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Technology Development

Office of Research

Office of Research



For purposes of this grant, will you
work with an existing business or start a new one?


Existing Business or New Business?

A requirement of both grant categories is that research is in some way affiliated with an existing small business. This requirement may be met by partnering with a small business with similar research interests or by starting a new small business in order to conduct the research and get the product(s)/service(s) to market.


Working with an existing business
If you choose to work with an existing business, both the researcher and the existing business will need to contact the Office of Sponsored Programs to discuss research agreements, and the Office of Technology Development to devise technology option or license agreements.

In addition, it is important to be sure from the beginning that the small business is registered with the appropriate entities in order to submit your proposal. Please see Steps 5 and 6 in the "Starting a New Business" section for more information regarding the necessary registrations for SBIR/STTR Grants.

  • If the small business with which you are working has participated in previous SBIR/STTR proposals, it has likely completed some of these registrations, however please be sure the registrations are current for the funding cycle and agency to which you are applying.
  • If the small business with which you are working has not participated in previous SBIR/STTR proposals, they should begin the registration processes listed below in Steps 5 & 6 IMMEDIATELY!
PLEASE NOTE: These two steps (5 & 6) may take in excess of two (2) weeks, so it is important to be mindful of this when considering your timeline. Proposers have missed deadlines by not accounting for these steps in their time frame!


Starting a New Business
The following steps are associated with starting your own business fulfillment of SBIR/STTR Requirements. Many of these steps are contingent upon the availability of others and the affiliated processes; please note that Steps 5 and 6 ALONE may take in excess of two (2) weeks, so it is important to be mindful of this when considering your timeline. Proposers have missed deadlines by not accounting for these steps in their time frame!


STEP 1:
Intellectual Property and Business Development Meeting

The Office of Technology Development and the Nebraska Business Development Center are available for assistance in most aspects of starting a new business. Before you officially create your new entity, please contact Randy Nitz (402.472.1196; rnitz2@unl.edu) in the Office of Technology Development and Marisol Rodriguez (402.472.5222; mrodriguez2@unl.edu) in the Nebraska Business Development Center to arrange a meeting to discuss intellectual property rights, business start-up & development and other ways to facilitate your grant application process.


STEP 2:
Departmental Arrangements
Prior to starting your business and writing your SBIR/STTR Proposal, you should meet with your Department Head to communicate your plans. At some point, you will need to decide your actual involvement in the new business (i.e. if you plan to cut back your University appointment, or keep your appointment and serve in an advisory role to the business while employing one of your Post-Docs or Graduate Assistants) in order to satisfy grant requirements. If you employ a Graduate Assistant in and/or use University space for your new company, it is important to discuss the following issues with your Department Head:
  • Time and Compensation for student: How much time will the student work in the business versus for the University as a Graduate Assistant? How will the student be compensated for work in the new business and how will the student’s current salary change?
  • The student's Degree Program: What are the boundaries regarding the work to be done for the new company and that to be done for the student’s degree program?
  • Usage of University Space: You will need to come to an agreement regarding your usage of University space for purposes of the funded research.



STEP 3:
Conflict of Interest
In order to understand and manage potential conflicts of interest, please review the information and complete the appropriate documentation as indicated on the following website: http://research.unl.edu/orr/conflict.shtml. Follow-up questions may be directed to the IRB (402.472.6965 irb@unl.edu) in the Office of Research Responsibility.


STEP 4:
Legal Formation
To start a new business, a legal formation will need to be selected based on your aims for the company and its offering(s). It is recommended that you consult a small business attorney when making this decision. For purposes of efficiency, you may review the various business entities at the following Web sites prior to meeting with an attorney: Nuts and Bolts of Business Formation; Business Formation Comparisons; Overview of Business Entities.


STEP 5:
Dunn's Number & Central Contractor Registry
After legal formation, you should acquire a Dunn’s number and register with the Central Contractor Registry (need DUNS number, taxpayer ID number, electronic funds transfer information, and statistical info about the company). For assistance, contact Marisol Rodriguez in the Nebraska Business Development Center: 402.472.5222 or mrodriguez2@unl.edu. Please note, this step can take in excess of two weeks, it is important to initiate the process as soon as possible.


STEP 6:
Other Registrations
Some agencies require registration with Grants.gov (www.grants.gov – You will need the information from your CCR registration) and other grant management programs as dictated by your granting agency (i.e. eRA (Electronic Research Administration) Commons for NIH submissions, or FastLane for NSF submissions). Again, this can be a lengthy process, making it important to begin the registrations as soon as possible.