# Presentation: 519067

## PRACTICAL TIPS FOR WRITING COMPETITIVE SBIR/STTR PROPOSALS

**Presented by:**
- Oliver J. Murphy
- Lynntech, Inc.
- 7607 Eastmark Drive
- College Station, TX  77840

**Presented at:**
- 7th ANNUAL NIH SBIR/STTR CONFERENCE
- Bethesda, Maryland
- July 28th, 2005

## SBIR/STTR Proposal Content

- The proposal should offer highly innovative science and, _at the same time_, offer a realistic and practical solution to a major medical problem. Strike a balance!
- Reviewers at NIH shy away from SBIR proposals that are “science projects.”
- Everything in the proposal (Phase I) should focus on answering _one_ fundamental question that proves the feasibility of a “clear idea.”
- Be clear about how your innovation will be a _substantial_ advance over what already exists.
- Demonstrate that your research goal is realistic by including preliminary results.
- NIH reviewers place major emphasis on quality of the team.

## Writing Tips

- Be clear and concise, don’t make the reader expend energy figuring out the application.
- A reviewer should be able to understand exactly what you are proposing by quickly browsing the application, therefore use figures, bullet points, and call-out boxes where appropriate.
- One picture = 1000 words
- Much of the text should be written in a way that readers not familiar with the field should be able to understand and evaluate it.
- In the highly technical parts of the proposal, write at a level that shows your depth of knowledge.
- Be realistic about the problems you are likely to encounter while carrying out the research.
- When writing the research plan, don’t assume that the reviewers will know how to overcome problems, anticipate problems and include contingency tasks.

## Make the Reviewer’s Job Easy

- Quality appearance of the proposal
- Proposal is easy to read and holds interest
- Don’t make the reviewer dig for critical information
- Highlight key issues and statements of real substance
- Use pictures, tables, and figures (20% - 30% of the proposal)
- Try to have a graphic or inset on at least 50 % of the pages
- Consistent style, correct grammar, and no errors

## Slide 5

## Market Your Idea Using Graphics and Eye-catching Presentation Style

- You want to draw the reviewer into reading your proposal
- You want them to have a warm feeling about the idea you are proposing
- Capture their attention within the first two minutes
- You are selling the basic idea, the rationale for it, and why it will work
- You want them to have a clear understanding of:
- What is the problem?
- What is the solution to the problem?
-  Why the solution will work?
- How are you going to demonstrate the solution (technical feasibility)?
- Who is going to demonstrate technical feasibility?
- When is technical feasibility going to be demonstrated?
- Where will the research and development work be carried out?
- Who will benefit from the project if successful?

## 	Plastic media blast (PMB) is rapidly growing as a coating removal method because it does not damage composite or soft metal surfaces when compared with the effects of chemical stripping solvents or hard abrasives (i.e., sand), however the conventional PMB materials are all highly resistant to biodegradation.  A commercially available, biodegradable plastic known as PHBV and manufactured by Imperial Chemical Industries, is proposed as a biodegradable plastic media blast (BPMB).  This new class of biodegradable polymers has several unique features which make it an ideal candidate as a BPMB: (1) microorganisms rapidly biodegrade it to CO2 and water, (2) it is not affected by water or humidity like starch-blast media, (3) like conventional thermoplastics, it can be melted, molded or extruded, and (4) different hardness characteristics can be engineered into the polymer formulations.  Lynntech, Inc. has outlined a comprehensive Phase I project for conversion of raw PHBV into 20-30 mesh abrasive, testing and evaluation of coating removal characteristics using established procedures for PMB application, documenting biodegradation features, and performing a cost analysis for transitioning this new material to commercial production and application.

**IDENTIFY** the Problem

**SOLUTION**** **to Problem

**WHY**** ** Solution Will Work

**PLAN** to Demonstrate Solution

**BENEFITS**

**ABSTRACT**

## Key Personnel

- PROJECT PERSONNEL ARE A KEY INGREDIENT TO SUCCESS

- Convince the reviewer that _you_ are the _best qualified_ to carry out the project
- Involve one or more expert consultants in your project
- Identify and obtain support from an industrial partner
- Principal Investigator
- You are responsible for the project
- How and why you are qualified must be described
- Provide related work experiences

## Interfaces With Commercial Business Partners

**Lynntech, Inc.**
- Tom D. Rogers
- Principal Investigator

**ICI Americas Inc.**
- Jessee Fullterton
- Biopolymer Specialist

*Commercial producer and source of biodegradable PHBV’s*

**Composition Materials Company, Inc.**
- Alan K. Nudelman
- President

*Manufacturer and Processor of PMB*

**Stripping Technologies Inc.**
- Kenneth E. Abbott
- Vice President

*Industrial applications *
*of PMB*

## Equipment/Instrumentation and Facilities

- If analytical work or other tests are performed outside, tell who and where
- Describe facilities where project will be carried out

**Equipment/Instrumentation ****and Facilities**

## Revision and Resubmission of SBIR Proposals

**Read**, **reread**, and **read** again the “Summary Statement”
- Discuss the “Summary Statement” and approach to be taken with the relevant Program Director
- Revisions to a proposal will largely be based on responses to comments/questions made/posed by reviewers in the “Summary Statement”
- For revised applications, in addition to the five standard review criteria, the following review criteria are applied:
- Are the responses to comments from the previous Study Section     adequate?
- Are the improvements in the revised application appropriate?