Please see the full solicitation for complete information about the funding opportunity. Below is a summary assembled by the Research & Innovation Office (RIO).

Program SummaryÌı

The Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program provides funding to organizations to execute state/regional programs that increase the number of SBIR/STTR proposals leading to an increase in the number of SBIR/STTR awards from women, socially/babyÖ±²¥appally disadvantaged individuals, and small businesses in underrepresented areas - typically rural states.

As set forth in the Small Business Act (Rev.13 p. 281) FAST awards build the SBIR/STTR ecosystem through:

  1. Outreach: increase the pipeline of SBIR/STTR applicants through training and outreach; and build the capacity of partner organizations and individuals to support SBIR/STTR applicants and existing awardees.
  2. Technical and business assistance: support entrepreneurs and startups through programs or services that improve proposal development and team creation; provide assistance that leads to the commercialization of technology developed through SBIR/STTR program funding; and form or encourage relevant mentoring networks to provide business advice and counseling.
  3. Financial support: make grants or loans to applicants to pay a portion or all the cost of developing SBIR/STTR proposals (Phase 0), attending relevant conferences, and bridging gaps between phases.

FAST Priorities: To ensure the full utilization of all FAST funds, it is strongly recommended that every Non-federal entity request a Federal award amount that can be managed and realistically achieved within a three-year period of performance. A Non-federal entity’s technical proposal and budget should be clearly focused and targeted based on the TOP PRIORITY of increasing SBIR/STTR participation among small businesses in the Non-federal entity’s state and address the key performance measures outlined below.

Key Performance Measures:

  1. Reach 100% utilization of the award.
  2. Increase the number of eligible small business concerns in the State that participate in SBIR/STTR.
  3. Increase the participation of eligible underrepresented small business concerns in the SBIR/STTR.
  4. Increase the level of technical and business assistance available to eligible small business concerns to develop and commercialize technology through SBIR/STTR.

Deadlines

CU Internal Deadline: 11:59pm MST May 10, 2021

Sponsor Deadline: 3:00pm MST June 3, 2021

Internal Application Requirements (all in PDF format)

  • Project Description (2 pages maximum): Please include details around: 1) Organizational Experience and Capacity; 2) Project Management; 3) Local and Regional SBIR Efforts; and 4) Project Design.
  • PI Curriculum Vitae
  • Budget Overview (1 page maximum): A basic budget outlining project costs is sufficient; detailed OCG budgets are not required.

To access the online application, visit:

Eligibility

See the solicitation for full eligibility requirements.

Limited Submission Guidelines

An Applicant may submit only one proposal in response to this Announcement. Any additional applications from the same organization will automatically be rejected without being evaluated.

Award Information

SBA expects to make approximately 8 awards with a maximum amount of up to $125,000. Only qualified recipients will be funded. There is a matching fund requirement. The length of the project is a total of 36 months with three 12-month budget periods.