Each agency releases its own solicitations, which include topics areas for which it is looking to fund projects. All companies start at the first of three SBIR program phases. No separate solicitation is issued for Phase II, but continuation is not automatic and companies must submit new proposals. Phase III is the commercialization phase. Proposal Preparation describes the SBIR program proposal guidelines.
Some companies assist small businesses in their efforts to win SBIR awards.
For instance, Jade Research, located in Severna Park, Md., helps companies seeking SBIR and STTR funding and sponsors the Web-based SBIR Resource Center . Other help is available for companies entering the commercialization phase. For example, Dawnbreaker , a professional services firm located in Rochester, N.Y., has been helping DOD and DOE SBIR awardees since 1990. Dawnbreaker works with SBIR Phase II grantees over a period of months to help them develop a strategic business plan and to prepare them for commercialization. Dawnbreaker also hosts occasional commercialization forums in the Washington, D.C., area to showcase firms that are ready to enter the third SBIR phase.