The Montana Innovation Partnership (MTIP) powered by MSU TechLink Center in partnership with the U. S Small Business Administration and the Montana Department of Commerce offers no-cost services to help Montana innovators and entrepreneurs learn about and compete for over $4 billion in federal research and development funding under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.  We provide assistance with activities related to successfully participating in these programs such as proposal reviews, intellectual property guidance, commercialization planning, and referrals.

The Montana Technology Innovation Partnership program was established by the Montana Department of Commerce in 1999 to support technology-based economic development.  In August 2018, the management of the MTIP program transitioned to Montana State University’s TechLink Center. We are driven to help Montana’s tech-based entrepreneurs and innovators secure vital seed funding for their ground-breaking technologies.

We work with individuals and small businesses engaged in research and development (R&D) of truly innovative technologies or products. We are also focused on helping women-owned, minority-owned, veteran-owned, and rural tech companies to successfully compete for SBIR/STTR capital. Our core objectives are:

• To offer technical assistance for SBIR and STTR proposals
• To assist businesses in securing seed capital for research and development
• To provide educational opportunities that target Montana’s technology-based businesses and service providers
• To identify and guide businesses to appropriate local and national resources – technical, business, financial or university
• To deliver result-oriented services to help technology-based businesses achieve personal commercialization goals
• To complement, not duplicate, the services of other service providers