Small Business Transition Grant for Early Career Scientists

Pete CodellaUtah Innovation Center

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) SBIR Development Center has introduced a new type of funding opportunity for early career scientists interested in transitioning from academia to entrepreneurship. The Small Business Transition Grant has been uniquely structured as a fast-track award and will begin as a Phase I STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer), requiring partnership between a small business and a research institution to allow completion of proof of concept studies at the academic site. After criteria and technical milestones have been met, the technology will prepare to transfer into the small business with a Phase II SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research).

A key component of the Small Business Transition Grant is mentoring. The ideal candidate for this small business transition grant is a postdoctoral researcher who participated in technology discovery during their academic work and is now ready to move to a small business with the help of some key mentors and advisors.

Projects for this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) MUST propose the development of a technology that fits into at least one of the following categories:

  • (1) Therapeutics and Preventative Agents
  • (2) Imaging Technologies, Interventional Devices, and In Vivo Diagnostics
  • (3) In Vitro and Ex Vivo Diagnostics and Prognostics

Awards are $256,580 for Phase I awards and $1,710,531 for Phase II awards (various topic exceptions may apply).

New DateThe deadline for this FOA is March 24, 2021, 5 p.m. local time.

If your Utah small business intends to apply or you have questions about this funding opportunity, please contact the Utah Industry and Innovation Center at innovationutah@utah.gov.