| We would like to encourage University Faculty Members interested to test the commercial potential of their research activities to consider submitting grant applications to the Small Business Administration. SBIR Grants (Small Business Innovation Research Grants) are funded by the NIH through a set-aside program (2.5% of an agency's extramural budget) for domestic small business concerns to engage in research that has the potential for commercialization. The SBIR program was established under the Small Business Innovation Development Act of 1982. In 2002 the SBIR program distributed 5,700 grants totaling $1.5 billion of which 1,200 grants totaling $0.3 billion were in California. More recently, the NIAID Biodefense initiative has substantially increased the available SBIR funds.
The SBIR Programs are structured in two phases. The objective of Phase I is to establish the technical merit and feasibility of the proposed research effort and to determine the quality of performance of the small business awardee organization prior to providing further Federal support in Phase II. Support under Phase I is normally provided for six months/$100,000, but we have found that there is some flexibility in this figure up to ~$200,000 if it can be justified. The objective of Phase II is to continue the efforts initiated in Phase I. Only Phase I awardees are eligible for a Phase II award. Phase II awards normally may not exceed $750,000 total (direct + indirect). However, applicants may propose longer periods of time and greater amounts of funds necessary for completion of the project. Considerably larger distributions are available for projects related to the discovery and development of vaccines, and for Biodefense related projects.
Standard Funding Distribution
Phase I - $100,000 for 6 months
Proof of Concept
Phase II - $750,000 for 2 years
Commercial/Preclinical Development
http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/sbir.htm
Vaccine Discovery and Development
Phase I - $600,000 for 2 years
Phase II - $3,000,000 for 3 years
http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-AI-03-049.html
SBIR for Biodefense
Phase I - $1,000,000 for 2 years
Phase II - $6,000,000 for 3 years
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAS-02-149.html
To qualify the small business receiving the grant should be officially incorporated and employ less than 500 people. In addition, the principle investigator should be employed at least 50% with the small business. These requirements would ordinarily eliminate the participation of UCI faculty members who have not incorporated a company and who must retain >80% appointments with the University.
The University will help interested faculty members to overcome these restrictions and initiate SBIR grant applications. A qualified scientist working in a local small business will be identified to serve as principal investigator and the UCI faculty member will be a co-investigator on the grant. The funds will be distributed between the small business and the UCI faculty member’s laboratory according to a formula in which at least 60% of the funds are spent by the small business.
One example of how this can work is provided by a recently funded SBIR grant that has directed ~$400,000 to Greg Weiss’s laboratory. The grant entitled “Vaccinia Proteome Affinity Reagents From Phage Display” was submitted by Phil Felgner who has a small business recently incorporated for this purpose in University Park called ImmPORT Therapeutics. Phil has a 50% appointment with ImmPORT and therefore qualified as PI under the SBIR program rules.
Interested faculty members should contact:
Greg Ruth, in the Bio Sci Dean's office, at 824-1693 or bio-ood@uci.edu. |
