MADISON – UW-Extension’s Center for Technology Commercialization (CTC) is offering a matching grant of up to $75,000 to provide additional assistance to companies in the process of completing a Phase II project in the federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.

This is the 11th round of SBIR Advance funding dedicated by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) since SBIR Advance began in 2014.

“This funding opportunity is unique in that it is open to Wisconsin Phase II SBIR/STTR winners who have identified specific business goals and milestones to help them commercialize their product.  We hope to help them achieve those goals.” said Dr. Todd Strother, CTC Senior Technology Consultant and SBIR Advance Program Manager.

Deadlines are quickly approaching:

  • Noon April 19, 2018: Brief Intent to Apply due
  • Noon May 3, 2018: Full application due

To be eligible, companies must have an SBIR/STTR project in Phase II of funding. All companies must be located in Wisconsin to be considered for the grant. Funds can be used for business and market development, customer validation, intellectual property work or other areas needed to speed product commercialization.

Applicants should also note these important dates:

  • May 18, 2018: Companies chosen for funding will be notified by this time.
  • June 11, 2018: Companies need to have submitted the first deliverable or risk losing their award.

For more details on the SBIR Advance program, visit www.wisconsinsbir.org/sbir-advance  or contact Strother at wisconsinctc@uwex.edu.

SBIR Advance is part of a Start-Seed-Scale (S3) initiative WEDC is pursuing with the help of the UW System and other business leaders throughout the state to remove barriers to high-tech commercialization. Under the S3 umbrella, WEDC and its economic development partners are implementing financial and operational assistance programs designed specifically to address Wisconsin’s business startup and seed-funding challenges. One such initiative — also a collaborative effort between WEDC and the UW System — is the Ideadvance Seed Fund, also managed by UW-Extension’s CTC. Selected SBIR Advance participants undergo Ideadvance Lean Startup training that is modified to assist with their SBIR Phase II applications.