Episode 8. How Early Should I Start? A Quick Timeline from Application to Award

NCI SBIR Team Leaders Monique Pond and Jonathan Franca-Koh cover the basics of registering a small business for an SBIR/STTR application and the anticipated timeline to expect from submitting an application to receiving an award.
Listen to this podcast to hear:
• Guidance on the four registrations that should be completed before applying for SBIR/STTR funding
• Managing eRA Commons accounts
• Addressing registration errors and warnings
• Reviewing the SBIR/STTR grants application summary statement
• Typical timeline from applying to receiving an award
Podcast Guest Speakers:
Name
Bios
Monique Pond, PhD
Program Director and Team Leader
SBIR Development Center
National Cancer Institute
Monique Pond, PhD is a Program Director in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Development Center at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). She manages a portfolio of grants and contracts to small businesses developing novel cancer therapies, digital health technologies, and therapeutic devices. Pond leads the CARE program, Connecting Awardees with Regulatory Experts, and other collaborative initiatives with FDA to assist small businesses in navigating the regulatory pathway for their technology. She initially joined the NCI SBIR Development Center in 2018 as a Science & Technology Policy Fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science.




Jonathan Franca-Koh, PhD, MBA
Program Director & Team Leader
SBIR Development Center
National Cancer Institute
Dr. Jonathan Franca-Koh is a Program Director at the National Cancer Institute's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Development Center. Jonathan manages SBIR & STTR grants and contracts with a focus on cancer therapeutics and novel tools for research and drug discovery. He provides oversight throughout the award period and mentors applicants and awardees in developing their technology goals and commercialization strategy. Additionally, he plays an active role in several center initiatives, including recent investor forums, workshops, targeted funding opportunities, and represents the NCI on the trans-NIH REACH program. Prior to joining the SBIR Development Center, Jonathan was a Program Director at the NCI Division of Cancer Biology and Center for Strategic Scientific Initiatives, overseeing the Physical Sciences-Oncology Centers (PS-OC) program, a network of interdisciplinary centers that brought together physical scientists and cancer biologists. Jonathan received his PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of London’s Institute of Cancer Research in 2003, and completed post-doctoral research at Johns Hopkins University and the J. Craig Venter Institute. In 2014 he completed his MBA from Johns Hopkins University, focusing on finance and health care innovation.

Programs referenced in this episode:
• SAM (System for Award Management) - sam.gov/content/home
• eRA Commons - www.era.nih.gov/register-acco...
• Grants.gov - www.grants.gov/applicants/app...
• SBA (Small Business Administration) - www.sbir.gov/registration
• NIH SEED Small Business Funding - seed.nih.gov/small-business-f...
Transcript:
MONIQUE POND: Hello everyone and welcome to Innovation Lab, your go to resource for all things biotech startups, brought to you by the National Cancer Institute’s Small Business Innovation Research or SBIR Development Center.

Our podcast hosts interviews with successful entrepreneurs and provides resources for small businesses looking to take their cutting edge cancer solutions from lab to market. I'm Dr. Monique Pond, a Program Director and team lead here at NCI SBIR and I'll be today's host.

Today, we'll discuss a typical timeline for applicants from submitting their SBIR/STTR application to hopefully successfully receiving an award. Once again, we're joined by my fellow program Director and Team Leader at the NCIS SBR Development Center, Dr. Jonathan Franca-Koh. Welcome back, Johnny.

JONATHAN FRANCA-KOH: Thanks, Monique, happy to be here.

MONIQUE POND: So for people listening in today, before applying for SBIR/STTR funding, what does an applicant need to do?

JONATHAN FRANCA-KOH: As we discussed in the previous podcast episode, one of the first things you should do is contact a program director in our office and we'd be happy to walk through the process with you.

One of the first things you need to do is complete your company registrations. Here, there are four registrations that need to be completed. These are the SAM or Sy...