America’s Seed Fund at NSF Phase II Supplemental Opportunities Ben Schrag SBIR/STTR Senior Program Director June 4, 2018
But first … a few reminders
contact your PD BEFORE starting the formal process Updates and Reminders Organizational changes or transfers (LLC to C-Corp, transfer to new org., DUNS change, etc.): contact your PD BEFORE starting the formal process SAM.gov registration: needs to be updated every 12 months NEW REQUIREMENTS since March (notarized letter) Start renewal two months early End of fiscal year Government fiscal year ends Sept. 30th ACM$ disbursements unavailable from Sept. 21st until (hopefully) Oct. 1st
Phase II Supplements: General Info
Phase II Supplements General Info Supplements are available as additions to your Phase II award Formal requests are submitted through Fastlane*, but first step is always an email/call to your PD Supplements can be requested on a rolling basis, beginning as early as your Phase II award start date Supplements availability may expire as early as six months prior to the Phase II end date Supplements are competitive - availability determined by the strength of request and the SBIR/STTR program budget Supplements are all INTERNALLY reviewed (no external experts are involved) * with the exception of the ASEE/NSF Postdoctoral Scholar program
Phase II Supplements Click to add text Click to add text
Phase II Supplements Click to add text Click to add text Title Purpose New NSF Funds For? Max. $$ Phase IIB Incentivize third-party investment (match up to 2:1) Additional R&D to extend the Phase II effort $500K Technology Enhancement for Commercial Partnerships (TECP) Assist in forging commercial partnerships Additional R&D to serve a near-term commercial opportunity 20% of Phase II award American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Postdoctoral Diversity Fellowship (http://nsfsbir.asee.org/) Increase participation of postdoctoral scholars from underrepresented groups Funding for postdoctoral scholar stipends to work on the Phase II project $75k per year SBIR/ERC Collaborative Opportunity (SECO) Partner with an NSF-funded Engineering Research Center (ERC) Phase IIA Partner with a (Centers for Research Excellence for S&T (CREST)/Research Infrastructure for S&E (RISE) institution Phase IICC Partner with Community College $40k Click to add text Click to add text
Phase II Supplements Click to add text Click to add text Title Purpose New NSF Funds For? Max. $$ Commercialization Assistance Program (CAP) Commercialization and business development Third party assistance $10k Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Undergraduate participation in the Phase II R&D Stipend for an undergraduate participant $8k per participant Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Teacher participation in the Phase II R&D Stipend for a teacher participant $10k per participant Research Experiences for Veterans (VRS) Veteran participation in the Phase II R&D Stipend for a veteran participant Research Assistantships for High School Students (RAHSS) High school student participation in the Phase II R&D Stipend for an underrepresented high school student participant $6k per participant Click to add text Click to add text
Phase II Supplements: Detailed Discussion
Phase II Supplements Phase IIB Purpose: Incentivize third-party investment, provide funds for additional R&D Funds for: New R&D to extend the Phase II scope Submission deadline: Rolling; generally no later than 60 days before award ends (can be extended only by TECP award) Amount: Up to $500,000 Extension: Typically, 12-24 months, but flexible Limits: One supplement per Phase II award, based on 2:1 matching of private investment and/or sales
Phase II Supplements Phase IIB Financial Package Requirements Third party: Source of funds must not be company founder or owner, existing investor, relative of company personnel, or otherwise be an “insider” Transaction: Funds must be cash to the Phase II recipient, without payback/debt terms or other “entanglements”. In-kind support and convertible debt are not eligible. Equity investments, sales/service revenues, JDAs, licensing, other transactions may be eligible. Connection to NSF funding: The financial transaction must be a direct consequence of NSF support of the effort (contact your PD on this one!) PD Support: Your PD needs to be convinced that the transaction is beneficial for the company, and that Phase IIB support will have significant positive impact on the company’s position and viability
Phase II Supplements Technology Enhancement for Commercial Partnerships (TECP) Purpose: Conduct additional R&D to achieve early commercial wins Funds for: New R&D geared toward the needs of a key commercial or strategic partner Submission deadline: Rolling; typically within 18 months of the Phase II start date Amount: Up to 20% of Phase II award (typically ~$150k) Extension: Up to 6 months, with agreement of PD and PI (this may extend Phase IIB eligibility) Limits: One supplement per Phase II award, companies with Phase IIB support are not eligible
Phase II Supplements ASEE/NSF Postdoctoral Diversity Fellowship Purpose: Incentivize recipients to hire an underrepresented postdoctoral scholar to work on Phase II R&D Funds For: stipends to support postdoc for 1-2 years Submission deadline: Rolling, but availability may vary based on funding cycles. Currently unavailable, may be available in FY19 Amount: $75,000 per year of support (funds go to postdoc) Extension: None Limits: One supplement per Phase II award; Postdocs must be US citizens or permanent residents http://nsfsbir.asee.org/
Phase II Supplements SBIR/ERC Collaborative Opportunity (SECO) Purpose: Incentivize Phase II recipients to work with NSF-funded ERCs Funds for: Additional R&D to extend the Phase II scope (projects can last up to 12 months) Submission deadline: Rolling; no later than 18 months after the Phase II start date Amount: Up to 20% of the Phase II award (generally ~$150,000) Extension: Can extend the Phase II project up to one year (PI & PD must concur) Limits: One supplement per Phase II award; a maximum of 50% of the supplemental funds should go to the ERC as a sub-award https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2015/nsf15043/nsf15043.jsp
Phase II Supplements Phase IIA Purpose: Incentivize Phase II recipients to work with minority-service institutions (currently funded CREST and HBCU-RISE awardees) Funds for: Additional R&D to extend the Phase II scope (funded Phase IIA projects can last up to one year) Submission deadline: Rolling Amount: Up to 20% of the Phase II award (generally ~$150,000) Extension: Can extend the Phase II project up to one year (PI & PD must concur) Limits: One supplement per Phase II award; 70% of the funds minimum must go to the CREST or RISE institution as a subaward https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2012/nsf12069/nsf12069.jsp?org=NSF
Phase II Supplements Phase IICC Purpose: Incentivize Phase II recipients to work with community college-based research teams Funds for: Additional R&D to extend the Phase II scope Submission deadline: Rolling; not later than 90 days before project end date Amount: $40,000 Extension: None Limits: One supplement per Phase II award per year; 75% of the funds minimum must go to the community college as a sub-award https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2012/nsf12076/nsf12076.jsp?org=NSF
Phase II Supplements Commercialization Assistance Program (CAP) Purpose: Assistance with commercialization/business development Funds for: Third party services (cannot be used for company employees or internal direct/indirect costs) Submission deadline: Rolling; no later than 45 days before Phase II end date Amount: $10,000 Extension: None Limits: One supplement per Phase II award Examples for use of funds: Patent costs, trade show attendance, investment assistance, financial/accounting services https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2014/nsf14072/nsf14072.jsp
Phase II Supplements Research Experiences for… (REU/RET/VRS) Purpose: Incentivize Phase II recipients to involve undergraduate students, teachers, and veterans in the research effort Funds for: Stipend for the participant (RETs can spend up to $2,000 for materials and supplies for developing classroom demos, etc.) Submission deadline: Rolling; should leave enough time to complete the project of the funded participant before the Phase II ends Amount: $8,000 (REU); $10,000 (RET, VRS) Extension: None Limits: One supplement (up to two participants) of each type, per year, per Phase II award
Phase II Supplements Research Assistantships for High School Students (RAHSS) Purpose: Incentivize Phase II recipients to involve underrepresented high school students in the R&D effort Funds for: Stipend for the participant Submission deadline: Rolling; should give enough time to complete the project of the funded participant before the Phase II ends Amount: $6,000 Extension: None Limits: One supplement (up to two participants), per year, per Phase II award
Also of Interest… Graduate INTERN Opportunity for NSF-funded basic research projects to allow participating graduate students to gain industrial experience relevant to their studies and interest Up to 6 months per internship Host organization (e.g. Phase II SBIR/STTR grantee) describes internship/mentoring plan Need an IP agreement governing internship activities INTERN support funds go to the academic institution Typically requested by college/university grantee PI Contact Dr. Prakash Balan, pbalan@nsf.gov for info https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2017/nsf17091/nsf17091.jsp
Questions? General POCs: sbir@nsf.gov seedfund.nsf.gov @NSFSBIR