TRDA's Business Incubator Sponsors SBIR Workshop

Titusville, Fla. - September 22, 2004 - Florida's Technological Research and Development Authority (TRDA) and the Florida/NASA Business Incubation Center (FNBIC) will sponsor a fourth Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) workshop to assist entrepreneurs in obtaining grants and contracts for technology-based product and service development. National SBIR/STTR trainers Gail and Jim Greenwood will present the workshop on October 20, 2004, at the Melbourne/Palm Bay Area Chamber of Commerce auditorium from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

FNBIC, a business incubator serving the needs of early stage technology-based entrepreneurs, is presenting the workshop to encourage technology-based, small business growth and success by providing an overview of the SBIR and STTR programs, what kinds of projects the agencies are interested in, and instructing them how to write winning proposals to receive funding for their businesses.

The workshop will provide an overview of SBIR/STTR Phase I programs in the morning session and will focus on strategies for obtaining and managing Phase II proposals during the afternoon session. Additionally, Dr. Bob Scaringe, incubator affiliate and President of Mainstream Engineering Corporation of Rockledge, will be the lunch guest speaker and will share his success stories. Dr. Scaringe has been awarded 75 Phase I's and 22 Phase II's, totaling more than twenty million dollars in SBIR and STTR funding.

"The SBIR program is one of the largest R&D grants programs targeting the small business community with nearly $2 billion available," says Incubator Network Director Heidi Brandow. "It is an essential resource for start-up companies promising the development of new technologies."

Admission for the workshop is $35, which includes lunch. Registration ends October 19, 2004. For more information or to register, contact the Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast at 321.638.2000 or on the web at www.SpaceCoastEdc.org.

Established by the Technological Research and Development Authority (TRDA) in
1996, the Florida/NASA Business Incubation Center 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, NASA 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.