In June 2023, leading SBIR/STTR expert Sonia Vohnout, President & Founder of OppsSpot, LLC, led a highly praised webinar guiding attendees through NIH SBIR/STTR proposal development, and now she’s turning her attention – and her expertise – to National Science Foundation proposals. The submission window is now open, so it’s time to get busy!
America’s Seed Fund, powered by NSF, supports startups in the development of groundbreaking, high-impact, high-risk technology, transforming scientific discovery into products and services with commercial potential. NSF awards $200 million in SBIR/STTR funds annually, and university start-ups are prime candidates for these non-dilutive grants of up to $2 million.
To ensure your NSF application is primed for success, Tech Transfer Central is pleased to partner again with Sonia Vohnout, President & Founder of OppsSpot, LLC, to present this 90-minute, how-to program:
Enroll today to learn how to craft a compelling NSF proposal that is sure to stand out from the pack and win over reviewers. Ms. Vohnout breaks down the process in a way that ensures your proposal shines and ticks every box that NSF wants to see.
Ms. Vohnout has a proven track record in helping get SBIR/STTR proposals written, submitted and funded by various government agencies. This session walks you through the NSF proposal process step-by-step while giving you tips and strategies for telling your innovation’s story, capitalizing on your strategic partnerships, and clearly identifying your customer market. Here’s a brief look at the agenda:
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- Insight into the process of the invite-only NSF Pitch
- Clarify the process and criteria by which proposals are reviewed
- Understand why a proposal may be rejected or returned without being viewed
- Know the process for withdrawals, returns, and declinations
- Navigating the often confusing program descriptions and solicitations
- The submission process step-by-step, section by section, for each proposal type
- Proven strategies for structuring your innovation’s story to capture the reviewer’s full attention
- How to clearly explain and justify your project’s fundability
- Providing evidence of value via letters of support, spotlighting team members with crucial skillsets
- Best practices for using graphs, data and photos to help articulate your story and mission
- Critical submission deadlines and other requirements
Get the tools and strategies needed to submit a full and compelling SBIR/STTR proposal to the NSF
Use the on-demand video for future training and education
Meet your presenter
Sonia Vohnout
President & Founder
OppsSpot, LLC
Sonia has held executive management and senior technical positions and has also co-founded several companies. She has over 30 years of experience in systems engineering, quality systems, business development and program management.
With almost 20 years of expertise in the SBIR/STTR program and consulting services to assist small businesses with this and other government funding vehicles, she has helped start-ups and small businesses raise tens of millions of dollars in federal funding. Sonia has assisted small business with hundreds of proposal preparations and submissions throughout her career. Her depth of experience with commercialization strategies has led her to be recognized as a leading consultant in the SBIR/STTR program. By building strong relationships and working closely with the small businesses, industry stakeholders, research institutions, state organizations, as well as incubators and accelerators supporting faculty, she provides strong strategies that help translate ideas into reality. Sonia has a B.S and M.S in Systems Engineering from the University of Arizona.
