ASBTDC Receives $125,000 Grant to Assist High-Tech Entrepreneurs
The (ASBTDC) at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has received a $125,000 grant to assist companies pursuing federal Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) grants and contracts.
The U.S. Small Business Administration awarded the grant under the Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership program. FAST seeks to improve outcomes in the SBIR/STTR programs for underserved communities by increasing participation from women-owned, rural-based, and socially or economically disadvantaged small businesses.
鈥淭he Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center is pleased to be among the awardees of the SBA鈥檚 FAST grant,鈥� said Laura Fine, state director of ASBTDC. 鈥淚nnovation and entrepreneurship are important to growing Arkansas鈥檚 economy, and this funding enables ASBTDC to continue our work helping emerging tech companies compete for and win SBIR and STTR awards.鈥�
ASBTDC is one of 32 grant awardees who received up to $125,000 from SBA for specialized training, mentoring, and technical assistance for research and development (R&D)-focused small businesses under the FAST program.
“As President Biden often says, great ideas come from anywhere and everywhere,鈥� said SBA Administrator Isabella Guzman.鈥�漇upporting鈥痑ll鈥痮ur nation鈥檚鈥痠nnovative startups鈥痑nd increasing equitable access to federal research funding is a priority鈥痜or the SBA,鈥痭ot just because it鈥檚 the right thing to do, but because it will build a stronger future for all of us.鈥�
This year鈥檚 recipients include state and local economic development organizations, Small Business and Technology Development Centers, Women鈥檚 Business Centers, Procurement Technical Assistance Centers, incubators, accelerators, colleges, and universities. All organizations will provide support to small businesses developing advanced technologies.
鈥淧rograms such as our annual accelHERate events, agency specific training, and Lab2Launch Accelerators are held virtually to make programs more accessible across the state,鈥� Fine said. 鈥淲e are very fortunate to have Rebecca Todd leading our FAST project. She is Arkansas鈥檚 leading expert on SBIR and STTR funding, and her clients praise the assistance she provides. Her knowledge of the programs is extensive, and she has good relationships with federal program managers at multiple agencies.鈥�
Todd, the innovation specialist at ASBTDC, said she is looking forward to continuing to help research-based companies explore federal funding opportunities to commercialize their innovations.
“We help entrepreneurs and established companies by providing tools that set them up for success in writing their SBIR and STTR federal proposals as well as ones for state-level technology commercialization funding,鈥� Todd said. 鈥淭hrough our Lab2Launch Accelerator, we provide focused, strategic guidance for statewide cohorts of researchers who are new to the SBIR/STTR program and seeking to prepare new Phase I applications for the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation. This program is a great way for participants to learn from each other and follow a curriculum-style approach to preparing competitive SBIR/STTR applications.”
For more information or assistance, contact Rebecca Todd at
[email protected] or 501-916-6721.
