SBIR/STTR Resource Center
UCR's SBIR/STTR Resource Center aids small businesses & UCR faculty in securing federal funds for innovative research & development.
Finding Funding Opportunities For Startups
Partially funded by the Small Business Administration (SBA) & partnered with UCR's EPIC Small Business Development Center (SBDC), the Center offers extensive support to navigate the complexities of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) & Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. It helps identify funding opportunities, understand program requirements, & connect with program officers, serving as a hub for proposal development & commercialization strategies. The SBIR/STTR Resource Center engages with clients and offers an extensive educational program open to all.
A 35% Success Rate - 2x the National Average
Our EPIC SBDC mentors assist with proposal content, including research design and project management, team development, strategy, technology commercialization, registrations, and proposal submission. This comprehensive approach has led to a 35% success rate for mentored submissions—2x the national average—resulting in over $54 million in funding for clients.
Technical and Business Assistance
The Center also provides Technical and Business Assistance (TABA) to SBIR and STTR awardees, offering commercialization assistance paid for by the awarding agency. TABA was made available to awardees because of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019. The legislation permits awardees to enter into agreements with one or more providers for TABA services. By leveraging TABA, awardees can enhance their commercialization efforts, ensuring their innovative products and technologies reach their full potential and make a significant impact in the marketplace.
TABA is a way for small businesses to get funding over and above their SBIR/STTR awards to contract with their own vendors and consultants for commercialization purposes, allowing the small businesses to stay focused on research and development while a vendor helps shape their commercialization roadmap. TABA funds may not be used for research and development (R&D) activities that are otherwise supported by the grant funds. You may apply for TABA funding as part of your SBIR/STTR Phase I (up to $6,500) or Phase II (up to $50,000) proposal and designate U C Riverside OTP and EPIC SBDC as your TABA advisor.
TABA funding can be used for, but not limited to:
- Assistance with product sales and development of corporate partnerships
- Intellectual property protections
- Market research and/or validation
- Development of regulatory plans
- Development of manufacturing plans
- Access to technical and business literature available through on-line databases
