SBIR Proposal Writing Basics: Addressing Disasters & Emergency Response
Gail
& Jim Greenwood,
Many
of us are still glued to the radio and TV, tracking progress in rescuing victims
of Hurricane Katrina and aiding those who have lost so much.
While our hearts go out to the victims, and many have opened wallets
and/or volunteered time to meet immediate needs, Katrina may lead to
opportunities for SBIR/STTR companies to make lasting impacts.
Katrina
demonstrated a number of unmet needs when it comes to natural disasters and
emergency responses to them. We’re
not expert in this area, but whether it is an ability to better predict
hurricane intensity and paths, ways to effectively and inexpensively improve
levees before they breech, improvements to communications systems for emergency
responders, or a single database where victims can register and search on line
or by phone to locate family members and friends, there are many opportunities
for SBIR/STTR projects.
Several
specific agencies deserve mention. The
Dept of Commerce’s SBIR program includes National Oceanographic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which has interests in environmental and
oceanic projects. Dept of Homeland
Security (DHS) includes FEMA, so look to DHS’s SBIR solicitation (and starting
soon, its STTR solicitation) for emergency response topics and interests.
National Institutes of Health (NIH) have interests in anything related to
human health and wellbeing, including both physical and mental health, and
therefore could become the recipient of your proposal for any innovation tied to
the physical or mental health of hurricane victims, both long and short term
(Kudos, by the way, to NIH for already helping grant recipients impacted by
Katrina). The Department of
Agriculture (USDA), although not requesting additional SBIR proposals until next
summer, is interested in innovations that help rural communities and small
towns. And remember that some topics
of the Department of Defense (DOD), the largest agency in the SBIR and STTR
programs, may be as relevant to natural disasters and emergency response as they
are to military situations: communications, medical triage, and computerized
training systems to hone deployment and coordination skills are all “dual
use” ideas that could benefit domestic preparedness.
We also may see disaster-specific topics in future DOD solicitations,
given the agency’s expanded role in Katrina rescue and recovery efforts.
Conduct
key word searches at www.zyn.com or www.sbirworld.com
to find topics and solicitations that might support your innovation, both in
these agencies as well as others that may take a greater interest in natural
disasters and emergency relief after Katrina.
We also believe that topics that have a terrorism focus may be more
broadly interpreted in light of Katrina to include innovations that help in
natural as well as man-made disasters. Talking to representatives of agencies
with such topics about their receptivity to your natural disaster/emergency
response proposal is always a good idea.
To
support recovery of the states impacted most by Katrina, we are offering to
review any Phase 1 SBIR or STTR proposal from applicants in
With
your great ideas and the support of the SBIR/STTR program, we hope that the
impact and devastation seen after Katrina will never be repeated.