First Flight Venture Center will partner with the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Board of Science, Technology & Innovation, the NC Defense Technology Transition Office (DEFTECH), and four NC Community Colleges to host a series of SBIR/STTR Educational Events.
The purpose of this training is to educate and inform more small businesses in North Carolina’s vastly growing science/technology ecosystem on how to compete and win more Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awards from federal agencies. Known as America’s Seed Fund™, the SBIR/STTR programs are the single largest source of early-stage technology development and commercialization funding for small businesses. A key goal of the events is to increase the number and quality of SBIR & STTR Phase I proposals and the number of awards to NC applicants filing for the first or second time. All interested small businesses are encouraged to attend the events, particularly those that are from rural areas, are owned by women or economically disadvantaged applicants, or are interested in pursuing SBIR/STTR awards from various federal agencies.
Each event is specifically designed to be a combination of talks and 1:1s, with less of an emphasis upon the “big picture” SBIR/STTR, and more of an operational emphasis on answering the question, “What don’t I know that you can tell me today that will make a difference in my ability to win an SBIR/STTR award?”
Attendees will learn:
Why SBIRs and STTRs should be on your list of ways to find funding
How the government agencies are different when it comes to SBIRs and STTRs
Preparing your company to be eligible to bid on these opportunities
Break down the process for a SBIR and learn how to form a strategy
Our Instructors have decades of experience in supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses, including raising awareness of and preparing companies to compete successfully for the SBIR/STTR application process across a wide range of federal agencies, and will provide instructional materials that will build upon the Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program that First Flight Venture Center has delivered for several years. First Flight Venture Center is nationally recognized for its outreach to applicants outside of the traditional research areas of North Carolina, including rural applicants, women, and economically disadvantaged applicants.
Attendees will hear and learn from qualified instructors:
Denny Lewis, Director, NC DEFTECH
Bob Burton, Senior Manager, NC DEFTECH.
Krista Covey, President, First Flight Venture Center.
Dave Kaiser, Deputy Director, NC Board of Science, Technology & Innovation, which is staffed by the Office of Science, Technology & Innovation in the NC Department of Commerce
Dr. Mark Roberson, Hanger6, Director, First Flight Venture Center