At PBC we have a detailed plan we follow with clients to make sure they do whatever it takes during Phase I to win Phase II, as Phase II funding is the main reason to get involved in the SBIR/STTR arena in the first place.  We believe that a successful Phase II effort begins on Day One of Phase I, if not sooner.  

Here’s a brief list of the types of things we tell our Phase I winners.

• Don’t let the Phase I win go to your head (it’s only the beginning).  
• Request debriefings on winning proposals to determine where the weak spots are (as reviewers tend to be less forgiving on Phase IIs).
• Have everyone involved read the Phase I proposal and stick to the work plan.
• Do the homework that is needed beyond simply completing the work plan—i.e., study the Phase II requirements at the beginning of the Phase I effort, including the agency’s degree of Phase III commercialization emphasis. 
• Communicate with the agency’s technical monitor; decide what kind of “customer” you’re working with early on.
• Get expert help early on, or have an expert review your proposal at the very least. 

 
Every Phase I SBIR project requires a final report (and some also require interim reports).  Some agencies allow you to count the Phase I summary within the Phase II proposal as the final report, while others require a separate report, with a summary of that report included in the Phase II proposal. 

A surprise that occurs too often results from forgetting about the Phase I proposal once it is funded and then discovering two days before the Phase II proposal deadline that the results you have produced for the Phase I report don’t match what was promised in the work plan.  That does not happen when PBC oversees the proposal process. 

Since you wrote a winning Phase I proposal, you should be able to write a winning Phase II…if you follow all of the rules, get excellent Phase I results, stay current on the state of the art, do a great job creating a product development plan, getting Phase III commitments, etc.—and avoid writing a tome that could be used effectively as a doorstop.  It’s easy to see why many people hire professional to help them win the awards.

The work plan is always the guts of the proposal, but the Phase I results are key in setting up the work plan.  It is important to provide adequate background/rationale, and to make sure your proposal acknowledges any updates in the state of the art since you wrote the Phase I.  However, results and work plan are more important than repeating all of the background that the reviewers bought into in Phase I.

The product vision is also more important in the Phase II proposal.  What will this new product look like?  How will it work?  What makes it worth $400K to $750K in funding?

And finally, no matter what stage in the writing process you are at, it’s a good idea to speak with an expert on the subject.  Our proposal expert, Mark Henry, has helped hundreds of people and companies win SBIR/STTR funding. 

For more information contact Laurie at 303-999-8600 x806 or email info@pbcinc.com