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| About WSSI | About SBIR/STTR | Getting Started | Wyoming Award Winners | News & Events |
| 1.0 INVENTOR'S RESOURCE PAGE ADDED TO WSSI WEB SITE The WSSI has developed and posted an Inventor's Resource web page located on the WSSI web site "Getting Started" page. The page was inspired from the most recent Inventor's Workshop sponsored by Senator Enzi. Also as a result of the Inventor's Workshop, a Wyoming Inventors' Group was formed. If you would like additional information on the group, feel free to contact: Mohammed Salih in Cheyenne The Inventor's Resource page does not duplicate information already available to inventor's but rather provides links, all from one page, to those credible resources such as the United Inventors Association and the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Visit the Inventor's Resource web page to view a list of available resources. (Not an exhaustive list.) return to CONTENTS |
| 2.0 GETTING READY TO WRITE A SBIR/STTR PROPOSAL? PBC inc. of Denver, will be offering three classes starting mid-April: two "Getting Ready to Write an SBIR/STTR Proposal" classes and one Phase II overview class. Classes can be taken either online or in-house at PBC. Getting Ready to Write an SBIR/STTR Proposal
Phase II SBIR/STTR Proposal Workshop Mark Henry is the course instructor. Mark has been involved in more than 1300 SBIR and STTR proposals, and while he was at Bend Research the firm won 60 Phase II SBIR awards. NOTE: In-house space is limited to 10 people at PBC. Kim Keating will be coordinating registration: 303-427-1312 #200 Questions? Call Mark @ 303-679-8182 return to CONTENTS |
| 3.0 VENTURE WEST'S 3rd ANNUAL ENTREPRENEUR’S PITCH MEETING On May 12, Venture West (www.venturewest.org, a Wyoming non-profit) will host its 3rd Annual Entrepreneurs Pitch in Laramie. This has been a very successful event over the past two years, with the participation of excellent entrepreneurs and savvy, active investors. If you are seeking (or if you know an entrepreneur) that is seeking capital and would like to present your business plan at the only venture forum in Wyoming, send an exec summary to plans@venturewest.org. If you're looking for investment opportunities, or just want to network with like-minded business people, come to the source on May 12 -- complete details are the Venture West web page. return to CONTENTS |
| 4.0 WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD IDEA PROGRAM? The Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (IDEA) program is sponsored by the Transportation Research Board (TRB). IDEA programs fund research into promising but unproven innovations in four transportation areas: Highways, High-Speed Rail, Safety, and Transit. Program Information Proposals should be prepared following the Guidelines provided. Although proposals are accepted at any time, the deadlines for consideration for a particular funding cycle are March 1 and September 1. IDEA funding for a concept exploration project typically ranges from $25,000 to $100,000. The NCHRP Highway IDEA program recently increased its top funding limit to $150,000. The duration of the project may range from 3 to 18 months. High-Speed Rail IDEA projects are selected for funding based on their potential to advance the Federal Railroad Administration's goals for the Next-Generation HSR Technology Development Program, which are described in this link. Visit the TRB IDEA web site for details. return to CONTENTS |
| 5.0 OTHER FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES POSTED IN THE SSTI WEEKLY DIGEST FUNDING SUPPLEMENT The SSTI Weekly Digest Funding Supplement is a listing of funding opportunities (OTHER THAN SBIR) offered by the federal government, foundations, and other agencies. Although the Supplement is not exhaustive, the opportunities listed in each week's issue do provide application information, eligibility criteria, and submission deadlines and collectively offer a glance at what is available. The latest issue of the Funding Supplement is available at: www.ssti.org/Digest/supplement.htm and includes additional opportunities from the US Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Science Foundation - to name a few. return to CONTENTS |
6.0 UPCOMING CONFERENCES/TRAININGS/SEMINARS/WORKSHOPS
This event begins with Jim & Gail Greenwoods most popular workshop in which they cover the basics of SBIR/STTR, then describe a simple but effective four-step process for developing a competitive Phase I proposal. Attendees will have the opportunity to review and discuss as a group a real SBIR/STTR Phase I proposal. On the second day, the Greenwoods will cover the basics of Phase II, how it differs from agency to agency, a process for developing a Phase II SBIR or STTR proposal, and alternative paths for commercializing an SBIR/STTR technology. This will be great event for someone who wants to get fully indoctrinated into the SBIR/STTR programs and how to apply for funding to both Phase I and Phase II. For more information or to register, contact stephanie_blair@und.nodak.edu.
The 7th Annual NIH SBIR/STTR conference dates are now set for July 28- 29,2005. The conference will be held on the NIH campus in Bethesda, MD. Learn How to Tap into $640 M Reserved Explicitly for Small Businesses Interested in Biomedical/Behavioral Research. This free two day conference, organized by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will focus on Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) funding opportunities available explicitly to small businesses that have innovative biomedical or behavioral research ideas with commercial potential. This conference will benefit those who are relatively new to the Program as well as those who are more experienced. This is a must-attend conference if you're interested in the NIH SBIR/STTR program. Questions? Contact Mark Brown - ConferenceInquiries@mail.nih.gov or 240-632-5618.
Where: Albany, NY, The Crowne Plaza Hotel Albany City Center Description: The National Science Foundation, in association with the Small Business Administration and all 11 SBIR agencies, is sponsoring this 2005 Fall National SBIR/STTR Conference. Annually, the SBIR and STTR programs provide over $2 billion to small businesses through federal programs to help entrepreneurs take their ideas from conception to reality. This conference will give you the tools you need to obtain part of the $2+ billion available to small business innovators. This conference also provides each participant with multiple opportunities to meet and network with SBIR and STTR Program Managers, and fellow attendees, including SBIR/STTR award winners, speakers, and experts from businesses and the government willing to work with you to move your business ahead. Who Should Attend: Attendees include SBIR and STTR representatives from the Federal Agencies involved in the programs, sales and marketing professionals, small business owners, entrepreneurs, university researchers, scientists seeking commercialization strategies, venture capitalists, and all small businesses seeking to secure federal funding. Additional information will be posted as it becomes available. Refer questions to Sharon DelaBarre at sbir@dbamlg.com or 360-683-5742. |
| 7.0 COMPETITION TIP: USE GRAPHICS EFFECTIVELY!!! The goal of an SBIR proposal is to convey a convincing story to reviewers. The proposal preparation team must strive to make all parts of the proposal clear, complete, accurate, easily understood, convincing and exciting. The use of effective graphics can make major contributions to effective presentations of innovative concepts, data, plans, facilities and equipment. Proposals that use primarily words and few (if any) graphics to convey the proposal story are very laborious for reviewers to evaluate. This is especially so if the reviewers already have reviewed many proposals in one day. In addition, conveying some concepts is difficult solely with words, and is greatly facilitated with the use of graphics. Popular magazines are good examples for using graphics to present the intended message in an easy to read format. Peruse sample winning proposals and observe the effective use of graphics in them - many of these are available at SBIR websites. Some excellent proposals use as many as one graphic per page. These graphics might include schematics of the innovative process or product, graphs of experimental or analytical data, pictures of facilities or equipment, system block diagrams, bar charts showing the influence of key process parameters, and task time lines. Make graphical presentations a central part of the proposal planning and preparation process. Pictures really are worth a thousand words!!! This competition tip first appeared in the July 23, 1999 issue of the Wyoming SBIR Newsletter. Follow this link to a complete set of Competition Tips. return to CONTENTS |
| 8.0 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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