Shout out to half a dozen intrepid innovators — Arkansas-based small business owners and researchers with startups — who submitted their first applications to the National Institutes of Health seed funding program.
They targeted their diligently crafted SBIR/STTR proposal submissions to the agency’s April deadline.
The innovators participated in the Lab2Launch Accelerator, a multi-week series of online class meetings and one-on-one consulting provided by the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center, Arkansas APEX Accelerator, and Independent Platform.
Some cohort members are targeting later application windows.
The L2L Accelerator assists first-time Arkansas applicants with preparing strong Small Business Innovation Research or Small Business Technology Transfer proposals. The competitive proposal process requires hours of familiarization and preparation in an attempt to secure federal non-dilutive funding for the proof-on-concept phase of their respective commercialization goals.
Nutra Rx founder Taylor Johnston of Sherwood participated in the cohort and appreciated the step-by-step approach to crafting a competitive SBIR/STTR application.
“It made the process more manageable, like the you-eat-an-elephant-one bite-at-a-time theory. Overall, it can be a stressful and difficult process, but the cohort broke everything down into weekly processes, which helps tremendously,” said Johnston. “I also want to thank Dan Suhr [of Independent Platform] for his brilliance. I am very grateful to him.”
Known as America’s Seed Fund, SBIR and STTR offer non-dilutive funding, which can be crucial for developing groundbreaking technologies and products. NIH awards up to $314,363 for a Phase I award.
All of the NIH submissions were those that can be achieved without human subjects and that meet the mission of the NIH and its various granting institutes.
“We literally took cohort members step-by-step through the proposal writing process, helping them form teams, select partners, identify research institutions and customer connections. Plus, we coached them on the required biosketches, budgets, and any collaborative research agreements needed to distribute the work,” said Karen Bergh, program facilitator and innovation specialist at ASBTDC.
“We are indebted to our partner sponsors, Arkansas APEX Accelerator, Arkansas Research Alliance, ARise, and BioVentures: we are deeply grateful for their commitment to advancing science-driven small businesses.”
Special thanks go to co-counselors throughout Arkansas who provided their insights, guidance, experience, and time to L2L Accelerator participants: Catherine Corley, ASBTDC at the University of Arkansas; Rebecca Todd, BioVentures/UAMS; Katie Thompson, Science Venture Studios; and Kim Randle, Arkansas APEX Accelerator.
The investment of time and resources needed to put together a winning proposal is significant. Our thanks and congratulations to those companies who made it to the finish line!
Related:
Lab2Launch Cohort Propels Arkansas Innovators’ Pursuit of NIH Funding