What States Can Do for Entrepreneurs: This section "provides recommendations to governors and states for enhancing the entrepreneurial climate through policy and program changes.

Section 4: Strategies to Support Entrepreneurship: This last section "describes a series of strategies governors and states can use to grow entrepreneurship."

Capturing the first award generally is the highest hurdle in SBIR Phase 1 competition. The first win develops experience, confidence and conviction that builds a solid foundation for capturing subsequent awards. Conversely, a string of loses can weaken confidence that SBIR awards ultimately will be achieved. Winning leads to an upward spiral - losing leads to a downward spiral in the SBIR competition.

This upward/downward spiral effect is manifested at the Principal Investigator, small business, community and state level. For example, the early win by Wyoming Sawmills, Inc., (Sheridan, WY) in 1997 gave the community a big boost in successful SBIR competition. Today, Sheridan small businesses have more SBIR awards than any other community in Wyoming except Laramie (home of the University of Wyoming).

Hence, it is vital to achieve the first win before too much time elapses, and before too many losses accumulate. High intensity in all aspects of the competition process is key to early achievement of this end.

How does a small business deliver high intensity to the SBIR competition process? Walk the extra mile - or two!!! For example, when the evaluation and selection process seems well understood, try to gain more insight from a few more people - e.g., a small businessperson that has won at the target agency. Or, when the proposal seems adequately reviewed and polished, seek out one or two more critical reviews from seasoned veterans who might help add quality to the proposal. Other examples include seeking ways to improve the proposal clarity, ease of understanding, technical approach, work plan detail, team credentials and commercialization potential. Always seek higher quality in every aspect of the competition process - never say "good enough."

Seek out and be receptive to critical comments that offer the potential to improve the quality of the competition process and proposal. Don't "tune out" suggestions that may be beneficial, especially from seasoned veterans of SBIR competition. So, develop a HIGH INTENSITY competition process to drive the proposal quality to the highest possible level. This is key for capturing that first SBIR award!!!