Case Name: Monique Aster, PhD
Employment: Genetics researcher in the biotech industry
Background: Monique has been doing research in gene therapy to develop a treatment for a metabolic disease that runs in her family. It will inactivate a gene that some of her relatives carry. She has worked on this treatment on the side for five years while working full time in a cell and gene therapy startup on an unrelated product that allowed her to develop skills in human gene editing. Her family and the local biomedical entrepreneur support organization funded her original work as well as a nonprofit foundation that raises money for research on the disease. She saved money on research and development of the concept by using lab space in an incubator after hours.
Scenario, Part 1: Monique believes she now has enough data to found a company of her own to further develop a unique treatment. She is ready to try for SBIR funding to complete proof of concept. She has been talking to Mandy Jones, a scientist who does a similar type of research in the same lab during the day, and who already has an SBIR.
Mandy, I’m ready to start work on an SBIR proposal, but I’m not sure about all that is involved in doing it right. I want to improve my chances of getting funding.
You just have to know where to look. It’s all spelled out by the NIH and the NSF. I’ll help you find what you need.
Is there an online tutorial or something?
The NIH and NSF offer great webinars and online resources where you’ll learn much of what you need. There’s a website just for SBIRs (SBIR.gov). The Small Business Administration has many resources too.
Good, I want something that focuses on how to make sure I get funded.
If you give the agency, the NIH for example, exactly everything they ask for, you improve your chances. They are not out to trick you. Some of their webinars give you the opportunity for a one-on-one meeting with NIH decision-makers. I’ll send you the links to all this.
Thanks! I’ll check those out. Do you think I should get a more senior partner for my business to act as principal investigator since I have never had an NIH grant in this area?
Remember the PI must be employed by your business. Being a new investigator is not a problem if you show you can do the work. Around a quarter of awards go to new investigators.
But do I have what they are looking for?
With your history of obtaining other sources of funding, the progress you have made on a small budget, and your experience leading a small staff, I think you will be viewed favorably as the PI.
That’s reassuring. I think I will be the PI then.
Be sure to identify yourself as an early stage investigator in your profile. Although early investigators are not prioritized for SBIR funding, it might help them understand they should look more at your potential than your track record.
Okay. I’ll do that.
Be sure to contact NIH or NSF program staff once you have your specific aims or an executive summary sketched out. You can send it to them and get feedback and make sure you are on a good track. Be sure to do this early enough, around six months before your due date, so you have time to incorporate their feedback.
Do you mean they are okay with someone just writing them and asking for help?
Yes, in fact, the NIH and NSF and other agencies funding SBIRs encourage you to contact them. I find that the program staff wants to support the translation of research to the market. They love a good product idea with market potential. I’ll include some links to help you find who to contact.
That’s good to know. I’ll do that. Thanks for offering to help me find them.
Sure thing! Let me know if you think of any other questions.
Mandy Jones <jones.mandy@email.com>
to aster.monique@email.com
Monique, Here are the links I promised:
- NIH’s SEED website and the NSF’s America’s Seed Fund are great resources. Check out the SBIR events calendar for frequent webinars, trainings, and special annual events, which include the opportunity to meet one-on-one with NIH institute decision-makers.
- Regional biotech centers, many hosted by states, such as the North Carolina Biotechnology Center and VirginiaBio, host many excellent webinars too, and many are archived online so you can watch them any time! At the live events, you can ask questions.
- The NIH website has information on How to Apply for SBIR/STTR applications. It spells out the steps and links to additional resources you will need.
- Looking at sample grant applications written by others can be very helpful.
- To find which agency to contact try these resources:
- SBIR Program Officials (aka Program Directors, Program Officers) – List
- NIH RePorter/Matchmaker – You can search by keywords to find others with similar research and see what program manager they have.
- SEED Inquiries – Form for inquiry, if you are still not sure who to contact.
I thought of one more warning I wanted to give you: Be prepared for the possibility of not being funded the first time around and for the gap between hearing you will get the award and actually getting the money, which can take a couple of months.
Best,
Mandy
More from this case:
Case Example: Getting Started with an NIH SBIR
Programs to Help with Proposal Writing
