4.0 NATIONAL FALL SBIR CONFERENCE IN BOISE, IDAHO, NOVEMBER 1
- 4, 2004 REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
Description: The National Science Foundation, in association with the Department of Defense and the Small Business Administration, and all 11 SBIR agencies is sponsoring this 2004 National Fall SBIR/STTR Conference.
Program Managers and representatives from all participating agencies will provide insight into how to work with their respective agencies and answer your own special questions during the one-on- one opportunities.
Who Should Attend: Sales and Marketing Professionals, Small Business Owners, Entrepreneurs, University Researchers with a business/entrepreneurial streak, Scientist seeking commercialization strategies, all small businesses in need of securing federal funding resources.
When & Where: Boise, ID November 1 - 4, 2004. The entire SBIR/STTR Conference and the Small
Business Tech Expo will take place at the Boise Centre on the Grove at 9th and Front Streets.
Room blocks at three hotels in the Boise, Idaho downtown areahave been reserved: the Grove Hotel, the Statehouse Inn, and the Owyhee Plaza Hotel. The Grove is located within a block of the Centre, the
Statehouse is about a block away, and the Owyhee is about two blocks away.
To receive the special Conference hotel rates, be sure to specify that you are
attending the SBIR CONFERENCE. ALL hotels require a credit card guarantee. Cancellation policies may vary. Be sure and check with the hotel of your choice.
The Advance Full Conference Registration fee, received by Oct. 11th, is $350, after Oct. 11th and On-Site will be $425.
All information including the agenda are now available at the conference
SBIRWorld web site at www.sbirworld.com/boise
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5.0 UPCOMING CONFERENCES/TRAININGS/SEMINARS/WORKSHOPS
5.2 AG TECHNOLOGY SHOW SEEKS AG INVENTORS
BILLINGS, MT -- Ag Inventors can now sign up for the 3rd Annual Ag Inventors Contest to be held during the Ag Technology Show January 13 - 15, 2005 in Billings, Montana at the Holiday Inn Trade Center. The contest is open to inventors who have an idea, an innovation or an invention that has a farm and or ranch application, and is commercially viable and original.
There is no cost to enter and the deadline for entry to the contest is December 3, 2004. "A jury committee will select 7 finalists out of all of the entries submitted to the show organizers. The inventor finalists will be invited to display their idea or invention at the three day tradeshow free of charge," said Cynthia Berst, tradeshow producer. "A panel of 5 judges will select the $1,000 Top Inventor Award and show attendees can vote for their favorite inventor for the People's Choice Award."
Berst is hosting the Ag Inventors Contest during the Ag Technology Show, a regional farm & ranch tradeshow, because of the valuable exposure for the inventors. "The contest finalists gain tremendous access to manufacturing and marketing companies and to the various government agencies that assist them how to turn their innovation into a viable business." said Berst.
The winners of the Ag Inventors Contest 2004 were Fred Davison of Highwood, MT who won the $1,000 Top Inventor Award for his E-Z Reach Gate Winch. The People's Choice Award was given to Kent Granmoe of Glendive, MT for his Hydraulic Pressure Relief Tool. "The contestants came from all over Montana and Wyoming and all of them received great exposure with an article about the Ag Inventors Contest and their idea in their hometown newspapers," explained Berst about the benefits of contestants entering the contest.
A complete set of inventor rules and entry forms can be obtained by interested inventors by writing to Cynthia Berst, Bright Cat Productions, PO Box 20044, Billings, MT 59104-0044 or by calling (406) 855-5765 or by email brightcatproductions@yahoo.com.
"This is going to be another fantastic tradeshow and inventor's contest," said Berst. "Farmers, ranchers, exhibitors, attendees - everyone will have an opportunity to see the newest, latest and greatest innovations that are up and coming or already in the marketplace today at the tradeshow."
The Ag Technology Show 2005 is the place to be if you're in the farming and ranching community for both Ag buyer and seller. The show will be opening at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 13, 2005 and closing at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 15, 2005. Exhibitors and attendees come from a large regional area and both admission and parking are free.
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6.0 COMPETITION TIP: GET FEEDBACK!!!
Everyone wants to win the first time a SBIR proposal is submitted, but the odds are against achieving this result. On average, only about 1 out of 8 Phase 1 proposals submitted are funded - so 7 out of 8 are losers!!! But a losing proposal is an excellent opportunity to GET FEEDBACK and help enable a win the next time around.
Valuable feedback from a declined proposal may come from review panel summaries or verbatim comments from individual reviewers. Communications with cognizant agency personnel may provide unique insights into reasons a proposal was rejected. Abstracts of winning proposals may offer clues about the evaluation process that separates proposals selected for award from those that are declined. Talking to representatives of winning small businesses also may yield beneficial information.
There are many ways feedback information can help identify weaknesses in a declined proposal and strengthen subsequent submissions. For example, it may become clear that the credentials of the proposed team need strengthening, and that a university link is required. Another example might be that the work plan is not articulated in sufficient clarity and detail to be convincing to reviewers. Or, a compelling story about the commercialization potential of the innovation may be missing.
Sometimes, a rejected proposal and subsequent feedback generates a negative reaction at the small business, and leads to the decision to opt out of further SBIR competition. The excluded competition may be the entire SBIR competition, particular agencies, or classes of agencies (e.g., peer review or line review agencies). Unfortunately, exiting competition guarantees there will be no wins.
The resilient small businessperson committed to winning in the SBIR competition seizes the opportunity to gather feedback information. This enables higher quality proposals in the subsequent competitions with better chances of winning.
So, GET FEEDBACK, learn from it, and win!!!
This competition tip first appeared in the May 19, 2000 issue of the Wyoming SBIR Newsletter. Follow this link to a complete set of Competition Tips.
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7.0 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND PUBLICATION INFORMATION
TO BE ADDED TO OR REMOVED FROM THE DISTRIBUTION LIST FOR THIS NEWSLETTER, SEND NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER, AND EMAIL ADDRESS TO jillkline@vcn.com.
Prepared by: Jill Kline, WSSI Outreach Coordinator, 307.682.2660 or toll free in Wyoming, 866.703.3280, jillkline@vcn.com, and Gene Watson, WSSI Program Manager, 307.742.7162, ewatson@wyoming.com.
This newsletter is published every other week as part of the Wyoming SBIR/STTR Initiative (WSSI). The mission of the Initiative is to increase the number of federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program awards to Wyoming. The Wyoming Business Council (WBC) funds the initiative which is administered by the University of Wyoming Research Office. Please contact Jill Kline (see contact information above) with your comments.
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