TOPICS & CATEGORIES
By Kate Finkel, Staff Writer
BBC Entrepreneurial Training & Consulting (BBCetc) conducted the “DOD SBIR: Formatting and Readability Webinar,” in conjunction with the Central Florida Tech Grove, Sept. 9.
The webinar emphasized that a well-crafted Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) proposal with good writing and formatting improves readability for government reviewers, effectively highlights a technology’s strengths, and makes a proposal more competitive for consideration.
Monique Branham, a BBCetc principal consultant, presented the webinar’s content. She outlined how different agencies manage the review process, how to help reviewers with understandable formatting, grantsmanship tips for success, and tactics to make proposals stronger.
“The objectives of the [Department of Defense] SBIR/STTR program are to stimulate, strengthen, encourage, increase, and acquire,” Branham said.
She advised writers to draft proposals that align with these objectives. More specifically, they include stimulating technological innovation in DOD’s critical technology areas, strengthening the role of small business in meeting DOD research and development needs, encouraging participation by minority and disadvantaged persons in technological innovation, increasing commercial application of DOD-supported research and development results, and acquiring technology to benefit warfighters.
“Rule number one is to make the reviewers happy,” Branham said. “You want to make their job of understanding and scoring your application as easy as possible, and you should always assume that the reviewer knows nothing about your project. If you want them to know something, you must clearly write it out and explain it to your reviewer.”
Branham explained that reviewers often evaluate proposals that are not in their specific field. Small business owners should target “an educated nonexpert” when drafting proposals, so that any competent DOD reviewer working in the general area can understand and evaluate the application.
One of Branham’s final tips was for proposal writers to take a technical approach that featured feasible, innovative solutions with a well-structured implementation plan and a capable team. A proposal that successfully integrates these elements is more likely to be impactful and worthy of consideration for funding or support.
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