COOKEVILLE – Launch Tennessee, in conjunction with Tennessee Tech’s Office of Research & Economic Development, The Biz Foundry and Vertex Innovations LLC, is sponsoring two SBIR/STTR proposal preparation workshops in Cookeville. The sessions will be led by Jim Stefansic, Ph.D., MBA, commercialization director at Launch Tennessee, and Bill Wiley. During his career, Stefansic has successfully acquired more than $3.5 million in NIH SBIR funding, while Wiley has been managing UT-CIS’s Tennessee SBIR Assistance Center for almost 10 years.
The Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program awards more than $2.2 billion to small businesses with innovative ideas throughout the U.S. To share in the awards, you must communicate your idea effectively to the targeted federal agency. Stefansic and Wiley will review grant-writing strategies using material provided by Tennessee SBIR consultant Mark Henry, who is nationally recognized for his expertise in acquiring these grants. The session will include:
• The basics of preparing a competitive Phase I SBIR or STTR proposal
• How to avoid common mistakes many proposers make
• An overview of basic government accounting concepts
• Review of LaunchTN federally funded SBIR grant writing assistance program
The workshop will be Wednesday, Jan. 22, at The Biz Foundry, 140 W. Seventh St., Cookeville. There will be an open house at 10 a.m. Session 1 will follow from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. and lunch will be provided. Session 2 is from 3–4 p.m. and refreshments will be provided. The two workshops offered will cover the same material, and you can select your session preference during registration.
Seating is limited and participants are encouraged to register online at http://goo.gl/gjzU56. For more information, call The Biz Foundry at (931) 372-1039.
