Contact: Tom Still or Andrea Johnson at 608-442-7557
To learn more: www.wisconsintechnologycouncil.com/events/earlystage
Will be honored Oct. 30 at Early Stage Symposium
MADISON – Forty-six companies that won 74 federal research and development grants totaling $30.5 million will be honored Monday, Oct. 30, at the Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium.
The annual Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards ceremony will take place over dinner at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison, where the two-day symposium will focus on start-up companies seeking private capital and R&D grants to grow their businesses.
Dr. Thomas “Rock” Mackie, co-founder of TomoTherapy Inc., will speak during the awards dinner. The winner of the 2006 Governor’s Small Business Technology Transfer award will also be announced.
To register for the dinner or the full symposium, go to www.wisconsintechnologycouncil.com/events/earlystage
Wisconsin’s $30.5 million total covers the year ending March 31, 2006, and is comparable to last year’s awards total of $42 million, which covered an 18-month period ending March 31, 2005.
The federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs provide more than $2 billion annually to U.S. small businesses developing innovations of national interest. Recent Wisconsin legislation supports SBIR participation through state funding to engage proposal writers and matching grants for federal awards.
“The SBIR/STTR program is a critical piece of the technology financing pipeline,” said Kevin Kelbel, president of the Wisconsin Small Business Innovation Consortium, which charts the performance of state companies and organizes the awards ceremony. “These awards help companies develop and prove their technologies, and are a precursor to attracting angel and venture capital financing.”
Reflecting the influence of UW-Madison research and tech-transfer capacity, 30 Madison-area companies secured nearly $26.2 million, 86 percent of the federal award dollars. Dane County is home to nine of this year’s 10 largest award winners.
The biggest single winner is Orbital Technologies Corp., Madison, which secured 13 grants worth more than $7.7 million. Ten of the grants were from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Greater-Milwaukee-area companies will have a stronger presence at this year’s event than in past years. Southeastern Wisconsin accounted for 12 SBIR/STTR winning companies, 16 awards, and more than $3.8 million in awards.
Professionals interested in securing federal SBIR/STTR awards and connecting with winning companies should attend the Early Stage Symposium, which features an SBIR “successful strategies session,” and the National SBIR Conference, scheduled at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center, Nov. 6-9, 2006.
The national conference offers intensive training on all aspects of winning SBIR/STTR awards, from proposal preparation and grant management, to partnering and commercialization strategies. The conference offers a chance to meet with program managers of all participating SBIR/STTR agencies and clarify funding priorities. To view the conference agenda and to register, visit www.sbirworld.com/WI
The law firm of Michael, Best & Friedrich is a key sponsor of the Oct. 30 banquet, which follows a conference reception to be held at Monona Terrace – also sponsored by Michael, Best & Friedrich. Awards to honor the SBIR winners are being provided by M&I Bank.
