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| About WSSI | About SBIR/STTR | Getting Started | Wyoming Award Winners | News & Events |
| 1.0 SEPTEMBER PHASE 0 AWARD WINNERS Congratulations to the September Phase 0 award winners!
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| 2.0 DOE INVENTIONS AND INNOVATIONS PRE-APPLICATION AVAILABLE Department Of Energy invites pre-applications for funding to support energy-saving technologies developed under the Inventions and Innovations Program. This program is intended to improve energy efficiency through the promotion of innovative ideas and inventions that have a significant, potential energy impact and a potential, future commercial market. Approximately $2 million is expected to be available for 8-10 awards having a project period of 1-2 years. Only U.S. citizens and small businesses may submit preapplications, which are due October 11, 2005. More information is available at: :https://e-center.doe.gov/iips/faopor.nsf/UNID/3A094FED743053FE8525706D00748DDC?OpenDocument return to CONTENTS |
| 3.0 FIVE FREE REGISTRATIONS AVAILABLE TO NATIONAL SBIR CONFERENCE IN ALBANY The National Science Foundation EPSCoR program will cover the registration fees for five eligible Wyoming applicants. In addition, the Wyoming EPSCoR program will provide partial travel reimbursement funds. For complete details and to find out if you qualify, contact Jill Kline as soon as possible. return to CONTENTS |
| 4.0 SBA MODIFIES SMALL BUSINESS SIZE REGULATIONS The U.S. Small Business Administration has made revisions to its Small Business Size Regulations, specifically 13 CFR §121.103, What is affiliation?; and §121.105, How does SBA define "business concern or concern"?. The following two revisions were published in the August 30. 2005, Federal Register as an Interim Final Rule, which included changes to SBA's HUBZone Program, and were effective immediately:
2. small agricultural cooperatives are now treated as small business concerns. It is important to read the entire revised regulations (§121.103 and §121.105). Visit SBA's Web site for more information at www.sba.gov/size/indexwhatsnew.html#coopsIFR. return to CONTENTS |
| 5.0 NIH OFFERS COMMERCIALIZATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM TO SBIR PHASE II AWARDEES NIH announces the availability of a Commercialization Assistance Program (CAP) for its 2000 through 2005 SBIR Phase II awardees. This program was previously limited to only current Phase II SBIR awardees and the pool of eligible grantees is now expanded to include any SBIR Phase II company who has received a Phase II award since January 1, 2000, to present. (NOTE: This program is not available to STTR awardees.) Those who were previously notified to participate in this year's CAP program and have already applied, need not apply again as their applications have been received and are being considered. Only those companies that meet the SBIR small business eligibility criteria as described in the NIH SBIR/STTR Omnibus solicitation are eligible to apply. DUE DATES Details on this program can be found at: www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13342&org=DMII&from=fund return to CONTENTS |
6.0 GRANT WRITING OPPORTUNITIES
This two-day workshop is designed for small business concerns as well as county and non-profit personnel who are interested in writing grant proposals, have written grant proposals, or have assisted another person in grant proposal submission. This will be a hands-on intensive seminar. The following topics will be discussed: Come to the workshop with a RFP/solicitation/project in hand - either one you have begun or an idea for a proposal that you would like to complete. Each participant will receive a workbook that provides guidance through the proposal process and will begin to prepare their grant proposal. Workshop Facilitator: Sheela Schermetzler This workshop will be held in Gillette: Enrollment limited to 25
The Western Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors (WAAESD), Washington State University (WSU), and the University of Idaho (U of I) are pleased to host a two day Grantsmanship Workshop on Sept 28 and Sept 29, 2005. The workshop will be held at the University Inn, Moscow, Idaho. This is a two-day workshop, beginning at 7 a.m. and concluding at approximately 4:30 p.m. The workshop is designed for an audience of researchers, extension specialists, educators, and administrators. The registration fee is for $175.00 for both days. The fee does not include the Hotel, but does include materials, breakfast and lunch both days, and a reception on Wednesday night. The first day will feature USDA Funding Opportunities, with an emphasis on the National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program (NRICGP); Higher Education and Multicultural Alliances Programs; Integrated Research, Education and Extension Programs; Children Youth and Families at Risk Program; and Pest Management Alternatives Program (PMAP). CSREES staff responsible for the administration of the various programs will make presentations. The morning session will provide a general overview of competitive funding opportunities available through CSREES. This will include discussion of new developments and special issues that affect CSREES Competitive Program funding and grants administration. The session will also include information on writing more competitive proposals and grant applications. A working lunch will include presentations on tips for writing successful proposals by former Panel Managers of CSREES. Breakout sessions will be offered in the afternoon to provide an opportunity for participants to interact with CSREES program staff and address issues associated with specific projects. Each registrant will have the opportunity to participate in three of the breakout sessions. The second day will feature "Writing Winning Grants" with Tom Fretz and Michael Harrington. Grant writing has changed dramatically over the past decade. While single investigator proposals are still the mainstay for many programs and investigators, increasingly agencies are requesting multi-discipline, multi-functional and multi-institutional proposals with stakeholder input and expectations of the eventual transfer of useful outcomes. The workshop will assist faculty with both research and extension appointments with the development of proposals in agriculture, natural resources, food safety, and nutrition, etc. The day-long workshop is designed for early career and experienced faculty, graduate students and administrators involved in each step of the proposal development and submission process. The workshop will lead participants through the process of developing a successful grant submission, with many hints gained for years of experience on all sides of the process. We will discuss what constitutes a successful proposal, how to participate in the review process, proposal organization, and the development of integrated team proposals and much more. Equally important, to the successful proposal, the workshop will also highlight those common errors - or what should be avoided. Practical hints will be presented, many which will not be found in a traditional agency lead grantsmanship workshop. For example, which proposal tends to be the most successful in the review process - the first proposal into the agency or the last? The recently developed and revised text, Principles of Grantsmanship - Version 2, as well as other handouts will be used. For additional information contact the University of Idaho; Phone: 208-885-7173; Email: Agres@uidaho.edu |
7.0 UPCOMING CONFERENCES/TRAININGS/SEMINARS/WORKSHOPS
The Wyoming GRO-Biz (Government Resources and Opportunities for Business) office will be holding a Veteran Owned Business Conference October 19, 2005 in Rock Springs. The Conference will be held at the Holiday Inn and will be a one day event starting at 8:00 a.m. and concluding at 5:00 p.m. Participating agencies include: General Services Administration (GSA), Veterans Administration, Army Corps of Engineers, Hill AFB, and the National Park Service. There will be opportunities to attend training sessions or to meet one on one with officials from the various agencies. All presentations and training will be targeted to veteran owned businesses and the opportunities they have in the government contracting arena. The luncheon will include a presentation by a representative from The Center for Veterans Enterprise. GRO-Biz is a partnership program funded by the Defense Logistics Agency, Wyoming Business Council, University of Wyoming and included with the Small Business Development Center. GRO-biz helps Wyoming's businesses sell their services and products to federal, state, and local governments.. GRO-Biz's marketing specialists help identify opportunities and understand the process from start to finish, so you can compete for a share of this business. Resources available are trained counselors, computer bid information and databases of procurement history that may help you with pricing and a knowledge and understanding of government contracting procedures. Armed with these valuable tools and skills, GRO-Biz is ready to help your business or service grow through government contracting. All Services are Free and Confidential.
Investing In A Brighter Future, Building Tech-based Economies Overview: For a few days this fall, more than 300 of the nation's greatest thinkers and practitioners for building tech-based economies will convene in Atlanta. All of them will find answers in Atlanta - at the premier professional development event of the year for the tech-based economic development community. The only question remaining is will you be among them? Complete information is available on the SSTI's website at: www.ssti.org/conference05.htm.
What to expect at SSTI’s 9th Annual Conference
CAN YOU NEGOTIATE THE BEST DEAL? - There's more to licensing your innovation than you might think. Plan to attend: MonTEC, 1121 E. Broadway, Missoula, MT Workshop presenter Marti Elder is a seasoned licensing agent and commercialization consultant who, as principle of her Bozeman-based company, has worked with clients in Montana, throughout the nation and internationally.
Elder will guide workshop participants through the licensing process by sharing her expertise on a range of topics, including: Complete workshop information is available at: sbir.state.mt.us/Licensing or contact Linda Brander @ (406) 841-2749 or lbrander@mt.gov.
Whether you are new to the Program, have received your first Phase I, or are a multiple award winner, the sessions offered in Albany this Fall will help you enhance your participation in the SBIR/STTR Program. Sessions will focus on information you need in order to take Your Concept all the way through the Program to Commercialization. Tips on how to Leverage Resources to make the most of Your Potential will be provided during the three tracks of programming. Complete conference information is available at: 2005 National Fall Conference The Advance Full Registration Fee, received by October 25, is $350. Registrations received after October 25 and On-Site will be $425. In addition to Full Conference Registration, one or multiple-day Registrations are available, as are discounts for multiple attendees (3 or more) from a single small business (less than 500 employees). Please note that pre-Conference registration will close on Tuesday, November 1. After this date, registration will only be available On-site in Albany. |
| 8.0 COMPETITION TIP: DEMONSTRATE SOA KNOWLEDGE!!! Demonstration of state-of-the-art knowledge about the technology associated with a SBIR proposal is vital to successful SBIR competition. This is essential to convince reviewers that the work proposed has not been done before, and that an original contribution will be made. Downstream, successfully building a business niche around an idea requires thorough knowledge of competing technologies and approaches. Draft SBIR proposals we review frequently do not present compelling evidence that the proposing team is cognizant of state-of-the-art technologies and related work. In some cases, the team is not aware of state-of-the-art knowledge, and work is proposed that is not original. In other cases, the team has current knowledge, but this is not conveyed convincingly in the proposal. In both cases, reviewers may perceive that the small business is not "on top of" the proposed technology, and the proposal evaluation will be compromised. Using recognized experts in specific technology areas as proposal (and project) team members is a good way to get on top of a particular technology area. These experts can be (for example) consultants from universities or the private sector, or other businesses (small or large) acting as team members. The internet today facilitates effective literature searches that helps establish a solid "knowledge" foundation for a proposal and business activity. Reviewers' PERCEPTIONS about a small business's familiarity with state-of-the-art knowledge is what counts. Therefore, it is vital that the small business DEMONSTRATE convincingly in the proposal that it is fully knowledgeable of related work in the proposed field. This competition tip first appeared in the October 8, 1999 issue of the Wyoming SBIR Newsletter. Follow this link to a complete set of Competition Tips. return to CONTENTS |
| 9.0 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. return to CONTENTS |
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