Course 4: Finding Topics

To be successful in utilizing the SBIR or STTR programs, potential applicants must be willing to examine and understand what each agency needs and then determine if there is a match between Agency needs and your core competencies. Without an interest in both, you cannot be successful. When talking about “your” core competencies – the word “your” can refer to the specialized skills of the individual proposer who is just starting a company, or those skills that are already resident in the small business with which the applicant is affiliated. One assumption that you should make is that to be successful in the SBIR and STTR programs, the applicant must have research skills acquired either through formal training or through experience.