Technical and Business Assistance (TABA) provides administrative and general management consulting services to selected SBIR/STTR awardees in two forms:
- Needs Assessment – An assessment of the needs of a business (must have current or recent Phase I SBIR/STTR award) with respect to its progress in technical and business areas critical to marketplace success. The business receives a report describing what categories of commercialization should be their focus. The categories are. . .
- Intellectual property/barriers to entry
- Market needs/competitive advantages
- Regulatory, manufacturing, and/or clinical plan
- Consulting Services – Funding to help businesses with a current or recent Phase II SBIR/STTR award achieve commercialization. The assistance may include access to subject experts, assistance with product sales, intellectual property protection, market research, regulatory planning, manufacturing planning, or access to online technical or business resources. Awardees may obtain up to $50,000 for one of four areas and are invited to apply via email. The four areas are. . .
- Intellectual property
- Market analysis
- Regulatory affairs
- Reimbursement planning
Commercialization Support
Innovation Corps (I-Corps) programs are offered by the NIH and NSF to support the transfer of biomedical technology and research to the marketplace through entrepreneurship training. They operate by providing mentoring and networking opportunities, helping you get to know your customer (customer discovery), and providing funding to cover program costs (up to $55,00 which includes the $22,000 registration fee). This experiential education helps researchers gain valuable insight into entrepreneurship, starting a business, business planning, and the industry’s challenges. Programs are seven to eight weeks long and involve a time commitment of around 20 to 25 hours per week for each member. NIH teams involve three members: an officer of your company, your technical lead, and your industry expert. NIH SBIR award recipients must complete the training during their Phase I award. See the program information for submission deadlines for each training cohort.
Resources on I-Corps
NSF’s Innovation Corps (I-Corps™) – A comprehensive resource on the I-Corps program at the NSF.
NIH’s Innovation Corps (I-Corps™) – Describes the NIH’s I-Corps program.
