The Department of Transportation (DoT) releases its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) solicitation twice a year. Once in February with a due date in early March, and again in August with a due date in mid to late September.
The U.S. DOT SBIR Program awards contracts in two phases and recognizes a follow-on Phase III.
- Phase I contracts seek to establish the technical merit, feasibility, and commercial potential of the proposal. Phase I awards normally do not exceed $150,000 total costs for 6 months.
- Phase II contracts are only available to small businesses that have successfully completed Phase I. Phase II seeks to develop and commercialize the Phase I technologies. Contracts awards normally do not exceed $1,000,000 total costs for 2 years.
- Phase III is for small businesses to pursue commercialization objectives resulting from the Phase I and Phase II activities. The SBIR program does not fund Phase III. Where applicable, Phase III may involve follow-on non-SBIR funded R&D or production contracts for products, processes, or services intended for use by the U.S. Government.
While this opportunity is indeed exciting, it can also be incredibly intimidating and confusing. There are so many requirements to be aware of from required federal registrations to documentation and formatting regulations.
Project and process management, timeline management, and proposal preparation can be overwhelming especially to founders and small business owners who are often already stretching themselves thin to keep company operations properly managed. Fortunately, a little help can go a long way in making the proposal preparation and submission process manageable.
Our “full service” package option allows up to help the entire way through the proposal process such as budget development, supporting documentation and attachment preparation, federal registration guidance, or even full upload of your proposal.
Throughout every step, our team will ensure you are on the path to success by meeting deadlines, completing proposal documents properly, and sharing our vast repository of industry knowledge and subject matter expertise. Applying to SBIR does not have to be confusing.
With a little bit of support, the rigors of drafting the proposal itself should never stand in the way of a company that is otherwise qualified for the opportunity to consider applying.
If you think you could be a fit for DOT SBIR schedule a consult call today. Our team requires at least 30 calendar days before the application deadline In order to complete a competitive proposal, so now is the time to begin the pre-application process if you intend to apply to the 2022 DoT SBIR by the application deadline in early March 2022.
We work with high-growth startups and organizations that support the startup and innovation ecosystem. We build highly specific non-dilutive funding menus, provide proposal preparation services, and measure outcomes of funding through evaluation. Schedule a consult call with us HERE.