Technology Research & Development Center

430 West 7th Avenue • Anchorage AK • 99501 P: 907 274 7232 www.trendalaska.org

EPSCoR All Hands MeetingMay 25 2011Fairbanks, AK

Integrating Research and Business: EPSCoR Phase 0 Program

Alaska Phase 0 program

TREND is a partner program of the Alaska Small Business Development Center established in 2001 to provide assistance with the SBIR/STTR program.

TREND and the Alaska EPSCoR entered into an agreement to deliver a Phase 0 program for Alaska small businesses competing forSBIR/STTR grants beginning in 2002.

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR)

Basically, the programs represent a process through which federal agencies solicit small businesses to research and develop technology that is of interest or necessity to their agency and the nation.

Phase I is a feasibility study to evaluate the scientific and technical merit of an idea. Generally awards are for periods of up to six months in amounts up to $150,000.

Phase II is to expand on the results of Phase I and further pursue development through prototyping and pilot testing. Generally awards are for periods of up to two years in amounts up to $750,000.

Phase III is commercialization.

Alaska Phase 0 program

TREND and the Alaska EPSCoR recognized a need to increase the number of SBIR/STTR proposals being submitted by Alaska companies.

2008 State RankingsCA=697, MA=489

Alaska Phase 0 program

Effort to increase the number of SBIR proposals submitted from Alaskan businesses to compete for R&D funding.

Two levels of funding in the Phase 0 program:

1.Up to $5000 to assist small businesses in SBIR/STTR Phase I proposal preparation.

2.Up to $15,000 for companies with currently funded SBIR or STTR projects.

EPSCoR provides funding to deliver the Phase 0 program contingent upon funding.

The Alaska Phase 0 Program

An average of 6 companies a year apply for Phase 0/Bridge Grant funds. An average of 2 receive Phase I or II funding.

• Autonomous Underwater Animal Tracker

• Post-Secondary Language Retention Module

• Remote Low-Cost Road Monitoring Stations

• Disinfectant Efficacy on Surface Bacteria and Biofilms • Removal of Invasive Plants Washing System

• Native Alaskan Traditional Foods Interactive Game

• Support System for Flywheel Energy Storage

Alaska Phase 0 program

Phase 0 funding has been used to:

• Attend specialized training for interpreting lab results

• Conduct pre-launch market assessment

• Contract grant writer for technical writing and online submission requirements

• Meet with potential partners and consultants

• Research industry design standards for safety helmet • Attend a National SBIR/STTR conference to meet with agency Program Managers

• Collect data to use with corresponding modeled data for further validation of Phase I results

The Alaska Phase 0 Program

Students, both typical and atypical, are struggling to attain the minimal writing skills for successful primary education, higher education and training, and lifelong careers developing students.

•50% of first-year college students need remedial writing classes

•Mid-career professionals reflect that 30% to 50% of adults are not proficient writers

Developing Effective Mobile Applications to Improve Written Transcription Skills

“…the addition of tactile sensation, produced by the motor act of handwriting, is believed to create an understanding of the probability of letter sequences that are linked to the target word.”

Connections That Work, LLCAnchorage, AK$10,000NIH Phase I pending review

Phase 0 grant funding was requested to begin writing software code, hire grant writer, and meet with potential key personnel and consultants from Vanderbilt University, Baker University, Arizona, and Kansas.

The Alaska Phase 0 Program

Bridge grant funds were requested to address a concern identified by funders in the company’s Phase II proposal.

“No measures of cognitive impairment or sleep quality to ascertain whether the ERL program is actually impacting specific domains of function.”

The Phase II proposal would be significantly strengthened by gathering program-related neurophysiologic and biophysiological data prior to the start of the Phase II project.

Multi-media Imagery Program for Breast Cancer Survivors

http://www.ktuu.com/health/2yourhealth/

Mind Matters ResearchAnchorage, AKAward Amount: $20,000NIH Phase II

The Alaska Phase 0 Program

Scientific Fishery SystemsAnchorage, AKAward Amount: $20,000 USDA Phase I and II

SciFish proposes to install and operate a 25 MT fish meal/oil plant in Cordova Alaska for two consecutive salmon seasons, demonstrate that the quality of these products substantiates a premium price that justifies the capital investment needed for future systems, and develop an expansion plan that will allow the process developed and demonstrated in Cordova to be applied at other similar size seafood processing plants across Alaska.

Bridge grant funding was requested to complete a post Phase II pilot project to test market fish by-products (oil) in the NW health food and supplement industry.

Alaska Phase 0 program

FacilityPlant Components

Grinder Scrubber Separator

The Alaska Phase 0 Program

Value of the Phase 0 Program:

1.Generates positive net economic benefits to society 2.Stimulates innovation3.Bridges a gap between academic research and industry4.Gives small businesses and entrepreneurs the opportunity to compete nationally in a cutting edge R&D arena5.Improves the technical merit of a research project6.Increases the small business’ potential for commercialization success

TREND and EPSCoR

430 West 7th Avenue • Anchorage AK • 99501 P: 907 274 7232 www.trendalaska.org

Since 2003, the Alaska EPSCoR has provided TREND the funding to deliver the Phase 0 program.

The Alaska Phase 0 Program

Monetary Value of the Phase 0 Program:

The EPSCoR funding for the Phase 0 program has ranged from $70,000 to $17,000.

Regardless of the funding level, the Return On Investment has averaged 30% with a range of 5% to 46% in the past 5 year cycle.

The Alaska Phase 0 Program

Thank you for your time and attention!