UNH Centers Collaborate to Offer Workshops and One-on-One Consulting
The N.H. Inspires Innovation program, a collaboration of the New Hampshire Small Business Development Center (NH SBDC) and the New Hampshire Innovation Research Center (NHIRC), is offering expert grant proposal assistance and a series of statewide workshops for companies interested in applying for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants.
SBIR grants are competitive federal grants designed to stimulate technology innovation and commercialization.
Lisa Kurek, Biotechnology Business Consultants, Ann Arbor, Michigan, along with a NH SBDC SBIR-trained business advisor, helps guide SBIR grant-seeking entrepreneurs during one-on-one eligibility assessments. Their expertise will help entrepreneurs explore developing an application or evaluate a current application draft.
Kurek also will present full-day workshops on specific federal agency grants, including the U.S. Department of Energy July 17, 2012, at Great Bay Community College in Portsmouth. For more information, visit http://nhsbdc.org/nh-inspires-innovation.
More than $2 billion of no-cost federal funding is available nationally through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants. This funding is designed to help small companies, including faculty and other technology start-ups, develop and commercialize innovative products and processes, resulting in more high-quality jobs in New Hampshire.
N.H. Inspires Innovation provides education and information about SBIR and STTR to New Hampshire businesses and faculty. To be eligible for a grant, companies must employ fewer than 500 employees, be 51 percent owned by individuals who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and be independently operated.
Workshop and eligibility assessment dates are as follows:
Eligibility Assessments
July 18, 2012, Portsmouth
October 17, 2012, Lebanon
Workshop Dates
July 17, 2012, Portsmouth – U.S. Department of Energy Proposal Workshop
October 16, 2012, Lebanon - National Institute of Health Proposal Workshop
March/April 2013, Durham - National Science Foundation Proposal Workshop
For more information, visit http://nhsbdc.org/nh-inspires-innovation.
NH SBDC is an outreach program of the University of New Hampshire Whittemore School of Business and Economics, and a cooperative venture of the U.S. Small Business Administration, the State of New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development, the University System of New Hampshire, and the private sector. A part of 64 SBDC programs nationwide, the NH SBDC was fully accredited in 2010 by the Association of Small Business Development Centers. The NH SBDC has advised businesses for 26 years, helping 8,000 businesses create and retain more than 4,500 jobs over the last decade.
The NHIRC was created in 1991 by the New Hampshire Legislature to increase collaboration, technology development, and innovation between New Hampshire businesses and universities. Businesses propose projects in collaboration with researchers, typically at Dartmouth or the University of New Hampshire. Companies then match their project awards to fund the research, which often leads to new production methods, products, companies, and jobs. Since its inception, the NHIRC has helped create over 650 jobs throughout the state and its awardees have received over $900 million in follow-on capital.
Originally published by:
UNH Media Relations
Written by Lori Wright, UNH Media Relations