The application deadline is approaching for a series of four workshops designed to help small businesses in Wisconsin access programming and innovation funding from the U.S. Department of Defense.
The 1.5-hour sessions aim to connect firms through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) programs with federal funding for developing and integrating technology in a variety of areas.
The sessions, run by the University of Wisconsin System’s Center for Technology Commercialization (CTC) and supported by WEDC, are called SBIR Ready and the application deadline is Feb. 22.
The workshops are intended for technical leads, product managers, founders and team leaders from firms with fewer than 500 employees in technical areas. Those areas can include manufacturing, engineering, sensors, artificial intelligence and machine learning, data management, health care and more.
The virtual, small-group sessions help Wisconsin businesses understand available innovation opportunities, support companies as they prepare proposals—with practical tools such as pitch decks, quad charts, technical volumes and budgets—and help them prepare for the submission process with one-on-one advice.
Two optional sessions are offered for refining proposal and discovering customers and mapping a successful submission.
The sessions offer hands-on individual and team exercises. Following each workshop, companies meet with the CTC to discuss “homework” needed for funding proposal preparation and submissions.
Companies that complete those tasks receive a $750 grant, with an additional $750 bonus opportunity when they submit a competitive SBIR/STTR funding proposal within six months.
CTC is offering virtual office hours to provide more information about the workshops, which begin March 15.
The federal programs focus on including qualified small businesses in the nation’s R&D arena, stimulating high-tech innovation and bolstering entrepreneurial spirit nationwide to meet specific research and development needs.
