CHELSEA, Michigan (May 29, 2020)—Four virtual classes will go online early next week providing educational opportunities for life-science entrepreneurs.
All classes are free and open to all, but primarily aimed at entrepreneurs in Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and the Dakotas.
Beginning Tuesday, June 2, the first virtual class is a mentoring program aimed at helping university researchers commercialize their innovations. Three more classes—June 15, June 22 and July 28—will guide life-science entrepreneurs through the entire grant process for successful SBIR/STTR funding.
Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs are federal research and development grant funds administered by a dozen government agencies, including the National Science Foundation, NASA and the Department of Defense, to name a few. Each year, the top two programs award more than $3 billion to small businesses.
SHARPhub is providing the classes at no charge as a part of its mission to coach and provide opportunities and resources that would help commercialize life-science innovations in the Midwest. SHARPhub is the technology transfer hub for the Sustainable Heartland Accelerator Regional Partnership, which is a collaboration between BBC Entrepreneurial Training & Consulting and the five-state Midwestern region.
The first online class is the “SHARPhub MAP Program Webinar,” which runs just 30 minutes, beginning at noon on Tuesday, June 2. The MAP (Mentoring, Assessment, and Planning) program uses a combination of educational modules, tools, and mentoring to help university researchers assess the potential of their life science technology to ensure they’re on a strong development path to successfully commercializing their innovations. Participants work one-on-one with a SHARPhub mentor using their Startup School video series: “8 Steps to Commercialization of Research Technology.” To register, go to: https://bit.ly/2X8I9LW.
The next offering is “ABC of SBIR/STTR Funding.” That class is scheduled for Monday, June 15, at 8:30 a.m. until 10 a.m. This class will teach the basics of the SBIR/STTR program, including program purpose, eligibility, and sources of funding. The goal of this presentation is to help participants determine if they want to seriously pursue proposal development and provide tools to begin that process. To register, go to: https://bit.ly/2Xy2Fox.
Next is “SBIR/STTR Proposal Prep for NIH” on Monday, June 22 at 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. This class will outline the differences between SBIR and STTR; review how to navigate the NIH’s SBIR website to research awarded projects; how to prepare an SBIR proposal; and how to avoid common pitfalls. To register, go to: https://bit.ly/2ZHv3qT.
Finally, the online classes will conclude with “Commercialization Planning for SBIR/STTR Proposals” on Tuesday, July 28 at 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. This class will teach the essential components of an effective plan; how to find and use cost-effective market research; which supporting documents are needed; and other tips for writing a winning plan. To register, go to: https://bit.ly/36zMLxX.
