UNL Extension Helps Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses Succeed

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs through the Nebraska Business Development Center offer opportunities for some small businesses. These competitive grant programs support small business technology innovation and commercialization. Successful proposals can involve a small business and university partnership.

A recorded webinar on SBIR and STTR is found at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension's entrepreneurship Web site, Huskerpreneur.
The May 22nd posting contains links to the webinar presentation.

The mission of the Small Business Innovation Research is to apply the entrepreneurial spirit of small business to solve tough problems.

One goal is to match federal research and development needs to small business capabilities.

With SBIR, research and development dollars are set aside for small businesses to engage with federal research and development — with the potential for commercialization.

Through STTR, some dollars are set aside to facilitate cooperative R&D between small business concerns and U.S. research institutions such as universities – with potential for commercialization.

The 2.2 billion dollars available are not in the form of loans. There is no repayment of the SBIR/STTR funding once granted.

The programs' goals include:

• Innovation through the use of emerging
  technologies
• Novel application of existing technologies
• New capabilities or major improvements
  to existing technologies

To learn more about Extension's Entrepreneurship initiatives, contact Connie Riemers-Hild, Connie Hancock, or Diane Vigna.

Additional information about these two grant programs can be found at Nebraska Business Development Center.