Home
>
Small Business
>
SBIR - A Nice Add-on Business

SBIR - A Nice Add-on Business

If you are a small business and qualify to participate in the SBIR program, it is a natural enhancer to your existing business. If you are small enough you may be able to start a company using SBIR funding, but you will soon come to realize that if your sources of income are not diversified (with SBIR being only one source) you might fall victim to funding cycles and no income. Although the Government provides funding to spawn technology its dual mission is to help that technology grow into viable commercial technology. If you can not bring your SBIR funding to fruition via commercialization, then you may find yourself receiving less and less funding as the years unfold.

Also, there are fluctuations with regard to prioritization among technological programs in the Government. One year you might receive an SBIR Phase I to do a feasibility study on XYZ and you might even be lucky enough to land a Phase II where the funding is three quarters of a million dollars to put a prototype together based on your Phase I findings. The customer might be so pleased with your work on the Phase II that you are told they are going to budget X millions of dollars to order X # of these gizmos. And then you play the waiting game. You wait, and wait, and wait? What happened? Well, the classic situation is that it takes the Government so long to get the wheels in motion for a significant buy, that by the time the Government is ready to purchase, priorities and agendas have changed. Where are you? You start looking at the SBIR solicitation for Phase I's again and the SBIR cycle starts over.

Another classic SBIR scenario is when you have lots of phase I and phase II programs going on and all of a sudden there has been a funding freeze for one reason or another. Perhaps an agenda has been delayed or a budget is not yet approved by the Government. If you participate only in the Government arena, poof ? your business is at a standstill until this roadblock is cleared. That's why the SBIR program is a great add-on to an existing business rather than a sole enterprise.

The best course of action is to scout the solicitations and find a topic or area of research that your technology can solve. If it proves to be a viable solution for the Government it may also prove to be a nice added source of funding to further your technology, courtesy of the US Government!

Nonetheless, beware. This opportunity does not come without its unique complexities. As with any business venture, one must move forward with caution and know what the implications are or will be to your existing business. Of specific importance is the ownership of Intellectual Property, best customer pricing and authority. If you are not sure what the implications are you should consult someone who does before jumping into the federal market.

Lisa DeMaio is the president and founder of Virtual Contract Manager, LLC, which is a one-stop "information shop" for and about the Contract Management Community and the SBIR (Small Business Innovative Research) Program. Let Virtual Contract Manager coach you on how to integrate the SBIR program into your existing business. Come visit Virtual Contract Manager and get a wealth of FREE SBIR information on our Free Articles Page and to sign up for our content-rich monthly newsletter which features one article a month on the SBIR program. Let Virtual Contract Manager help you tap the federal market and help fund your research or innovative technology. http://www.virtualcontractmanager.com/

quick home cleaning Glenview ..

In The News:

Major Marquis fintech breach exposes 400,000-plus Americans' data through unpatched SonicWall vulnerability, with Texas hardest hit at 354,000 affected.

Free up iPhone storage fast by clearing large photos and videos from Messages app. Simple steps for iOS users to delete attachments without losing chats.

Scammers are flooding inboxes with fake tracking alerts that mimic real carriers, exploiting the holiday rush to steal logins and personal data.

The Fox News AI Newsletter brings you the latest news on AI technology advancements and the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Texas family reunites with missing 11-year-old cat Grayson after 103 days using Petco Love Lost's AI photo matching technology and community help.

Tired of AI customer service loops? These insider tricks help you escape "frustration AI" and get real human help when you need it most for urgent issues.

Unlock richer audio from your streaming apps with simple tweaks to volume normalization, equalizer settings, and quality preferences for cleaner sound.

Scammers are sending fake Facebook settlement payout emails that mimic legitimate notices from the privacy settlement administrator to deceive users.

Holiday shopping scams surge as fake refund emails target distracted consumers during Black Friday and holiday seasons, costing Americans billions annually.

The AI-powered IRMO M1 exoskeleton features four modes, including turbo, eco, training and rest for hiking, running, cycling and sports with eight-hour battery life.

OpenAI announced upgrades for its ChatGPT Images platform on Tuesday, saying the program can now make more precise edits and produce images more quickly.

Chrome for Android now turns web articles into AI-powered podcast conversations. Get hands-free browsing with Google Gemini's natural audio summaries.

LastPass faces $1.6 million fine from U.K. regulators after 2022 data breach exposed 1.6 million users. Password manager failed proper security controls.

Petco disclosed a data breach exposing customer Social Security numbers, financial account details, and driver's license information due to a software error.

Baseball teams can now analyze complete swing mechanics in normal training environments using Theia's markerless AI system that processes standard high-speed footage.

Smart home hacking fears overblown? Expert reveals real cybersecurity risks and simple protection tips to keep your connected devices safe from hackers.

MIT develops needle-free glucose monitor using light technology. Revolutionary device could replace painful finger pricks for diabetes management.

The ClickFix campaign disguises malware as legitimate Windows updates, using steganography to hide shellcode in PNG files and bypass security detection systems.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.

Android rolls out Emergency Live Video for 911 calls, letting dispatchers see real-time scenes during emergencies. Great for holiday travel safety.

Malicious Chrome and Edge extensions collected browsing history, keystrokes and personal data from millions of users before Google and Microsoft removed them.

Google's new Call Reason feature lets Android users mark calls as urgent before dialing, displaying an urgent label to recipients using Phone by Google app.

Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.