SBIR Virtual Road Tour
The two-day virtual event features programming designed to advance the commercialization of new technologies.
SBIR Week in the Southeast: September 14 &17!

2020 SBIR Virtual Weeks
Registration is now open for the 2020 Regional SBIR Weeks, which are virtual, collaborative outreach efforts connecting entrepreneurs working on advanced technologies to the country’s largest source of early stage funding – the SBIR/STTR programs. Also known as America’s Seed Fund, the SBIR/STTR programs provide over $3.7 billion in funding to small businesses each year in a wide variety of technology areas. Each virtual event, hosted by a local organization, will provide attendees with an opportunity to hear directly from the participating federal agency program managers that administer over 5,500 new awards annually and to meet virtually one-on-one with program decision makers.
The SBIR Virtual Week provides an excellent opportunity for small businesses, innovators, researchers, entrepreneurs, and technology companies to connect directly with SBIR/STTR program managers representing more than a dozen different federal agencies. Program managers from the participating federal agencies will conduct one-on-one meetings with small businesses, take part in targeted panels, discuss technology areas, and share insights into how the agencies make funding decisions.
Dates
Day 1: Monday, September 14, 2020, 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.: Panel discussions and presentations
Day 2: Thursday, September 17, 2020, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.: One-on-one meetings with national SBIR program managers
Registration
A $20 deposit for registration is required and will be refunded after the event.
Agendas & Schedules
Monday, September 14
8:45 – 9:00 a.m. | Sign into virtual lobby |
9:00 – 9:15 a.m. | Welcome remarks & introduction to U.S. Small Business Administration |
9:15 – 10:00 a.m. | Getting Started with SBIR/STTR |
10:00 – 10:15 a.m. | Break |
10:15 – 11:00 a.m. | Inside the Head of an Evaluator: Common Mistakes |
11:00 – 11:15 a.m. | Break |
11:15 – 12:00 p.m. | Success in Phase I – Moving to Phase 11 and Beyond |
12:00 – 12:15 p.m. | Break |
12:15 – 1:00 p.m. | U.S. Patent and Trademark Office |
1:00 – 1:15 p.m. | Break |
1:15 – 2:00 p.m. | Federal Laboratory Consortium |
Thursday, September 17
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. | One-one-One sessions with SBIR/STTR program managers |
* Agenda subject to change.
Participating Agencies
- Defense Health Agency (DHA)
- Defense Logistics Agency (DLA)
- Department of Defense – Army SBIR
- Department of Defense – Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
- Department of Defense – Joint Science and Technology Office for Chemical and Biological Defense (JSTO-CBD)
- Department of Defense – Missile Defense Agency (MDA)
- Department of Defense – Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD SBIR)
- Department of Defense – Navy (DON)
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC)
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- National Science Foundation (NSF)
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
- Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
- Department of Transportation (DOT)
- Department of Education (DoED)
- Department of Energy (DOE)
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
One-on-One Meeting Request Process
Registration for the one-on-one meeting request process will open on Friday, July 31. Conference registrants will receive a unique link allowing them direct access to the SBA scheduler system to select meetings. Registrants should add judy@sbirroadtour.com to their safe e-mail sender list to ensure that communications are not filtered into spam or junk. Each registrant can select up to three meetings per company. The meeting schedule will be confirmed a week prior to the road tour event.
All meeting participants are required to complete the following quad chart: The quad chart, also known as the SBIR elevator pitch, is designed to offer a brief introduction to your technology and capture the attention of your audience.
Conference registrants should receive an e-mail from judy@sbirroadtour.com within two weeks of registering to select their one-on-one meetings.
Innovation Gateway will host a pre-event virtual SBIR/STTR workshop at 11:00 a.m. EDT on Friday, Sept. 11 to help attendees prepare for their one-on-one meetings. Please register here.
SBIR/STTR Resources & Tutorials
To help prepare for the one-on-one meetings, attendees are encouraged to go through the following training:
- What is the purpose of the SBIR & STTR programs?
- Am I eligible to participate in the SBIR/STTR Programs?
- How do I find the appropriate topic?
- SBIR or STTR? Which one is right for me?
- Contracts vs Grants
- Agency Introductions
- SBA Overview
- Dos and Don’ts from DHS
- June 2018 SBIR Road Tour at Columbus, OH
- Webinar recording on SBIR Elevator Pitch Preparation presented by Dr.
Carol Rabke
Register Now: https://estore.uga.edu/C27063_ustores/web/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCTID=6737&SINGLESTORE=true