So you’ve got a smashing new idea for Hydrogen Powered Sub-Atomic Chicken Caliper, that is going to totally reverse the direction of nano-tech research and revolutionize the poultry industry at the same time.

Good start.

You’re looking for SBIR assistance to help you develop your new idea. But what agency will you go to find that assistance?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) seems like a logical first choice, but is it? How do you find out?

First, some simple rules apply.

Rule #1 Before you can apply to an agency you must find a topic closely matches or fits with your idea.

Rule #2 Just about every agency is likely to have a topic that could incorporate your idea.

Lesson #1 Just because the USDA seems to be the logical first choice, doesn’t mean it should be your first choice or only choice. Review Rule #2 and memorize it. Too many people become discourage when they can’t find a good topic match with their logical first choice and discontinue their search, only to find out later that there was a good topic listed under the most illogical choice of agencies. Be prepared to search all agencies. Remember Winston Churchill and “never, never, never…quit.”

Open and Closed Solicitations?
In order to apply to an agency that agency must have an open solicitation, meaning they are currently accepting proposals. Most agencies solicit proposals once a year, some more often than that. The fastest way to find out what agency has open solicitations and which agencies are closed is to go to www.zyn.com/sbir/scomp.htm . The fastest way to get there is by clicking on agency deadlines in the frame on the left.

You may want to, and you can research old solicitations and topics. This is useful when you are trying to determine an agency’s previous needs and anticipate their future needs. The proposal you are writing may not be ready until the next cycle and very often agencies will repeat their topics. You might even call them to ask what their plans are.

Topic Search Specifics
You are just about ready to do a topic search. One final comment. Some agencies publish very general topics and can accept a wide range of proposals. USDA is one of them. Other agencies are very specific, for example, the Department of Defense. They might ask for Nitrogen Powered Sub-Atomic Chicken Caliper. In which case you should call them and see if they might find a Hydrogen powered one useful. They might not have thought about it. Don’t be afraid to talk to the topic authors. As a matter of fact, in any case you should. Most successful proposals start with dialogue between the company and the agency.

With all this in mind, you are ready to go to one of the search engines listed below. Make sure to bookmark them. Once there, you will be able to search open solicitations as well as closed solicitations for topics that are similar to your own. You’ll be required to enter key words and the search engine will return links to similar topics.

Make sure to turn over all the stones in your search. If an initial search for Hydrogen Powered Sub-Atomic Chicken Caliper doesn’t turn up anything, try to simplify your search. Search chickens and calipers separately and see what you come up with. Try hydrogen, hydrogen powered, hydrogen power, etc. Remember the computer doesn’t understand what you mean. It takes everything literally.

You should be ready to give it a try…good luck. Click on one of the links below and start your adventure.

www.zyn.com/sbir/scomp.htm Once you get to this page there will be a search block and instructions in the upper right hand corner of the page. You can’t miss it.

www.sbirworld.com/globalsearch.asp This page will take you directly to a dedicated search page. No explanations necessary.