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| About WSSI | About SBIR/STTR | Getting Started | Wyoming Award Winners | News & Events |
| 1.0 SQUARE ONE SYSTEMS DESIGN, JACKSON, WINS DOE SBIR AND STTR Congratulations to Bob Viola and Square One Systems Design on their recent SBIR and STTR award. The Department of Energy announced this week that Jackson-based Square One Systems Design has been awarded both a Phase I SBIR grant and a Phase I STTR grant. These grants will fund projects related to the DOE's new Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) now under construction at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. The first project will attempt to develop a robotic workcell capable of performing the complex sample handling tasks associated with the SNS Liquids Reflectometer. The second project will address the need for a compact, ultra-precise positioning device for integration into the SNS Single Crystal Diffractometer. Both the Liquids Reflectometer and the Single Crystal Diffractometer are cutting-edge experimental instruments that are expected to greatly enhance our understanding of material properties at the atomic level. The two projects are structured to encourage close cooperation between the Square One design team and scientists at the SNS. return to CONTENTS |
| 2.0 DOD SBIR 05.2 SOLICITATION HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE The DoD SBIR 2005.2 solicitation has been pre-released at www.dodsbir.net/solicitation. During the pre-release period, which ends on June 14, you may contact the topic authors directly (contact information is listed with the topic) to ask technical questions about specific solicitation topics. The DoD will begin accepting proposals on June 15, 2005 and will close to proposals on July 15, 2005 at 6am EST. Plan ahead and submit your proposal early to avoid the risk of website inaccessibility due to heavy usage on the final day. Technical Q&A through SITIS DoD SBIR Help Desk |
| 3.0 NIH IMPLEMENTS POLICY ON ENHANCING PUBLIC ACCESS TO ARCHIVED PUBLICATIONS RESULTING FROM NIH-FUNDED RESEARCH Effective May 2, 2005: Implementation of Policy on Enhancing Public Access to Archived Publications Resulting from NIH-Funded Research The National Institutes of Health (NIH) published its Public Access Policy (Policy) in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts on February 3, 2005, and in the Federal Register on February 9, 2005. These announcements and additional relevant information, including Questions and Answers regarding copyright and other concerns, are available at the NIH Public Access Web site: http://www.nih.gov/about/publicaccess/. A summary regarding this policy is available on the NIH web site at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-05-045.html return to CONTENTS |
| 4.0 PRIORITY GIVEN TO MANUFACTURERS FOR SBIR/STTR GRANTS WYOMING MANUFACTURERS HAVE AN ADVANTAGE President George Bush recently issued an Executive Order to the eleven federal agencies participating in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, directing them to give high priority to awarding grants to fund innovative manufacturing-related research and development (http://www.sba.gov/sbir/execorder.html). Wyoming manufacturers gain an advantage in entering these grant programs by participating in the state's popular WSSI Phase 0 program. Follow this link to learn more. return to CONTENTS |
| 5.0 TEN STATES CAPTURE 85% OF ALL VENTURE FUNDING - WYOMING ISN'T ONE A state-by-state look, courtesy of the Money Tree, at first quarter venture investing and an analysis of the trend line in venture capital risk avoidance. Ten states get 85% of the venture funds. Seed stage companies attract less than 2% www.nasvf.org/web/allpress.nsf/pages/10907 return to CONTENTS |
| 6.0 SBA TO HOLD REGIONAL HEARINGS ON VC & SB SIZE STANDARDS (SBIR Gateway, 4/30/05) The SBA is planning a series of field hearings to be held in June throughout the country at various SBA Regional Centers. The purpose of these hearings is to allow opinions/testimony to be given on SBA's Advanced Notice of Proposed Rule Making (ANPRM) for small business size standards. This includes, but is not limited to VC affiliation exclusion for majority ownership and control of small businesses illegible for SBIR competition. Although the SBA has not yet released the dates and locations for these hearings, the SBIR Gateway has heard that there will be a field hearing on June 14 in Denver hosted by SBA Region VIII. The SBIR Gateway will post information on how you can participate in these hearings. It is likely that testimony by individuals will be limited to five minutes. (These hearings should not be confused with those that are likely to be held by Congress.) return to CONTENTS |
7.0 UPCOMING CONFERENCES/TRAININGS/SEMINARS/WORKSHOPS
The MIT Forum was started at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is a time-honored format for business plan presentation and critique. The program was designed to allow an entrepreneur access to advice and criticism from experts within his industry. Each entrepreneur has 5 minutes to give their business plan presentation and then the panel will have the opportunity to critique the presentation and plan. Cost: $30 for members and students; $40 for non-members If you are trying to build or grow your business, you need to: Also, May 12 from 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm Venture West is sponsoring "Maturing Your Business Plan to Attract Investors and Grow a Company" workshop. This workshop will look at the before and after versions of a business plan that successfully received investor financing. Cost: $10 for members and students; $20 for non-members Both events will be held at the Howard Johnson's (formerly Foster's Country Corner) in Laramie Registration information is available online at: http://www.venturewest.org/registermain.html
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. |
| 8.0 COMPETITION TIP: STUDY AWARD LISTS AND ABSTRACTS!!! Award lists and abstracts provide an "information mining" opportunity for small businesses to gain a competitive edge in SBIR competition. Project titles, Principal Investigator names, small business names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses are among specific information provided. In addition, the abstract from each winning proposal generally is posted. SBIR agencies now post this information at their websites. A study of the posted award data can reveal helpful insights to small businesses for the SBIR competition process. For example, titles may convey information about the technology employed and end use applications. Abstracts provide more detail about the specific technology and project "granted" or "purchased" by the SBIR customer. When one gathers this kind of information for an ensemble of awarded projects for a specific agency and/or topic, trends may become apparent that will help guide a successful SBIR competition process. For example, the awarded projects may be tied to a specific technology: primarily hardware development-oriented; usually supported by modeling and analyses; or generally involve device testing in field or simulation facility environments. These insights may be key in developing winning proposal themes and approaches. primarily hardware development-oriented; usually supported by modeling and analyses; or generally involve device testing in field or simulation facility environments. These insights may be key in developing winning proposal themes and approaches. Being informed about recently awarded project details is always helpful when communicating with cognizant agency personnel. This is true especially when initiating customer relationships. Agency personnel will be more likely to listen, dedicate time and help an informed small businessperson over one who approaches ignorant of the customer's SBIR project portfolio. Principal Investigators' names and contact information (addresses and phone numbers) may provide opportunities for networking, information exchange and professional/business collaboration. They may even wind up being a colleague. So study SBIR award data provided by the agencies. It can be beneficial in many ways!!! This competition tip first appeared in the August 6, 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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