The Montana Innovation Partnership powered by MSU TechLink

promotes technology-based economic development in the state

through education and expert technical assistance for SBIR/STTR proposals.

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Helping Montana innovators, entrepreneurs, and inventors

access critical Research and Development Funding

and craft effective commercialization plans.

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We do this through education, one-on-one consulting, proposal reviews,

commercialization planning, and collaboration with other technology-based

economic development partners across Montana.

About Us
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Proposal Assistance

We break down how to tackle market research for high tech innovations and guidelines to prepare well-crafted and persuasive SBIR/STTR proposals.

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FAST 2021 Micro-grants

Eligible MTIP clients can apply for FAST funds designated to help assist with costs related to writing SBIR/STTR proposals.

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Workshops

Events hosted by MTIP to help you succeed along the way. Find out when and where our next workshop will be held and sign up today.

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What is SBIR?

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is a highly competitive program that encourages domestic small businesses to engage in Federal Research/Research and Development (R/R&D) that has the potential for commercialization. Through a competitive awards-based program, SBIR enables small businesses to explore their technological potential and provides an incentive to profit from its commercialization. By including qualified small businesses in the nation’s R&D arena, high-tech innovation is stimulated and the U.S. builds entrepreneurial spirit as it meets specific R&D needs.

What is STTR?

Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) is another program that expands funding opportunities in the federal innovation R&D arena. Central to the program is expansion of public/private sector partnerships to include joint venture opportunities for small businesses and nonprofit research institutions. The unique feature of the STTR program is the requirement for the small business to formally collaborate with a research institution in Phase I and Phase II. STTR’s most important role is to bridge the gap between performance of basic science and commercialization of resulting innovations.

Click here for a breakdown of the difference

Launching Montana Companies since 1996

Latest Blog PostsRead More

SBIR – not your only source of funding

If you haven’t noticed, we’re kind of fangirls of the SBIR/STTR programs. Across Montana and the nation, some fabulous companies haveRead More

TechLink Center Receives FAST Award

Montana State University’s TechLink Center has been awarded a federal grant to expand its assistance to technology-related businesses across Montana.Read More

Technical Readiness Level

Technical Readiness Level What’s a TRL? Technical readiness levels represent a scale for estimating the development of technologies throughout theRead More

The Project Pitch and F.A.Q.

The Project Pitch and F.A.Q. The first step in the NSF SBIR program is submitting a project pitch. This three-pageRead More

Citations in SBIR/STTR Proposals

Citations in SBIR/STTR Proposals by Christie Bell, CLP While citations are not required in SBIR and STTR proposals, application authorsRead More

Should you hire a grant writer?

Should you hire a grant writer? by Ann Peterson, MTIP Program Manager In our recent SBIR/STTR proposal workshops, a questionRead More

Resources

These pages are to help small businesses unfamiliar with the SBIR and STTR programs discover what they may be eligible for and how they can win.

Click here for IP Resources

Click here for SBIR Candidate Guides

Click here for SBIR best practices

Agencies & Solicitations

SBIR/STTR solicitations are released throughout the year. To help with planning, this calendar provides a general overview of when participating agencies have released solicitations in the past. Be sure to check each agency website for exact release and due dates.

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The Power of Partnership

MTIP powered by MSU TechLink is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration with additional program support from the Montana Department of Commerce.

Testimonials

The STTR funding and state grants we received have allowed us to remain independent. We can just focus on doing the research and have ultimate control over our company structure and the right time to pursue commercialization of a product.

DR. PHILIPPE DIAZ, DERMAXON
MTIP was my only help on the first grant, which would have been too much to tackle on my own in the time frame required. Without the SBIR, I would have had to take a job and not been able to start my company and explore this technology.

SARAH LUKES, AGILE FOCUS DESIGNS
The great thing about SBIR is to explore an idea without begging for money from investors, thereby stretching dollars without giving away equity. This equity free support is tremendously valuable for small companies like mine, especially in the lengthy and expensive process of medical device development.

RICHARD CLARKE, YELLOWSTONE SCIENTIFIC
MTIP definitely helped with securing the original funding by supporting our efforts to write a winning proposal. Overall we've attracted about $3 million in outside funding to the state.

RANDY HIEBERT, MONTANA EMERGENT TECHNOLOGIES
MTIP's proposal help early on was very valuable. I don't think I can overstate the value of sending a proposal to a skilled editor who can help translate big ideas on paper.

DR. DAVID DRISCOLL, GLACIGEN
The SBIR program is important because it helps companies develop novel technologies that are both of interest to the company and of use to government agencies.

JAMES BECK, SUNBURST SENSORS