Before writing your proposal, you should select the appropriate agencies based on applicability and have solid knowledge of the active solicitations in which you are interested. It is a good idea to get in touch with the program manager associated with the selected solicitations to introduce yourself, request any helpful hints and make them aware your proposal is on its way. Proposals generally consist of no more than 25 pages of well-researched and detailed technical and commercial background. (Exact proposal requirements, including page limits and specific content may vary according to the granting agency.) The proposal should demonstrate both your research agenda and knowledge of the state-of-the-art in the field. It also should communicate that information in such a way that academics with expertise in the field (likely reviewers) are confident in your ability to direct the research in a way that achieves results. Research should continue throughout the application process, so as to demonstrate knowledge of current literature and related prior successful proposals. In general, proposals should:
Emphasize one idea and concept.
Present high-quality research and demonstrate revolutionary innovation with significant commercial potential (in multiple markets if possible). Avoid small improvements to mature technologies.
Present an important problem or opportunity to be solved by the innovation.
For each grant category, there are basic guidelines; however, the five (STTR) to ten (SBIR) different funding agencies and multiple sub-agencies have somewhat different timetables and different rules governing the solicitations, proposals and funding:
Accounting rules and administrative details are very important – some agencies will reject proposals for simple errors.
Proposal procedures may vary with each specific agency.
Some agencies offer "contracts"; others offer "grants." It is important to be aware of the differences between the two in terms of intellectual property rights and the purchase/ownership of capital equipment.
Many agencies will not consider unsolicited proposals, while others have open categories that allow companies to define the problems and “sell” their solutions. Proposers should check with the granting agency of interest to see if there is a specific topic being solicited for the granting period; seek additional, unpublished information that may be available; and/or contact the agency to inquire about the ways in which your idea(s) aligns with the goals of the agency for the granting period.
When re-applying for a grant or submitting a proposal for the same research to another agency, be sure to modify proposals (rather than re-submitting a duplicate proposal) in accordance with reviewer feedback or the specific expressed needs of the new agency.
It cannot be overemphasized that SBIR is a competitive research or R&D program. Successful Phase I proposals describe technical efforts sufficient to establish the feasibility of a concept. Therefore, the most important content in the proposal is the scientific/technical expertise (including originality, innovation, scientific/technical merit) that you bring to bear on an agency problem, need or mission area. The burden is on you to convince reviewers your proposal is worth funding. Further, while reviewers are technically qualified, you cannot expect their expertise to be sufficiently close to your area that they will “recognize a good idea when they see one.” You will need to develop and present technical arguments to support the originality and expected benefits of your proposed efforts. The reviewers will have enough technical background to follow your arguments. But that doesn’t mean they will agree with them. You must take great care to verify the accuracy or plausibility of all claims, assumptions, and approaches.
