SBIR Proposal Writing Basics: Propose Innovations, But Don’t Propose Innovatively

Gail & Jim Greenwood, Greenwood Consulting Group, Inc.

Copyright © 2005 by Greenwood Consulting Group, Inc.

Sometimes proposers to the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program make a simply but potentially costly mistake.  That mistake comes when they see “innovation” in the title of program, and they conclude that they should present their proposal in an innovative fashion.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

The idea in SBIR is to present your innovative idea (for solving a problem or exploiting an opportunity) in a very conventional way.  That conventional way is specified in the instructions in each agency’s Phase 1 solicitation.  It generally includes a specified set of sections into which the proposal should be divided, and usually requires that you include all sections in the order requested (even if they do not all apply to your proposal).  It specifies nit picks like margin widths, minimal font sizes, whether graphics can be included in color, and (as electronic transmission of proposals becomes more commonplace) what format the file containing the proposal should be in.

“Who cares about all this nit picky stuff,” you say, “I’ve got such brilliant ideas that the reviewers will overlook such meaningless requirements.”  Such logic ignores two important fundamentals of the SBIR proposal review process.

First, administrative staff often review proposals to see that all the nit picks have been followed BEFORE they send the proposals on for review of their technical merits.  Therefore, if you fail to comply with all of the nit picks, your proposal may never get a technical review.  Second, technical reviewers don’t like to  wade through a proposal that is oddly or “creatively” organized, trying to find key sections.  In other words, your creativity in organizing the proposal may lead to a reviewer getting very frustrated with it, which certainly will not help your chances of getting funded.

With this in mind, here are a few tips on organizing your proposal:

1. Follow the instructions.  Seems obvious, but our review of proposals suggests many SBIR (and STTR) proposal writers fail to pay attention to the requirements that are clearly spelled out in the instructions section of each agency’s solicitation. 
2. Organize the proposal as specified in the solicitation.  We don’t always agree with the order that a particular agency wants you to present the proposal material, but the Golden Rule applies:  The agency has the gold, so you need to follow its rules about the order of the various sections.
3. Title sections using the titles in the instructions.  If an agency asks you to include a section called “Identification and Significance of the Problem or Opportunity ,” then you should call the corresponding section in your proposal by the same title.  Why?  Because it makes it easier for a reviewer to identify a section that he or she is looking for. 
4. Use other wording found in the instructions.  If the instructions ask you to list the questions that need to be answered to prove feasibility, then we recommend that you include a sentence that reads something like “The questions that we will need to answer to prove feasibility are:”  Why?  Because it makes it easier for the reviewer to see that you have addressed this requirement that is specified in the instructions. 
5. Include every mandatory section in the proposal.  Even if it is a section that is not relevant to your proposal, if the instructions indicate that it should be included, then include it.  Simply write the title, followed by “not applicable” or “n/a” or some similar response.  Or you may choose to elaborate briefly on why the section isn’t applicable:  for example, “Our firm does not propose to use vertebrate animals for this project, and therefore this section is not applicable.”
6. When in doubt, ask.  If you aren’t certain whether a particular section is mandatory or optional, or whether a particular form, section or checklist applies to your proposal, then call or email the agency’s SBIR/STTR program manager and ask.  We know of a number of proposals that were tossed out as “non responsive” recently because a necessary form was omitted or a question on the cover page was answered incorrectly. 
7. Follow directions and limitations on graphics.  Most agencies allow graphics as part of your proposal, and generally they are a good thing to include.  However, some agencies have limitations on the use of color, size of fonts in graphics, and other things.  And consider how elaborate or color-rich photographs may impact the size of the files you have to upload to submit your proposal to the agency, especially if you tend to be a last minute uploader.
8. Avoid tricky formatting.  Whether it is doing two column formats or using an unusual font, these tricks often backfire on you.  Again, keep the innovation to your proposed project, not the proposal format.

SBIR and STTR are all about bringing innovations and ideas to fruition and commercialization.  However, if you don’t pay attention to the nit picks, your great stuff may never get serious consideration.  Give priority to these basics, and have either someone in your firm (or an outsider) who is a good detail person go through your proposal and the solicitation instructions before you submit the proposal to make sure you’ve not missed any important nit picks.