Federal and State Support for Awardees

Small businesses may have access to state and federal support after receiving an NCATS SBIR/STTR award. Following are some current funding and technical assistance resources available from other federal agencies and state organizations.

Federal Resources for Small Businesses

U.S. Food & Drug Administration: Small Business & Industry Assistance (SBIA)

The FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) Small Business & Industry Assistance (SBIA) provides information about:

  • Drug development
  • New Drug Applications/Biologic License Applications
  • Generic drug review
  • Over-the-counter drug review
  • Biosimilars, rare disease and orphan drugs
  • Drug safety
  • Post-marketing activities
  • Compliance and other activities

CDER also provides webinars, podcasts, learning tutorials and CDER SBIA Learn, which offers multimedia resources with information for small pharmaceutical businesses.

United States Patent and Trademark Office: Inventor and Entrepreneur Resources

The United States Patent and Trademark Office provides resources — including webinars — for inventors and entrepreneurs on patents, trademarks, scam prevention, pro bono help and events around the country. Its Inventors Assistance Center provides patent information and services to the public.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: Small Entity Compliance Guides

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) provides Small Entity Compliance Guides and other information throughout its website, as well as brochures and web-based training classes to educate providers and suppliers.

State Resources for Small Businesses

Some state-based organizations offer matching grant programs for SBIR and STTR awardees to help them reach the commercialization stage:

  • Florida: The Florida High Tech Corridor Council offers matching grants for Phase II SBIR/STTR awardees. The award sizes range from $10,000 to as high as $150,000 and require the company to provide $3 to every $1 of the council award.
  • Hawaii: The Hawaii SBIR/STTR Matching Grant program offers Hawaii companies up to 50 percent of Phase I and up to $500,000 for Phase II SBIR/STTR awards.
  • Iowa: The Iowa Innovation Corporation offers up to $25,000 for SBIR/STTR Phase I proposals.
  • Kentucky: The Kentucky SBIR/STTR Matching Funds Program provides matching funds up to $150,000 for Phase I and up to $500,000 for Phase II SBIR/STTR awardees.
  • Maine: Maine provides SBIR Phase I and Phase II awardees with matching funds up to $50,000. 
  • Massachusetts (life-sciences): MassRamp provides supplemental funding grants in the range of $75,000 to $300,000 to Phase I SBIR/STTR awardees. The funds may be used to support activities not covered by a federal grant, additional funding if federal funding is not sufficient to complete the project, or to expand the scope if it is using the same technology. Applications are due Tuesday, March 28, 2017 at 12:00 p.m. (noon) EDT.
  • Michigan: The Michigan ETF will match Phase I SBIR/STTR awards up to $25,000, and Phase II SBIR/STTR awards up to $125,000.
  • Montana: The Montana SBIR/STTR Matching Funds Program provides supplemental funding for SBIR/STTR awardees, up to $60,000 per application.
  • Nebraska:  Nebraska offers Phase I and Phase II matching grants to awardees up to $100,000 or 65 percent of the federal SBIR/STTR grant, whichever is the lower amount.
  • North Carolina: One North Carolina Small Business Program’s Phase I Matching Funds Program provides matching funds for Phase I SBIR/ STTR awardees up to 50 percent of the SBIR/STTR award, not to exceed $65,000. The current submission period ends June 30, 2017.
  • Rhode Island: The Innovate Rhode Island Small Business Fund provides matching grants of up to $45,000 to Phase I SBIR/STTR awardees and up to $100,000 to Phase II SBIR/STTR awardees. 
  • South Carolina: The South Carolina Research Authority SBIR/STTR Phase I Matching Grant Program offers matching funds to South Carolina-based Phase I SBIR/STTR awardees up to 100 percent of the federal SBIR/STTR program award amount, not to exceed $50,000. The submission deadlines for FY 2019 are Aug. 8, 2018 and Feb. 7, 2019.
  • Tennessee: The SBIR/STTR Matching Fund program is a strategic initiative to advance the commercialization of innovations across the state. Developed and administered by LaunchTN, the program is funded for FY 2020 at $3 million (no more than $150,000 per program year) through the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.
  • Virginia: The Center for Innovative Technology of the Commonwealth of Virginia has a matching funds program for recent SBIR/r STTR Phase I or II awardees. Applicants may seek up to $50,000 to be used to fill gaps not supported by the federal award. Submission deadline for 2017 was January 19.
  • Wisconsin: The Wisconsin Economic Development Council offers matching grants for Phase I SBIR/STTR awardees up to $75,000 or 50 percent of Phase I SBIR/STTR awards. It also offers Phase II matching grants up to $75,000 per year for up to two years for Phase II SBIR/STTR awardees.

Disclaimer: Information may change throughout the year and may not be reflected in this list. Please check the full program descriptions linked above for comprehensive and current information about eligibility and deadlines.