One of the goals of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is to “increase private sector commercialization of innovations developed through Federal SBIR R&D.” Reauthorization legislations have consistently emphasized this goal by requiring agencies to include as a review criterion the commercial potential of a proposed project. To help NIH SBIR awardees move their products into the marketplace, NIH is developing a “menu” of technical assistance programs that will provide technical and/or commercialization assistance specific to the companies’ individual needs.  Programs are pilot tested prior to offering to all SBIR awardees. 

NIH offers the following trans-NIH SBIR assistance programs:

• Commercialization Assistance Program (CAP): Provides assistance with developing and implementing an appropriate business strategy that will help commercialize the products that have resulted from federally funded SBIR research projects. Slots for seventy-five (75) NIH SBIR Phase II awardees are available each year.
  
  Click here for CAP details
  
  
• Niche Assessment Program (NAP): Assesses if there are other applications or niches for the SBIR-developed technology and evaluates the market opportunities, needs and concerns of the end-users, and helps to discover new markets for possible entry. Slots for seventy-five (75) NIH SBIR Phase I awardees are available each year.
  
  Click here for NAP details
  
  
• Manufacturing Assistance Program (MAP): In partnership with the NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program, the goal of MAP is to assist SBIR awardees with making decisions when developing their operational manufacturing transition strategies (method of scale up, cost estimation, quality control, prototyping, design for manufacturability, facility design, process development/improvement, vendor identification and selection, plant layout, etc.) Slots for twenty-five (25) NIH SBIR Phase II awardees are available each year.
  
  Click here for MAP details