NASA SBIR and STTR 2003 Program Solicitations were released on July 7th. The submission deadline is September 9th. Solicitations can be viewed online at http://sbir.nasa.gov

Approximately 300 SBIR Phase I contracts and approximately 40 STTR Phase I contracts with values up to $100,000 will be awarded.  NASA anticipates that approximately 40 percent of the successfully completed SBIR and STTR Phase I projects will be selected for Phase II contracts up to $600,000.

Information courtesy of the SBIR Alerting Service

FY 2004 solicitations are now available: http://www.reeusda.gov/sbir/

USDA expects to make approximately 90 Phase I awards ranging up to $80,000 each to small businesses in FY 2004, depending upon the availability of funds. Awards are expected to be made on or before May 15, 2004. USDA expects to make approximately 35 Phase II awards ranging up to $300,000 each to previous USDA Phase I awardees, depending upon the results of the Phase I efforts, the scientific and technical merit of the Phase II proposal, and the availability of funds.  The closing dates are August 29, 2003 for Phase I and February 5, 2004 for Phase II.

Reprinted with permission from the SBIR Alerting Service

Understanding Entrepreneurship

• The entrepreneurial mindset
  
• Characteristics of entrepreneurs
  

• Venture capital and angel investment criteria
  
• How to approach investors
  
• Science vs. business and tech vs. product
  
• Articulating a value proposition
  
• Understanding potential customers 
  

Understanding the Start-up Process

• Intellectual property protection and ownership
  
• Considerations with current employer
  
• Business formation
  
• Management and team/partner issues