Choosing a SBIR Opportunity

Choosing the right SBIR topic is crucial for increasing your chances of winning funding. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you select the most suitable SBIR topic.

BUT. Before we do that, let’s talk about something even more important.

What are your business development goals?

If you are approaching SBIR funding as a revenue stream and your business model is to win as many as you can to fund ongoing research, then the steps below are not a perfect fit, (though I’m not knocking that business model). However, if your goal is to take a concept that you believe could be commercially viable, could have government uses, and develop it with little up front capital, this post is for you!

1. Understand Your Core Technology and Its Applications

• Start by defining your technology or innovation clearly. Understand the unique aspects of your technology, its potential applications, and the problems it aims to solve.

• Identify which industry sectors or federal agencies (such as NIH, DoD, NSF, DOE, etc.) are most relevant to your innovation. Each agency focuses on different areas of interest that align with their mission.

2. Review SBIR Solicitations and Topic Lists

• Visit the official SBIR websites for different agencies, such as sbir.gov or the specific agency’s site, to review their current and upcoming solicitations. Gov Space can assist you with this as well.

• Look for topics that match your technology's application (not the other way around). Agencies release topics periodically, detailing their current research priorities, and the problems they are looking to solve.

3. Match Your Innovation with Agency Needs

• Examine each topic closely to see if your innovation aligns with the agency’s stated needs and objectives. The language in the solicitation should resonate with your technology’s purpose and capabilities.

• Consider whether your innovation addresses a specific pain point or problem highlighted in the topic. A strong alignment between your innovation and the topic increases your chances of success.

4. Assess Agency Fit and Funding Potential

• Evaluate which agency offers the best fit for your technology based on its mission, funding levels, and track record. Some agencies may have more substantial budgets or a higher success rate for certain types of technologies. A GREAT way to assess this is with Gov Space’s SBIR Research Portal. (You can request Beta access here.)

• Consider the agency’s interest in transitioning technologies to market. For example, the Department of Defense (DoD) often looks for dual-use technologies (both defense and commercial applications), while the National Institutes of Health (NIH) may prioritize health-related innovations.

5. Leverage Market Research and Trends

• Conduct market research to identify trends or emerging needs in the areas relevant to your technology. This can help you find topics that align with both the agency’s priorities and current market demands.

• Look at previous SBIR awards to see which topics have been funded in the past. This can provide insight into the agency's funding patterns and areas of interest.

• Again this step can be accomplished through sbir.gov if you have the time. However, we have built a portal that can save HOURS of time and help you ask the right questions in seconds.

One of many insights you can quickly find in the SBIR Research Portal is the relative SBIR investment of every Federal Agency and Branch.

6. Engage with Program Managers

• Reach out to the program managers listed in the solicitation. Discussing your idea with a program manager can provide valuable feedback on its relevance and alignment with the topic. They can clarify any questions you have about the topic's scope. For the DoD these interactions are all done through DSIP.

• This communication can help you understand how flexible a topic is and whether your innovation is a good fit or if there is a different topic you should consider.

7. Consider Topic Flexibility

• Determine if the topic has any flexibility in terms of scope or if it’s very specific. Some topics are broader, allowing for a range of innovative solutions, while others are narrowly focused.

• Broader topics may provide more room for creative approaches, while narrowly defined topics might suit highly specialized technologies.

• A good way to gauge who the target developers might be for a highly-specific topic is to use the keyword search in the SBIR Research Portal. SBIR.gov offers a similar feature, but is frankly unreliable at finding all of the relevant SBIR awards.

8. Evaluate the Competitive Landscape

• Consider the number of expected submissions to the topic. Highly popular topics may have more competition. Look for niche areas where your innovation could stand out.

• Look for gaps in what others are proposing or areas that have less competition but still align with your technology.

9. Plan for Future Phases

• Think beyond Phase I and consider the potential for Phase II funding and eventual commercialization. Ensure the topic you choose will enable a logical progression from research and development to market deployment.

10. Utilize SBIR Support Resources

• Use resources like sbir.gov, agency webinars, and other support networks that provide insights into upcoming topics and agency priorities.

By following these steps, you’ll be able to identify the SBIR topic that best aligns with your innovation, increasing your chances of crafting a compelling and competitive proposal. If you have a specific technology or agency in mind, I can help you dive deeper into matching topics.

In a future post I will speak more specifically to businesses that are interested specifically in SBIRs to fund long-term research.