With only about 10-15% of Phase I applications approved, the SBIR/STTR program is highly competitive. Plus, navigating a federal grant process can be daunting — especially for a small business with limited resources. Organizations that work with MTI’s TAP team, typically have an increased chance of an award.
The MTI TAP team provides free, expert guidance to Maine small businesses seeking SBIR/STTR funding, including:
- Introduction to the SBIR/STTR program.
- Proposal strategy and planning meetings.
- Government accounting assistance in preparing an overhead rate and SBIR/STTR budget development.
- Proposal writing guidance and support throughout the entire process.
- Critical technical editing and proposal reviews.
- Expanded follow-on assistance and support for the Phase II proposal (and in Phase I depending on the agency), including government accounting assistance, market research and commercialization planning from expert consultants.
- Click here for information about the TAP program eligibility requirements, authorization and exceptions policy.
TAP Eligibility Criteria
TAP is a program that helps small businesses successfully apply for SBIR/STTR funding. While SBIR/STTR eligibility varies depending on the funding agency, below are the basic criteria needed to be considered for MTI’s support in the application process.
- Must be a Maine-based business: As Maine’s official SBIR/STTR support organization, MTI only provides application support to Maine Businesses. This means your organization must be registered in Maine or have a significant presence in Maine.
- Must be a for-profit business: The SBIR/STTR program only funds for-profit businesses.
- Must employ fewer than 500 people: The SBIR/STTR program funds early-stage innovation for small to mid-sized businesses.
- U.S. owned and operated business: SBIR/STTR only funds businesses that are U.S. owned and operated. The proposed project must also be done in the U.S.
- SBIR/STTR application must focus on research & development: SBIR/STTR does not provide funding for other activities, like purchasing equipment, commercializing a previously developed technology, or one that has very low risk and needs only capital.
SBIR/STTR Readiness Assessment
Take our short assessment to see if your project is at the best stage for SBIR/STTR funding. After answering a few questions, you’ll know whether or not you’re a good fit for funding and can reach out to us for application support. If the assessment indicates that you’re not a good fit for the program right now, we’ll provide a list of next steps you can work on to improve your chances.
TAP Process
Creating a competitive SBIR/STTR proposal takes two to three months. During this time, MTI’s TAP team provides comprehensive support through each stage of the process. Note that the below process also applies when seeking an MTI grant to support SBIR/STTR proposal writing.
Application process when working with TAP
Here is how the process unfolds:
Discovery
Based on your interest form, we will pair you with one of the TAP consultants listed below. A member of the TAP team will set up a meeting to explore your company’s technology, determine which federal agency topics it fits, help you understand TAP support and provide an overview of MTI funding available to help cover the costs of writing a proposal. If you haven’t taken a VIRAL assessment, your advisor will help you complete one.
Solicitation
With help from TAP, you’ll identify a solicitation from a federal agency that best fits your technology. You’ll then review the proposal requirements, identify resources needed and develop a strategic plan to write the proposal — which may include applying for MTI funding.
Registration
Submitting an SBIR/STTR proposal can require registration with several federal organizations — which can vary depending on the federal agency to which you are applying. The TAP team will assist you in identifying which agencies you’ll need to register with and how to complete the process.
Proposal
Based on strategic discussions with the TAP team, you’ll begin developing the technical — and if applicable, commercialization — components of your proposal. This can include gathering letters of support, market research and budget — all of which the TAP team will facilitate.
Review
Using a template provided by TAP, you’ll submit your proposal’s first draft. The TAP team will review, edit and provide comments. This is a continuous, iterative process that can include multiple rounds of edits and reviews and can include the participation of various TAP experts.
Submission
You will finalize your proposal based on TAP guidance and feedback, including completing any necessary forms and attachments. The TAP team will provide a review of your online forms, and then you will submit your proposal electronically.
TAP Team
MTI’s TAP team has over a 100 years of combined experience in business strategy, accounting, market research and government contract consulting. This vast and deep knowledge has helped numerous small businesses in Maine win SBIR/STTR awards and grow into thriving companies.
Generalists
Karen West Morgan is president of C & P Management Services, LLC, a woman veteran-owned small business specializing in assisting companies in writing competitive SBIR/STTR proposals and government contract management. She is a 2006 SBA Tibbetts Award winner for exemplifying excellence in the SBIR/STTR program and a recognized expert with extensive SBIR/STTR experience. With over 30 years’ experience, Karen also provides knowledge of federal regulations, proposal development and contract/subcontract management expertise throughout Maine and across the U.S.
Karen leads MTI’s Technical Assistance Program (TAP) team and manages TAP team activity. She co-authored two publications: A Guide to Successful SBIR/STTR Proposal Writing, and A Guide to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grant Writing. Karen is an invited panel member for the NSF and the USDA’s SBIR/STTR review process and speaker at national SBIR conferences. Karen is an ex-Air Force contracting officer and certified technical training instructor. She has developed SBIR/STTR proposal writing courses and routinely gives SBIR/STTR workshop presentations. Karen holds a BS in business from Columbia College.
Contact Info: telephone: 207-845-2934, email: [email protected]
Cindy Talbot founded CJTalbot Services in 2009 to provide grant and technical writing services to teams of technical experts, helping them communicate complex technical information to widely varying audiences. She partners closely with her clients to prepare exceptional applications for R&D, commercialization, and economic development initiative funding. Cindy’s work has earned startups and entrepreneurs over $10 million in funding from Federal and State agencies including NSF, USDA, NOAA, California Energy Commission, NYSERDA, and the Maine Technology Institute. As a nonprofit consultant, she has raised over $2.2 million in Federal EDA, DOE, and matching state economic development funding. Cindy is an Entrepreneur-In-Residence for the NYSERDA climate technology program administered by Columbia University Technology Ventures, supporting New York cleantech entrepreneurs.
Cindy began her career in environmental consulting, managing projects focused on investigation and remediation of hazardous waste sites under Federal (EPA, DOD, and Army Corps of Engineers) and state (New York and Florida) contracts. She holds a MS in Hazardous Materials Management from Tufts University and a BS in Soil Science from the University of Maine.
Contact info: [email protected]
Sasha (Alexandra) Breus is the founder of Sasha Breus LLC, a coaching and consulting business focused on supporting curious, intelligent people to make their next move. Since 2015, Sasha has been providing developmental editing services across general, academic, and technical fields to individuals, small businesses and nonprofits. Sasha also offers insightful and empathetic coaching to support individuals in identifying priorities, uncovering roadblocks, and planning next steps.
Sasha has a diverse professional background ranging from scientific research and educational at Ivy League institutions to hours logged in bakeries, kitchens, and landscaping. Energetic, curious, and not afraid to play devil’s advocate, Sasha has a keen eye for pulling out and synthesizing the most important information, be it in an essay, grant proposal, or personal vision. Sasha holds a MS in Environmental Studies from Antioch University, New England and a BA in Geology from Smith College
Contact info: [email protected]
Commercialization Support
Suzanne Hamlin, principal of Transformative Knowledge Group, is a business strategy and customer development consultant with a special interest in business transition, transformation, and scaling. She has been a member of MTI’s SBIR/STTR TAP team since 2004 and has served as an SBIRSTTR grant application reviewer for both NSF and USDA. She has extensive experience leading teams and companies through organizational change, planning for new product commercialization, and applying new and emerging technologies for revenue growth and streamlining of work processes.
Suzanne’s extensive operating experience encompasses both large and small organizations in a variety of functional roles including marketing, product management, business process redesign, and operations management. Her industry experience includes retail, direct marketing, medical products, manufacturing, banking, and insurance, as well as a broad range of non-profits, and she has consulted heavily in all seven of Maine’s target technology sectors. She has served on boards of a number of high tech and community service organizations and is an Organizational Partner of the Maine Accelerates Growth (MxG) initiative. Suzanne holds a BSE in Computer Science from Princeton University, with honors, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Contact Info: telephone: 207-773-0504, email: [email protected]
Government Accounting
Stanton W. Gavitt, Jr., CPA, received a B.S. in Accounting from Bentley College and had six years of Public Accounting experience with a large firm and twenty-two years in industry working for a large government contractor prior to going into business for himself in 2002. During his time in industry, he spent a significant portion of his time working with the accounting systems and reporting requirements as dictated by the US government and was deeply involved with audits conducted by the EPA and Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA). As a consultant, Stan provides CPA support, tax services and accounting support to Maine companies with federal contracts. Under the TAP program, Stan guides companies in preparing an indirect cost rate, and provides budget and justification support.
Contact Info: telephone: 207-878-4514, email: [email protected]
Karin Petrin is the Founder of Karifin Partners, LLC. She holds degrees in Accounting and Business Administration collecting over 30 years’ experience in public and private sector management. Karin has been Certified as a Business Advisor through the New England Professional Development group, an Intuit Professional Bookkeeper, a QuickBooks Online Pro Advisor and as an Individual and Small Business Tax Preparer. She is a serial entrepreneur having owned and operated several successful small businesses over the last two plus decades. As a Grant Administrator, she has managed more than $10M of public and private grant funds. Her rich and well-rounded experiences, knowledge, and desire to make a difference has led her to support the success of small businesses starting and expanding in Maine and across the US.
Contact Info: email: [email protected]
Market Researcher(s)
Kelly Berry is the owner of ResourceAbility, LLC and Learn Start Grow LLC. She has been working with start-ups and small business owners since 2005, offering market research, business planning and strategic planning services. She is a certified Market Research Specialist and a Strategic Research Team Leader for the National Center for Economic Gardening and the Wisconsin Center for Business Intelligence.
Kelly holds an MBA from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, and a BA from Drew University in Madison, NJ. She taught an MBA level course on market research for 7 years and has also taught Market Research and Business Startup classes to undergraduates, and to aspiring business owners through the SBDC and her local Women’s Business Center. Kelly was the Western Wisconsin Businesswoman of the Year in 2018, and the Outstanding MBA Faculty Member in 2014. She is serving as the President for 2024-2025 for her international professional association, Association of Independent Information Professionals. Kelly has worked on SBIR/STTR plans with startups in Wisconsin in the past and joined MTI’s SBIR/STTR TAP team in 2022.
Contact Info: Telephone 715-830-8244, email: [email protected]
Biotech Projects
Jo Anne Goodnight has 25+ years of federal government service, most of which was spent at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) serving as the SBIRSTTR Program Coordinator. She brings extensive experience in virtually all aspects of the NIH SBIR/STTR programs and processes including identifying relevant topics, facilitating agency introductions, developing research plan strategies, massaging proposals and using key grantsmanship tips, understanding policies related to human subjects/vertebrate animal research, and facilitating introductions to potential commercialization partners. Jo Anne has an extensive “rolodex” of contacts within the NIH and other federal agencies (e.g., DOD, NSF, DOE, NASA). She holds a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from Virginia Tech.
Contact Info: [email protected]
Department of Defense Projects
Tobin McGregor is a technology management professional with over 25 years of experience in the areas of technology development and transition. In 2014, McGregor established a consulting practice providing technology development and transition services primarily to the Department of Defense (DoD). Of particular interest to McGregor is the efficient transition and integration of innovative technologies and products into DoD systems and platforms and the development and sustainment of DoD suppliers and supply chains.
Contact Info: [email protected]