Innovator to Entrepreneur Program (ITEP) Application Is Now Open

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The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), in association with the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), launched a new program in 2023 to provide training and resources for the Innovator to Entrepreneur Program (ITEP). This program is administered by Foresight Science & Technology, and applications are now being accepted for the second cohort.

ITEP will assist aspiring entrepreneurs by providing cohort-based comprehensive training that covers the key elements of company launch, business strategy development, intellectual property protection, market research and customer discovery, startup financing, and small business innovation research (SBIR)/small business technology transfer (STTR) grantsmanship.

This training will be provided at no cost to all program participants. To be eligible for the program, participants must meet the following criteria:

Have little to no previous experience in entrepreneurship
Have not previously received an NIH SBIR/STTR award
Develop products that are within the scope of NIAID and NHLBI areas of interest

Apply online to be part of the second cohort of ITEP participants.

ITEP strongly encourages participation from underrepresented groups, including Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSBs) and Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Businesses (SDBs). This program may be of particular interest to organizations actively promoting innovation and entrepreneurship among minorities, women, and socially disadvantaged groups, such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Women Business Organizations, HUBZone programs, and others.

For questions regarding the NIAID ITEP Program, please contact:

Reda El Alami

Foresight Science & Technology

Email: reda.elalami@ForesightST.com

Phone 401-273-4844 ext. 4006

Kelli Cardoso

Project Administrator

Email: kelli.cardoso@foresightst.com

Phone: 401-273-4844 ext. 4009

Subscribe to the NIAID email list and NHLBI Newsletter to receive the latest information about ITEP and other opportunities.

NIAID Small Business Applicant Assistance Program

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Opening Soon

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Small Business Applicant Assistance Program (AAP) will open for applications on May 5th, 2025 at 12:00 p.m. ET. This program cycle is intended for applicants who plan to submit their Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant applications for the September 5, 2025 submission deadline.

The NIAID Small Business AAP will offer support for companies planning to apply for a NIAID Phase I, Phase II/IIB, Fast Track, or Direct-to-Phase II SBIR/ STTR Awards at no cost.

Participants in the NIAID AAP will work one-on-one with a Senior Consultant from Foresight Science & Technology, who will help you prepare your proposal with such services as Outlines and Checklist, Registration Guidance, Review and Feedback on Commercialization Plan, Research Strategy, Budget, and/or other Attachments.

To be eligible for the program, you must meet the following criteria:

Your company must be eligible to apply for NIH SBIR/STTR grants based on the NIH Small Business Eligibility Criteria.
The research area of interest aligns with the mission of NIAID. You can read NIAID High-Priority Areas of Interest to determine if your application fits within NIAID’s mission.
Your company intends to submit a Phase I, Phase II/IIB, Fast Track, or Direct-to-Phase II (including U44 applications) SBIR/STTR application. Completion of the 4 required registrations is strongly recommended for all applicants. If you have completed the registrations in the past, please make sure that all registrations are renewed and updated properly. CRP and SBIR contract applications are not eligible to participate in this program.
Your Phase II application must be received within the first six receipt dates following the expiration of the Phase I budget period.
Your company intends to submit a SBIR/STTR application for the September 5, 2025 grant submission deadline.

If you meet the eligibility requirements and are interested in the AAP, we suggest applying as soon as the program opens. Participation is limited to the first 35 qualified applicants.

For questions regarding the NIAID Applicant Assistance Program, please contact:
Mrs. Kelli Cardoso
Program Administrator
Foresight Science & Technology
Email: kelli.cardoso@foresightst.com

Tech Connect World & SBIR/STTR Spring Conference

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Foresight Science & Technology is happy to announce that we will be exhibiting at the Tech Connect World & SBIR/STTR Spring Conference in Washington, DC, on June 17th-18th, 2024.

If you will be attending this event and would like to learn more about our SBIR/STTR Technical and Business Assistance (TABA) services, then be sure to swing by booth 731 and see us! Still not sure if you would like to attend? Check out their website here or contact Alyssa Belleville at alyssa@foresightst.com for more information.

New TABA Service Available from Foresight

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Foresight Science & Technology (Foresight), in collaboration with their consulting partners, has developed a dynamic matchmaking service to rapidly scale SBIR/STTR companies’ research and commercialization. To help alleviate time, funding, and resources that SBIR companies may not have, Foresight can be the bridge between SBIR companies and federal laboratories. Under the SBIR Technical and Business Assistance (TABA) program, SBIR companies can work with Foresight as a vendor to accomplish their commercialization objectives. With this TABA service Foresight will provide guidance to the company along the way, identifying resources and facilities, and assisting with any agreements that may be necessary to collaborate with the laboratory. This service is designed to rapidly scale SBIR research and commercialization by tapping into the vast range of resources available within federal research enterprises.

Why choose Foresight?

Foresight has a long history of both SBIR commercialization success and federal technology transfer partnerships. Existing relationships with numerous federal laboratories allow Foresight consultants to quickly identify the right partner for their SBIR clients and can effectively build new networks between the private sector and federal government that have been previously overlooked.

Foresight is seeking SBIR companies with unmet research needs that would like to take advantage of this new, exciting service. We are eager to help you rapidly scale your research and commercialization needs!

The Catalyst SBIR-STTR Summit

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Foresight exhibited at The Catalyst Center for Business & Entrepreneurship’s SBIR-STTR Summit on February 23, 2021. This virtual event brought together innovators, creators, and entrepreneurs from all areas – commercial, government and academia. If you didn’t get the chance to stop by our virtual exhibit, Click here to learn more about Foresight’s SBIR/STTR Technical and Business Assistance (TABA) services!

2019-2020 NIH Niche Assessment Program

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For HHS SBIR/STTR Phase I Awardees

THE APPLICATION PERIOD FOR THE 2019-2020 NIH NICHE ASSESSMENT PROGRAM IS NOW CLOSED

Additional Technical Assistance information will be available prior to Fall 2020.

The Niche Assessment Program is designed to help small businesses jump start their commercialization efforts. All active HHS (NIH, CDC, FDA) SBIR/STTR Phase I awardees and Phase I Fast-Track awardees (by grant or contract) are eligible to apply. Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis!

The Niche Assessment Program provided by Foresight Science & Technology provides awardees with market insight and data that can be used to help strategically position their technology in the marketplace, develop their commercialization plans for their Phase II application, and be exposed to potential partners.

Technology Niche Analyses® (TNA®) are provided by Foresight for two hundred (200) HHS SBIR/STTR Phase I awardees. These analyses assess potential applications for a technology and then for one viable application, it provides an assessment of the:

Needs and concerns of end-users;
Competing technologies and competing products;
Competitive advantage of the SBIR/STTR-developed technology;
Market size and potential market share (may include national and/or global markets);
Barriers to market entry (may include but is not limited to pricing, competition, government regulations, manufacturing challenges, capital requirements, etc.);
Market drivers;
Status of market and industry trends;
Potential customers, licensees, investors, or other commercialization partners; and,
The price customers are likely to pay.

Each participant receives an in-depth report of Foresight’s findings. Oftentimes the small businesses can use this information in their commercialization plans which are part of their Phase II applications.

The analysis has three steps:

(1) In the first step, Foresight will gather the pertinent information needed from the SBIR/STTR awardee to identify feasible applications of the technology. Often times, several non-obvious uses are found, and such secondary applications may provide a path to market that is faster than the primary biomedical use.
(2) In the second step, Foresight will analyze the selected use of the technology to determine the end-user needs, current and emerging competing technologies, market dynamics, socio-economic trends and market drivers, and to quantify the market size and participant’s possible share. This second step determines the technology’s current competitive advantages and how to improve competitiveness.
(3) In the third step, Foresight will recommend a market entry strategy. This strategy includes how to market the technology to end-users, how to obtain outside partners, and also projects revenues for the technology. Likely lead customers, testing centers, suppliers, manufacturers, and/or other relevant organizations interested in participating in the downstream research as beta testers or concurrent engineering advisors will be identified.

For assistance regarding the online set-up form, please contact:
Ms. Paula Williams
Project Coordinator
Foresight Science & Technology
Telephone: (401) 273-4844, ext. 4001
Email: Paula.Williams@foresightst.com

Specific questions about TNA’s may be directed to:
Konstantin Izvolsky, PhD.
Director of Consulting and Training
Foresight Science & Technology
Telephone: (401) 273-4844, ext. 4003
Email: konstantin.izvolsky@foresightst.com

General questions about Niche Assessment Program may be directed to:
Robert Vinson
Program Manager
NIH SBIR/STTR Program
Office of Extramural Programs
Phone: (301) 435-2713
Email: sbir@od.nih.gov