A Common SBIR/STTR Question: Can we submit the same proposal to multiple agencies or DOD departments? (And what might be a better approach….)

The simple answer is….yes. You can submit identical proposals. (We would suggest that you change the name of the agency to match the place you are sending it when you do so, which is something that doesn't always happen.) You typically have to notify the recipients of your subsequent duplicate proposals that you have submitted the same or similar proposals to other agencies after the first one goes in. You also must withdraw or at least refuse to accept funding for duplicate proposals if one of them gets funded.

That being said, we encourage our clients to find ways to differentiate the proposals and the work plans so that they can legitimately get each proposal funded. That often involves limiting the scope of each proposal so that they don't substantively overlap. It also can involve selecting different specific applications for a basic or "platform" technology, such that each proposal addresses a different set of feasibility issues related to the selected application area.

Another way to differentiate multiple proposals is to carefully select the type of work you focus on. One proposal could explore a novel method of fabrication, while the other could focus on the unique performance characteristics of the resulting product. In many cases, Phase I proposers promise too much for the limited scope and time frame of a standard Phase I, and splitting the aspects of the project into two or three feasibility projects actually makes a lot of sense.

One of PBC's clients recently encountered a situation in which they had submitted similar proposals with similar work plans to NSF and NIH. The focus was originally on manufacturing technology. NSF chose to fund the project first, and asked that the NIH project be withdrawn. We worked with the client to re-cast the NIH work plan to clearly distinguish it from the NSF project by changing it from a manufacturing project to one that focused on the efficacy and pharmacokinetics of the resulting product. We were completely up-front with both sponsors about what we were changing, and both projects were legitimately funded. The $100K in initial funding became $330K, which was much closer to the amount needed to show the feasibility of the entire approach.

For more information on this topic or any other SBIR/STTR proposal issue, call Mark Henry at 303-679-8182, or e-mail him at mhenry@pbcinc.com