5 things you must complete before applying for SBIR/STTR funding

  • March 12, 2018

NCI SBIR posted this a while back and we thought that we would share this and as well as provide a bit more detail to you regarding the 5 things you must complete before applying for or funding.

  1. DUNS () A Data Universal Number System (D-U-N-S) number is a 9-digit designation provided to companies or organizations through Dun & Bradstreet (D&B), a company that researches businesses and provides information on them for credit or other decisions. Companies often elect to get a D-U-N-S number for use in international business, and many non-profit organizations apply for the number so that they can bid for grants or contracts from the US government. Grant applicants or government contractors can often get their D-U-N-S number within two business days free of charge.
  2. SAM () Registering with the System for Award Management (SAM) is a required step in order for your organization to be able to apply for federal grants. The information below describes SAM and explains the free registration process. SAM is a web-based, government-wide application that collects, validates, stores, and disseminates business information about the federal government’s trading partners in support of the contract awards, grants, and electronic payment processes.Generally, it takes up to 10 business days to register with SAM, then 1 business day for updates made in SAM to be reflected in Grants.gov. However, your organization must first have an EIN. If your organization does not have an EIN, you should allow as much as an additional two weeks to request and obtain an EIN from the IRS.
  3. Grants.gov () Before applying for a funding opportunity, you need to register an account with Grants.gov. Whether you are an applicant for an organization or an individual applying for grants on your own, you only need to register one account on Grants.gov. The Grants.gov registration process can be completed in minutes. Please note there are TWO registrations – one as the individual applicant and one as the organization.
  4. eRA Commons (). eRA Commons is an online interface where grant applicants, grantees and federal staff at NIH and grantor agencies can access and share administrative information relating to research grants. You will use eRA commons throughout the lifecycle of a grant – from application submission to grant closeout. The registration process can be completed in minutes. Please note: this registration is only for those who are applying for funding through NIH. Other SBIR funding lines may use a separate portal (e.g. NSF uses Fastlane). Check the funding agency for agency-specific portal requirements.
  5. SBA Company Registry () Company registration is meant for small businesses to register and gain access to the SBIR.gov system. Completed registrations will receive a unique SBC Control ID to be used for submissions at any of the 11 participating agencies in the SBIR or STTR programs. The registration process can be completed in minutes.

Please note that these five things are unique to #NIH #SBIR. Many of them DO apply to other federal funding lines, but not all. We strongly recommend reading through the agency-specific solicitations regarding funding line registrations and requirements.


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