Did you know? The NIH small business funding programs are the largest source of early-stage capital for the life sciences in the U.S.?
These programs set aside over $1.3 billion in non-dilutive funds every year — specifically to support small business research and development into life science and medical start-ups, a large percentage of which involve university ventures or technologies. This funding can help turn brilliant innovations in the life sciences into a commercial reality, but you have to know how to get it, and how to make your application the very strongest it can be to ensure success.
America’s SEED (Small business Education & Entrepreneurial Development) Fund, powered by the National Institutes of Health, provides support to early-stage small business – especially university-based start-ups – throughout the nation. It’s arguably the most powerful gap funding program in the world, and you can tap into it to kick start your university’s ventures with critical dollars that won’t show up on the cap table.
To ensure you give your SBIR/STTR application it’s best shot, we are pleased to partner with Sonia Vohnout, President & Founder of OppsSpot, LLC, to present this 90-minute, how-to program:
Learn how to apply, and how to write a compelling proposal to NIH that will stand out from the pack. Ms. Vohnout takes a “systems engineering” approach that will make your proposals shine and give them “winning” energy.
Ms. Vohnout has a proven track record in helping get SBIR/STTR proposals written, submitted and funded. This session walks you through the proposal 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:
- Overview of the NIH’s America’s SEED Fund program
- The submission process step-by-step, section by section
- 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 or STTR proposal to NIH
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. Sonia’s 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.
