For those clients who have applied for DOE’s FY18 Phase I Release 2 Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the SBIR and STTR programs, in hopes of securing federal funding for your R&D work. With applications due on Monday, February 26, 2018, we know you are hard at work on all of the many components that make up an SBIR/STTR proposal. Here are a few tutorials provided by our colleagues at Dawnbreaker that might be useful:
Since the DOE SBIR/STTR proposal process is guided by the FOA schedule as found on http://science.energy.gov/sbir/funding-opportunities/, certain tutorials are more relevant now, while others will be relevant in the future. The following recommendations will be helpful for this week:
Tutorial 7: How are Phase I proposals evaluated?
There is a common misunderstanding that a “great” Phase I SBIR/STTR proposal can be submitted at any time and in any form and get selected for an award. In reality, there is a multi-step process through which your proposal must pass before it can be successful. Failure to meet an agency’s expectations and requirements at each step will likely lead to the elimination of your proposal. This tutorial is designed to take you through the multi-step process that DOE uses to evaluate proposals and help you to ensure your proposal meets these criteria.
Tutorial 8: What does a winning Phase I proposal look like?
In this tutorial, we focus on the part of your proposal called the Project Narrative. This is the most important element of your proposal and is where you will spend most of your time. Therefore, we review what the Project Narrative should look like, important items it should contain, and what DOE is looking for when evaluating your Project Narrative.
Tutorial 12: What are the required registrations?
You may have a world-class proposal, but without completing the required registrations, you won’t even be able to submit your application to DOE. There are seven registrations in total; this tutorial guides you through each one and ensures you’re not scrambling at the last minute.
Want to see how an experienced firm with a proven track record of winning SBIR/STTR grants responds to a FOA? Check out Alameda Applied Sciences and listen to their best practices on how to put together a winning proposal!
http://www.doesbirlearning.com/alameda-applied-sciences/
As always, if you need assistance, you may contact the DOE SBIR/STTR Help Desk at SBIR-STTR@science.doe.gov or call (301) 903-5707 between the hours of 8:30 am and 5pm Eastern, Monday – Friday.
