Small Business Transition Grant for New Entrepreneurs (R41/R42 Clinical Trial Required)
Deadline: September 05, 2024
5 pm
Amount: Total funding support (direct costs, indirect costs, fee) normally may not exceed $306,872 for Phase I awards and $2,045,816 for Phase II awards.
Purpose
Purpose
The awarding components identified in this NOFO intend to support early-career scientists and health professionals interested in transitioning to a small business to gain industry experience, receive entrepreneurial training and mentorship, and advance biomedical technology with commercial potential as a PD/PI. This NOFO is not intended to support projects led by PDs/PIs with substantial entrepreneurial, business, scientific, or other professional experience. PDs/PIs with significant experience are encouraged to work with their organizations to submit applications to other SBIR and STTR Notices of Funding Opportunity.
This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) utilizes the R41/R42 STTR Award mechanism to provide small business concerns (SBCs) support for research and development efforts, as well as the opportunity to increase their scientific staff by supporting the employment and salaries of researchers as Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PDs/PIs) overseeing the supported research project. It is expected that each SBC will ensure robust entrepreneurial training and mentorship for the PD/PI, while the PD/PI will bring valuable technical knowledge and/or practical medical expertise to the SBC. This award provides an opportunity for researchers to accelerate growth of their entrepreneurial skills by serving as PDs/PIs while pursuing entrepreneurial training activities. Training activities may include NIH entrepreneurial training programs, locally and/or widely available entrepreneurship- or business-focused courses or workshops, or other options that best serve the PD/PI and SBC needs. Additionally, the SBC is expected to assemble a strong mentoring team that supports the career growth and development of the PD/PI.
Key Components
A. Mentorship
One primary criterion of this NOFO is mentorship. Applications must identify at least one mentor who will facilitate the successful completion of the project, from both the technical and commercial points of view. In doing so, the mentor will also equip the PD/PI with key technical and business acumen. The mentor should have extensive entrepreneurial and prior mentorship experience. The mentor can be a co-founder, owner, or C-level executive in the SBC, though neither holding one of these positions nor being affiliated with the applicant SBC is required. Mentors may not serve as a multiple PD/PI (MPI). Other mentors or mentoring teams that can provide additional focal points of guidance may be included by the applicant.
B. Entrepreneurship Training
Another key component of the program is entrepreneurship training. A career development plan for the PD/PI is required, and may include a combination of coursework, workshops, or other programs. Mentors should play a key role in identifying appropriate training opportunities to bolster the technical and business acumen of the PD/PI, as well as the commercial prospects of the proposed research and capacity of the small business.
C. Eligibility
This NOFO supports the transition of early-career researchers into entrepreneurial roles, and eligibility of the contact PD/PI is limited to scientists, engineers, and health professionals, including certain late-stage students, postdoctoral fellows or associates, and clinicians, who are new to research entrepreneurship and have not independently led significant research programs. (See Section III for eligibility information.) The transitioning researcher should possess research skills and experience in scientific discovery or technology development. All eligible scientists are encouraged to apply; optimal PDs/PIs for this award may be Early Stage Investigators or New Investigators. NIH always encourages individuals from diverse backgrounds, including individuals from underrepresented groups in the biomedical, clinical, behavioral, and social sciences, such as individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities, individuals from other disadvantaged backgrounds, and women to work with their organizations to apply for NIH support. (See Notice of NIH's Interest in Diversity, NOT-OD-20-031; see also Reminder: Notice of NIH's Encouragement of Applications Supporting Individuals from Underrepresented Ethnic and Racial Groups as well as Individuals with Disabilities, NOT-OD-22-019.) With an interest in expanding the range of institutions training researchers entering the biomedical entrepreneurial workforce, NIH also strongly encourages applications with eligible PDs/PIs who are graduates or affiliates of institutions in Institutional Development Award (IDeA) states or Resource-Limited Institutions. (See Notice of Special Interest: Encouraging Small Businesses to Partner with Resource-Limited Institutions (RLIs) on Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program Applications, NOT-OD-23-179.)
The PD/PI may be a new employee hired for the purpose of leading the program described in the application or may be an existing employee newly elevated to a position of genuine leadership, responsibility, and authority for the purpose of directing the activities proposed in the application. Additional investigators can serve as MPI and provide support to the transition of the scientist to a PD/PI role within the small business. However, applicants utilizing a multi-PD/PI option should ensure the transitioning scientist is listed as the contact PD/PI on the application and has a clearly defined role that allows sufficient autonomy to exercise genuine leadership and independence that enables personal and professional growth.
D. Scientific/Technical Scope
To be responsive to this PAR, proposed projects must pertain to the mission space of one of the participating Institutes and Centers (ICs) and the proposed technology must fall within the scope of the traditional SBIR/STTR grant mechanisms. Applicants are encouraged to contact the Scientific/Research Contacts from pertinent NIH ICs listed in Section VII prior to submission to discuss IC program relevance. Furthermore, all proposals must include clear, quantitative milestones (i.e., a quantitative definition of success) for each aim for both research and development and entrepreneurial development. In some cases, additional milestones or timelines may be requested as part of the Just-in-Time process or post-award.
More Info: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-24-134.html