November 18, 2005
Wyoming SBIR/STTR Initiative (WSSI) Newsletter
No. 23-05
(Past Newsletter Issues)
This biweekly newsletter is published by the Wyoming SBIR/STTR Initiative (WSSI). Please visit our website at www.uwyo.edu/sbir for complete program information (including links to participating federal agencies, support agencies, conferences, archives of this newsletter, etc.) Contact jillkline@vcn.com to be added to or removed from the Distribution List for this newsletter.
SOLICITATION COUNTDOWN
Wyoming Phase 0: due 5:00 p.m., 12/1/05; 13 days
NIH SBIR/STTR (Grants) (including CDC, FDA): due 12/1/05; 13 days
ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION REQUIRED
DOE: due 12/2/05; 14 days
NSF: due 12/8/05; 20 days
DoEd: due 1/6/06; 63 days
DoD: due 1/13/06; 56 days
NOAA: due 1/18/06; 61 days
NIST: due 1/26/06; 69 days
Other NIH Deadlines
CONTENTS
1.0 BIG HORN VALVE, SHERIDAN WINS NASA PHASE I
2.0 Seven From Wyoming Attend The National SBIR Conference
3.0 NOAA Solicitation Posted On FedBizOpps
4.0 SBIR Colorado's 5th Annual SBIR Conference Scheduled For March, 2006
5.0 Senator Enzi's Inventor's Conference To Be Held In Conjunction With The WSSI State Conference
6.0 Upcoming Conferences/Trainings/Seminars/Workshops
6.1 World's Best Technologies Showcase Seeks Innovations
6.2 Spring 2006 SBIR/STTR Conference
7.0 Competition Tip: Plan For Indirect Costs!!!
8.0 Acknowledgements And Publication Information
1.0 BIG HORN VALVE, SHERIDAN, WINS NASA PHASE II
Congratulations to Big Horn Valve of Sheridan on their recent NASA Phase I award!
Principal Investigator: Zachary Gray
Email Contact: zg@WyomingSilicon.com
Award: $70,000
Technical Abstract: A cryogenic flow-control valve based on Venturi-Offset Technology (VOST) will be designed and modeled. VOST provides precise linear flow control within a hermetically sealed, thermally efficient, cylindrical envelope. Intended to demonstrate a breakthrough in cryogenic flow control, the valve has no external leak paths, holds position without power and has no dynamic seals. With only two moving parts, the valve is inherently simple and robust.
For more information on Big Horn Valve, visit their web site: www.bighornvalve.com
2.0 SEVEN FROM WYOMING REPRESENT WYOMING AT THE NATIONAL SBIR CONFERENCE
Of the approximately 500 attendees at this week's National SBIR conference that was held in Albany, New York, seven were from Wyoming. WSSI Program Manager, Gene Watson and Outreach Coordinator, Jill Kline, would like to thank the Wyoming and National EPSCoR programs for financially assisting the following Wyoming businesses and entrepreneurs so that they were able to attend.
Crile Carvey and Laora Tercosi, Crile Carvey Consulting of Sybille Canyon (Wheatland), Mark Mortimore, DeeMar Industries of Thermopolis, Nancy Geehan, Strategic Business Management Consultants of Buffalo, and Stephen Wagner of Casper provided their thoughts, comments, and experiences from the conference.
- Ecosystems
- Climate
- Weather and Water
- Commerce and Transportation
"We had lunch with Dr. Charles Cleland, who runs the very successful USDA SBIR program. Dr. Cleland explained that the USDA is interested in helping small and medium family farms. They have recently created a separate category called "Small and Mid-size Farms" under which they will accept grant applications for the funding of projects that can increase profitability, efficiency, and competitiveness for smaller agricultural operations such as we have in Wyoming. We believe that projects such as our cow/calf data collection device fit well in this category."
"It was invaluable for our company to develop relationships with project managers at important agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, DARPA, NASA, USDA, and the Special Operations Command. It was helpful to establish relationships and inform these organizations concerning our core competencies in Systems Analysis, Human-Computer Interface Design, Software Development, and Distributed Systems Technology. As a result of these meetings, we will also be focusing additional resources in the areas of Physical Modeling and High Performance Computing."- Crile Carvey, Crile Carvey Consulting, Sybille Canyon (Wheatland)
"SBIR "newbie" here...still reeling from the national conference in Albany. The conference was an absolute infusion of Information and Inspiration...two essential elements of the SBIR/STTR program that I for one can’t get enough of. Presentation topics were diverse and interesting. It was tough deciding whether to attend the "How to Write a BAD Proposal" or to go straight to one of the "Commercialization" sessions. (I chose the former and heaved a sigh of relief at the end...no obvious faux pas in the Phase One proposal turned in to the USDA for Crile Carvey Consulting!) Having an expert condense the complications of accounting into an hour and a half presentation gave me some hope of eventually understanding the process...as well as an idea of how much there is to learn. Networking opportunities abounded. The conference sessions introduced some of the faces behind the names of the federal agencies involved in the program. The chance to meet and spend time with members of the "Wyoming contingent" was also much enjoyed and appreciated! The meeting and greeting in between sessions was fantastic. Where else could I have had lunch with US Department of Defense officials, patent attorneys, entrepreneurs and rocket scientists?" - Laora Tercosi, Crile Carvey Consulting, Sybille Canyon (Wheatland)
My experience at the conference far exceeded my expectations. The contacts and information, not to mention the guidance, was immeasurable. I was able to get answers to questions that had plagued me as well as obtain direction, information, and names to enhance and expand the data needed to help me submit a quality proposal. - Mark Mortimore, DeeMar Industries, LLC, Thermopolis
"The SBIR National meeting is a "must" for anyone serious about participating in the program. The networking opportunities are incredible and actually become the best of the many "take-aways" from the conference. I learned so much about he SBIR and STTR programs while building awareness of success stories that will definitely improve our ability to participate and submit higher quality proposals." - Nancy Geehan, Strategic Business Management Consultants, LLC, Buffalo
"I would like to thank the people of Wyoming for their support of the Wyoming SBIR/STTR Initiative. This program has enabled me to work toward the development of my innovation. They have provided me with the resources to attend the National SBIR Conference in Albany where I have made valuable connections including locating a national lab to partner with me. The guidance from the WSSI and the contacts I made at the National conference have been great to help me be better prepared for competing in the SBIR program. I strongly recommend the Phase 0 program and its terrific staff to small Wyoming innovators in their pursuit of making their innovation a reality."- Stephen Wagner, Casper
3.0 NOAA SOLICITATION POSTED ON FedBizOpps
The Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released their FY2006 Phase I SBIR solicitation. The following are the NOAA research and development topics available for Phase 1:
A full description of the topics and available subtopics are listed in Section 8 of the solicitation.
For more information, including a complete copy of the SBIR solicitation, visit the Federal Business Opportunities website at www.fbo.gov/spg/DOC/NOA A/AGAMD/NRMC0009%2D6%2D00001/listing.html.
REMINDER: Any organization submitting a response to the above described solicitation must have current registration in the Central Contractor Registration (see website at www.ccr.gov).
4.0 SBIR COLORADO'S 5th ANNUAL SBIR CONFERENCE SCHEDULED FOR MARCH, 2006
March 8th & 9th 2006 at the Arvada Center
The SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) and STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) programs represent the largest source of early-stage funding for high-tech start-up companies in the US . These congressionally mandated federal programs provide more than $2.2 billion every year to small, for-profit companies to carry out leading-edge, high-risk research and to grow their businesses.
Details can be found at SBIRColorado.org or contact Cody at 303-427-1312 x202
5.0 SENOTOR ENZI'S INVENTOR'S CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE WSSI STATE CONFERENCE
The next WSSI State Conference will be held April 19 in Cheyenne in conjunction with Senator Enzi's Inventor's Conference which will follow on the 20 and 21. Mark your calendar now and watch the WSSI newsletter for updates!
6.0 UPCOMING CONFERENCES/TRAININGS/SEMINARS/WORKSHOPS
- 6.1 WORLD'S BEST TECHNOLOGIES SHOWCASE SEEKS INNOVATIONS
The World's Best Technologies Showcase is the nation's premier event showcasing the largest collection of undiscovered technologies emanating from top universities, labs, and research institutions from across the country and around the globe. Participating technologies are selected by - and presented to - over 100 seasoned venture investors and Fortune 500 licensing scouts representing a variety of industries, each supported by private funding or numerous federal R&D grants such as DoD, DOE, NIH, NSF, NASA, NIST, and many others. Most are presenting for the very first time. The World's Best Technologies Showcase, now in its fourth year, is currently seeking breakthrough technologies and spinout companies emanating from universities, federal labs, federal agencies and research institutions. Presenting technologies are selected by - and presented to - seasoned venture investors and Fortune 500 licensing pros representing a variety of industries. Selections are based on the merits of the innovation and the specific investment or licensing opportunity. Most are presenting for the very first time.
World's Best Technologies 2006
March 27-29, 2006
Arlington, TX
www.wbtshowcase.com
Contact: Paul Huleatt, 602-795-8825
Each year's Showcase represents the collaborative effort of investors, licensees, and tech commercialization experts. Exhibit space is limited to 75 presenting technologies.
There Is No Cost To Apply. Visit www.wbtshowcase.com for more details.
The WBT is produced in cooperation with the Federal Lab Consortium - representing over 700 federally funded research centers and laboratories throughout the United States - and the National Association of Seed and Venture Funds - a network of public agencies, private investors and public/private partnerships fostering innovation capital for America's entrepreneurs.
- 6.2 2006 Spring National SBIR/STTR Conference
Mark your calendars for the 2006 Spring National SBIR/STTR Conference
Louisville, Kentucky
Monday, May 15, 2006 to Thursday, May 18, 2006
7.0 COMPETITION TIP: PLAN FOR INDIRECT COSTS!!!
Small businesses (technology-based or otherwise) generally incur "indirect costs" - those costs "...not directly identified with a single, final cost objective (or project)..." as we discussed last week. Examples of indirect costs include office and laboratory facilities, utilities, accounting, insurance, fringe benefits, recruiting, bid and proposal activity, internal research and development, and travel and labor not related to a specific grant or contract.
Indirect costs are not an option for serious small businesses committed to successful growth and development. These costs must be incurred and paid in order to generate a growing revenue stream, nurture innovation, develop the infrastructure needed to execute projects and strategies, and administer the activities of the business.
In some cases, a portion of the indirect costs may be covered by other institutions or organizations that "incubate" small businesses. For example, a university may provide office and lab space, utilities, equipment and supplies at no charge for a limited period of time. Even employee fringe benefits and some salary may be covered if the small businessperson(s) hold a position with the incubator host. But eventually, the serious and growing small business must pay its own way, including the indirect costs.
Where does the small business obtain the cash to pay the indirect costs? New small businesses must pay indirect costs from initial capitalization resources - these include early equity sales, or loans to the business. As revenues are developed, indirect costs must be factored into the cost basis of the "product" sold, and must be considered in setting the product "price."
R&D grants and contracts are frequently the first "product" sold by a technology-based small business that is nurtured by SBIR awards. A key benefit of SBIR awards (and other government R&D grants and contracts) is that legitimate indirect costs can be "recovered" as part of the cost basis for the grant or contract funding amount. Each dollar of indirect cost recovered through a grant or contract is a dollar that can be returned to the company cash reserves for other uses - and a dollar that does not have to be raised through additional debt or equity sales.
We frequently encounter small businesses engaged in SBIR competition that give only passing consideration to indirect cost recovery through the grant/contract process. Consequently, the small business remains more highly leveraged financially than need be, and/or sacrifices precious equity at a stage when it has little market value.
So, give serious consideration to the indirect costs required to nurture and grow your business, and how to recover these costs through the SBIR grant/contract funding process. Next week we will talk more about indirect cost recovery.
This competition tip first appeared in the November 12, 1999 issue of the Wyoming SBIR Newsletter. Follow this link to a complete set of Competition Tips.
8.0 COMPETITION TIP: PLAN FOR INDIRECT COSTS!!!
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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