Talk:Small Business Innovation Research

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The SBIR program is the source of more folklore and myth with almost as many false statements made about it as truths. While no program is perfect, people with poor self esteems who submitted proposals that did not get funded along with many more who never even proposed project on to the program their inadequacies.
If the idea being proposed is good and feasible the proposer (primary investigator) would have been evaluated. If that person is a scientist or qualified engineer, the proposal was prioritized. Many more good proposals are received and the 6,000 or so that get awarded. Keep proposing. Request and read your evaluation when you do not get awarded. Correct any deficiencies in your proposals and submit to future topics as appropriate ones become available.
The SBIR program is for all small businesses in the US that make things. If you do not actually make anything, you will want to demonstrate the resources and skills needed to make the item as the program is intended to produce a product for purchase. Individuals with nothing more than an idea have won SBIR Grants and a few have even made products available. There are documented success stories listed on the agencies and SBA web sites. There has been greater rate of success with companies that are already making product and the likelihood of a resulting product (or product improvement) is a required factor in all SBIR evaluations.
Many states have funded SBIR Support Centers and there is even a Non Profit that provides free support to proposers from any state. These support centers hold conferences and some even provide support funding from their States.
If you would rather propose an idea or improvement to the military without asking for a grant, there are many value engineering programs in the US Military that are equipped to evaluate innovations and improvements to existing products.
If you are not a scientist and need one, the STTR program (an offshoot of SBIR) will provide support to hire a university or not profit research facility to help. STTR solicitations are fewer and farther between and require the work and funding to be split with the institution.