TRDA Sponsors Nationally Renowned SBIR Trainers

Titusville, Fla.- July 16, 2004 - The Technological Research and Development Authority (TRDA) and the Florida/NASA Business Incubation Center (FNBIC) will sponsor a third Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) workshop. National trainers Gail and Jim Greenwood will cover the basics of SBIR/STTR Phase I Proposal Preparation, including proposal drafting and a four-step process for developing a competitive Phase I proposal.

The workshop will be August 20, 2004 at the Melbourne/Palm Bay Area Chamber of Commerce Auditorium from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission for the workshop is $35. Additionally, Dr. Bob Scaringe, incubator affiliate and president of Mainstream Engineering Corporation of Rockledge, will share his SBIR success stories. To register, contact the Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast at 321.638.2000 or go to www.spacecoastedc.org.

The SBIR and STTR are federal government programs with 11 participating agencies putting almost $2 billion in the hands of small and start-up companies that propose to develop or make improvements to technology products and services. The Department of Defense distributed $152.9 million in awards under its fiscal year 2003 Phase I SBIR program competitions. A total of 1,882 awards were selected from a pool of more than 15,000 proposals across the United States. Florida ranked 12th with 471 proposals submitted and 37 Phase I awards, totaling over $2.9 million.

"With the number of start-up businesses in Brevard County continuing to grow, we feel it is necessary to provide these vital resources to entrepreneurs," says Incubator Network Director Heidi Brandow. "This workshop will address how to prepare successful proposals to government agencies, who play a key role in funding new businesses."

The Florida/NASA Business Incubation Center (FNBIC) is sponsoring the workshop to help educate small businesses about the SBIR and STTR programs and how to write winning proposals that will generate funding for their businesses.

Established by the Technological Research and Development Authority in 1996, the FNBIC helps accelerate the success of small, technology-based businesses by providing affordable space and shared office services, thereby reducing the costs of starting and operating a small business. The Incubator is managed through a joint partnership of Florida's TRDA and Brevard Community College. For further information on the Florida/NASA Business Incubation Center, contact Heidi Brandow or Bonnie O'Regan at (321) 267-5601.

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program was established by Congress in 1982 to provide increased opportunities for small businesses to participate in R&D, to increase employment, and to improve U.S. competitiveness. The program's specific objectives are to stimulate U.S. technological innovation, use small businesses to meet federal research and development needs, increase private-sector commercialization of innovations derived from federal R&D, and foster and encourage participation by socially disadvantaged businesses. Legislation enacted in 2000 extended and strengthened the SBIR program and increased its emphasis on pursuing commercial applications of SBIR project results.