21 Sep 2009

SIA has scheduled a webinar that teaches small businesses how to apply for grants successfully
The Security Industry Association has scheduled a webinar for Thursday, Oct. 8, on a pair of programmes that can be important sources of grant funds for small businesses.

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programme and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programme provide research and development grant funding to small businesses as a way to spur technological innovation and meet federal R&D needs. Through the SBIR programme, certain federal agencies are required to set aside 2.5 percent of R&D dollars for small businesses. The STTR programme, meanwhile, makes awards to small businesses that work with researchers at universities and other research institutions. Together, these programmes ensure that small businesses are active participants in the federal R&D process.

The webinar will provide attendees with expert perspectives about the purposes of the programmes, requirements for applying for grants, proposed legislative changes to the programmes and best practices for leveraging SBIR/STTR grant funds as a way to grow their businesses. Three speakers have been confirmed for the event:

  • Edsel Brown, Jr., assistant administrator in the Office of Technology of the U.S. Small Business Administration
  • Kay Etzler, SBIR/STTR program analyst in the Office of Extramural Research of the National Institutes of Health
  • Jere Glover, executive director of the Small Business Technology Council

The webinar is free for SIA members and costs $35 for non-members. Registration information is available on the SIA Web site.