NIH released a Notice on August 4th to announce that the Commercialization Assistance Program (CAP) is now open to NIH SBIR and STTR Phase II awardees to help awardees transition their SBIR-STTR developed products into the marketplace.
Through a NIH contract with Larta Inc. of Los Angeles, CAP is a 9 month mentoring and training program. Each participant works individually with an assigned industry expert called a Principal Adviser.
The program is aimed at helping participants evaluate their commercialization options based on their specific technologies and develop a solid market entry plan covering an 18 month period. The assistance is practical, actionable, and addresses gaps that the company is facing in their current commercialization situation.
CAP will enable a company to find market channels relevant to their business and to develop a clear understanding of potential customers, partners, investors, and competitors. Live feedback is made available from current industry executives and others.
Small businesses must meet the SBIR-STTR small business eligibility criteria as described in the Current Funding Opportunity Announcement available from the NIH Small Business Funding Opportunities web site at http://sbir.nih.gov.
The 2014 CAP will begin September 2014 and end June 2015. For more information and inquiries, email Lenka Fedorkova, PhD, at NIH or call 301-435-0921. To view the August 4th notice issued by NIH, go to http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-14-110.html.