Washington, DC, July 24, 2003. SWIFT IV (SBIR/STTR - Where Innovation Focuses Technology) is an eight-day multi-State bus tour, which aims to fuel technology growth and development across the Northwest by promoting awareness of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs. This federal initiative offers more than $1.6 billion annually to U.S. small technology companies and research institutions.
Program managers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other Federal agencies participate in state-sponsored small business conferences and meet one-on-one with business owners, entrepreneurs, scientists, and researchers (that include teachers and educators, agricultural and healthcare professionals, medical practitioners, and engineers) to offer insight on how to tap into the $1.6 billion of SBIR and STTR funding earmarked for their successful research advancements.
"With technology advancing at a rapid rate and uncertain economic conditions, it is essential that we promote Federal funding opportunities to small businesses across the country--particularly in the Northwest, to help them stay competitive," said Jo Anne Goodnight, SBIR/STTR program manager at NIH. "Small technology firms throughout the United States represent a unique national resource for economic growth and technological innovation."
SWIFT IV travels to six U.S. localities including Boise, Salt Lake City, Reno, Sacramento, Portland, and Seattle
SWIFT Tour Conference Stops
Date City Sponsor
Thursday, Sept. 18 Boise, ID Idaho Small Business Development Center
Friday, Sept. 19 Salt Lake City Utah Centers of Excellence Program
Monday, Sept. 22 Reno, NV NSBDC, Nevada Commission on Economic Dev
Tuesday, Sept. 23 Sacramento Golden Capital Network, SARTA
Wed., Sept. 24 Portland, OR Oregon Economic & Community Dev Dept
Thursday, Sept. 25 Seattle, WA Washington Technology Center
Conference attendees in each city can participate in one-on-one meetings and informative seminars with research and development (R&D) program managers from Department of Health and Human Services (NIH), National Science Foundation, Department of Education, Department of Defense (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Special Operations Command, National Imagery and Mapping Agency, Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force), Department of Transportation, Department of Commerce (National Institute of Standards and Technology/Advanced Technology Program), Environmental Protection Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Department of Energy. For specific agency participation, contact conference sponsors.
"The goal of the SWIFT Tour is to educate and raise awareness about the SBIR/STTR Programs among small technology companies," said Jo Anne Goodnight. "While we participate in a variety of outreach endeavors, this multi--State bus tour allows for maximal exposure at a minimal expense providing an opportunity for Americans to see the 'faces' of what might have otherwise been perceived as a faceless bureaucracy".
The SBIR and STTR Programs issue awards to U.S. companies with 500 or fewer employees for conducting R&D projects, which have commercialization potential in the private and/or public sector. The program has three phases. Phase I awards up to $100,000 to test the feasibility of a concept. Phase II supports funding up to $750,000 that awardees use to expand first-phase results into a prototype. Phase III, encourages small business awardees to seek third-party funding sources from investors and venture capitalists to transfer the new technology into the commercial marketplace.
For more information, visit www.sba.gov/sbir .
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