SBA Partners with National Science and Technology Council to Award $330,000 in Prizes in New Lab to Market Competition

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration  partnered with the National Science and Technology Council’s Lab-to-Market subcommittee to award $330,000 in prizes to the winners of a new Lab-to-Market (L2M) Inclusive Innovation Ecosystem Prize Competition. 

The L2M prize competition recognizes the most impactful organizations, programs, and ideas that support the research and development (R&D) innovation ecosystems, particularly those focused on underrepresented communities and pandemic responses.  Launched on September 30, the L2M prize competition accepted over 160 submissions from applicants across the U.S. seeking their share of the $330,000 competition prize. 

Innovation ecosystems encompass the community of participants and resources needed to develop and commercialize technology to ensure that all Americans have access to resources to establish a robust and dynamic workforce with inclusive and sustainable growth and promote entrepreneurship.    

The awardees are as follows:   

• "Super Connector" - Prizes of $10,000 for existing efforts successfully attracting and/or supporting networks of underrepresented communities in the R&D innovation ecosystem.
  • Colmena66 – San Juan, Puerto Rico
  • Conductor – Fayetteville, Arkansas
  • Launch Minnesota – St. Paul, Minnesota
  • Startup Tucson – Tucson, Arizona
• "Ecosystem Responder” - Prizes of $10,000 for innovative and effective responses to support the R&D ecosystem amidst the pandemic environment.
  • Challenge America – Basalt, Colorado
  • Hofstra University Center for Entrepreneurship – Hempstead, New York
  • HUUB by CO+HOOTS – Phoenix, Arizona
  • JumpStart Inc. – Cleveland, Ohio
• "Visionary" - Prizes of $25,000 for the most creative and actionable ideas for creating a more inclusive R&D innovation ecosystem for the future.
  • Arrowhead Center – Las Cruces, New Mexico
  • AWIS STEM to Market Initiative and University of Toledo – Toledo, Ohio
  • BioGenerator – St. Louis, Missouri
  • Central Maine Growth Council – Waterville, Maine
  • Jackson State University – Jackson, Mississippi
  • Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation – Lexington, Kentucky
  • LabStart (MXV) – Sacramento, California
  • MCA Innovation Center – El Paso, Texas
  • The Fledge – Lansing, Michigan
  • Ventureprise at UNC Charlotte – Charlotte, North Carolina

Submissions were evaluated for quality and clarity by a panel of federal employees and non-federal partners with relevant expertise.  Final selection was made by an interagency committee in coordination with the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of Innovation and Technology.

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About Lab-to-Market (L2M)

The Lab-to-Market (L2M) subcommittee of the National Science and Technology Council's Committee on the Science and Technology Enterprise leads the federal government-wide implementation of the Lab-to-Market Cross Agency Priority (L2M CAP) goal to improve the transition of federally-funded R&D from the laboratory to the marketplace as part of the President's Management Agenda. Key strategies include increasing engagement with private sector technology development experts and supporting innovative tools and services for technology transfer. To learn more, visit www.performance.gov/CAP/lab-to-market/.

About the SBA Office of Innovation and Technology

SBA coordinates the Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) programs, also known as America’s Seed Fund, which each year provide more than $4 billion in early stage seed capital totaling over 5,000 awards to small businesses. Companies supported by the SBIR/STTR programs often generate some of the most important breakthroughs each year in the U.S.  Additional information about the programs, as well as past and current topics can be found at www.sbir.gov.

 About the U.S. Small Business Administration 

The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.