Archive for January, 2010

The Fiscal Year 2010 (FY10) Defense Appropriations Act provides $18.75 million to the Department of Defense Ovarian Cancer Research Program (OCRP) to fund research in ovarian cancer. This program is administered by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command through the Office of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). Detailed descriptions of each of the funding opportunities, evaluation criteria, and submission requirements can be found in the FY10 OCRP Program Announcements.

The Fiscal Year 2010 (FY10) Department of Defense Ovarian Cancer Research Program (OCRP) has released the Translational Pilot Award.  This funding opportunity requires a pre-proposal pre-application submitted through the CDMRP eReceipt Website.  Proposal submission is by invitation only, and proposal applications must be submitted through Grants.gov.

Submission Deadlines:

Translational Pilot Award – Pre-Application (Pre-Proposal): March 11, 2010, Proposal Application: June 10, 2010

Pilot Award – Pre-Application (Pre-Proposal): March 11, 2010, Proposal Application: June 10, 2010

Those of us who are involved in the SBIR program in some way, whether it is researching and preparing proposals, or executing Phase I and Phase II contracts, the concept of the SBIR program going on hiatus, or disappearing completely makes the heart skip a beat.  I’ve personally worked with companies that are dependent on the SBIR program to jump start new projects, and I consider myself an expert in the SBIR proposal process.  So yes, I’m worried.

Here’s what the current status is: the existing SBIR authorization is set to expire at the end of this month.  Yes, that’s less than two weeks away.  As of right now, no solicitations will be released after that point unless the program is reauthorized.  There is one exception: the Department of Defense SBIR program has been reauthorized through the end of September 2010, which will allow for two more submission cycles between now and then.

SBIR Gateway has a great summary of the politics of the SBIR reauthorization.  This topic has been on my radar for a while but the fact that Congress is still dragging its feet is getting me nervous.  I’m planning to start by mailing my Congressmen, and tell them how much this program means to me, my business, and my clients’ businesses.

There are many federal R&D grants available to companies of just about every size.  Both established small businesses as well as brand new start-ups can benefit from the funding that the federal government has available to get projects moving.

If you’re new to the federal grant process, you’ve probably spent some time scanning solicitations on agency web sites or reviewing entries on Grants.gov, planning out potential proposal ideas, or maybe you’ve even applied to one or more grant opportunities.

Many people get frustrated long before they reach the proposal submission process.  There is so much information out there that people get overwhelmed.  Maybe they find the perfect solicitation, only to find out proposals are due next week.  Maybe they give up trying to navigate all of the registrations that need to be completed before a proposal can be submitted.  Maybe they just don’t know where to start.

This is where an independent grant researcher and writer can provide you with huge benefits.  An independent grant researcher and writer can:

• Talk with you to determine what types of grant mechanisms are best for your company and your ideas
• Locate the most appropriate solicitations for your business
• Alert you when new solicitations are made available
• Help you select the right solicitation(s) to respond to
• Identify registrations that have to be completed
• Work with you to create a proposal development plan
• Create proposal content that meets the requirements of the solicitation
• Portray your organization in the brightest light
• Give you a higher probability of success in the competitive proposal process

If you’ve written proposals in the past that have not been successful, a grant writer can review them and give you advice on how to improve them.  An independent grant writer understands the proposal development process from start to finish, and can help streamline the process for you.  A good grant writer will cost you less in the long run, because you won’t be spending your time wading through the logistics of the process.  You can focus on your business, while the grant writer helps you get more business.

If you need help navigating the proposal process, or aren’t sure where to begin, contact Sue Kristoff of The Kristoff Group for more information on how a grant writer with federal R&D project experience can help you succeed.

No matter what type of federal grant solicitation you want to respond to, chances are there are at least one, if not several, registrations that you’ll have to complete before you can submit your proposal.  Some of these registrations can take time to complete, so it is critical to find out what registrations you’ll need to complete as soon as you start your proposal planning process.

There are three basic registrations that all companies will have to complete: EIN, DUNS number, and CCR:

• EIN, or Employer Identification Number, is the tax ID number for your business, and is issued by the Internal Revenue Service.  Chances are your business already has an EIN, which is usually required to open a business bank account, among other things.  For start-ups who may not have incorporated their business yet, you’ll have to have an EIN in hand before submitting a proposal.
• The DUNS number is a unique identifier assigned  by Dun and Bradstreet to businesses world wide.  You can register for a DUNS number or update your company information at the DUNS website.
• CCR, or Central Contractor Registration, is a centralized clearinghouse for federal contractors.  You must have a DUNS number before you can register at CCR.  To register, visit the CCR website.

Once these basic registrations have been completed, there could be other registrations required depending on the agency you’re responding to, or the method of proposal submission.  Many federal agencies use Grants.gov as a submission portal for electronic proposals.  You need to have an account through Grants.gov in order to use the submission service.  The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has a separate registration portal called eRA Commons.  You must have a DUNS number and CCR registration to complete the eRA Commons registration.

As you can see, some of these registrations can depend on other registrations, and some of these registrations can take several days to be processed, so waiting until the last minute to register can cause you to run up against proposal submission deadlines, and agencies will not accept late entries just because you didn’t get your registrations done ahead of time.

If you have any questions about what to do BEFORE writing a proposal, contact Sue Kristoff at The Kristoff Group, your guide to the proposal development process.

Only a few dates to put out right now, because all of the agencies with due dates after 31 Jan 10, except for DoD, are subject to the reauthorization of the SBIR program. DoD has been reauthorized through 30 Sep 10.

NIST SBIR – proposals due by 22 Jan 10

DoD STTR 2010A – proposals due by 24 Mar 10

DoD SBIR 2010.2 – proposals due by 23 Jun 10

Are you interested in responding to one of these solicitations?  Please contact Sue Kristoff at The Kristoff Group to learn more about how these contract mechanisms work, and what is required to produce a quality winning proposal.