SBIR/STTR Assistance Program - Annual Program Summary
Purpose
This program serves as the liaison between the 11 federal agencies who provide funds, via the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program, and small businesses who wish to compete in the high-tech, high-risk areas of product, process, and service development.
It also provides networking services with educational facilities and trade organizations focused on technology development and to other federal funding opportunities.
Customers and Services
Primary customers are small businesses seeking funds for high-risk research and development (R&D). Secondary customers are nonprofit research institutions and for-profit corporations seeking to collaborate on commercializing high-risk R&D. DEED provides SBIR/STTR-related support such as targeting appropriate agencies and developing strategies, forming research teams, connecting to resources, developing/reviewing proposals and budgets, and holding educational workshops.
The SBIR Program awards federal R&D funding to small businesses, encouraging the entrepreneurial sector to compete on the same level as larger businesses in exploring their technological potential and profiting from its commercialization. The STTR Program awards federal R&D funding to small business and nonprofit research institution partnerships, introducing entrepreneurial skills to high-tech research efforts so the resulting technologies and products are transferred from the laboratory to the marketplace. Both programs fund the critical startup and development stages and encourage the commercialization of the technology, product, or service, which, in turn, stimulates the U.S. economy.
Measures - Liaison/support began at DEED in February 2005. To-date, numerous educational workshops have been held across the state and clients have received proposal-development and post-award assistance. The latest federal information available, for 2006, indicates Minnesota small businesses received funding for 53 proposals totaling approximately $22.1M, with awards ranging from $70,000 to $2.1M.
Funding Source and Allocation
Funding for this program is approximately $100,000 annually from the general fund.
Statutory Authority
-- Small Business Innovation Research Reauthorization Act of 2000, Public Law 106-554;
Small Business Technology Transfer Reauthorization Act of 2001, Public Law 107-50
Contact Information
Betsy Lulfs, Director
Phone: 651.259.7441 or toll-free: 800.657.3858
E-mail: Betsy.Lulfs@state.mn.us
Website: www.deed.state.mn.us/sbir/index.htm
This information current as of January 2008. For more information on DEED programs, see the State of Minnesota budget pages.