Having worked for the PA Department of Community and Economic Development for 14 years, Kelly Wylam knows a thing or two about helping nurture technology companies throughout the state. While working in the DCED’s Technology Investment Office, Wylam was in charge of the state’s nanotechnology initiative and provided oversight for the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority’s University Grant Funding and Keystone Innovation Starter Kit programs.
It’s easy then to believe Wylam when she espouses the virtues of the Innovation Partnership, a one-of-a-kind way of connecting young companies and new innovators in PA with federal technology funding. When IPart was conceptualized in 2002, a cultural change was being sought–promoting more interaction among the many organizations promoting technology commercialization statewide.
“It’s a unique collaboration,” says Wylam, the director of IPart, which is primarily funded by DCED and the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority, with financial and in-kind support from its partner organizations. “It’s beneficial that we’ve brought all these organizations to the table to provide assistance. We have people interacting where they need to be interacting.”
Since 2003, the consortium of a dozen organizations, including the likes of Ben Franklin Technology Partners, the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, Penn State University and the University City Science Center, has leveraged about $900,000 in MicroGrants, MicroVouchers and Federal Marketing Assistance funds to help Pennsylvania companies land more than $18 million in federal money. Most of the federal funding has come from the National Institutes of Health, which has made 29 awards totaling about $7.5 million, and the Department of Defense (21 awards totaling $5.4 million). Other prominent funding comes from the National Science Foundation and Department of Homeland Security.
Now well-known PA companies like Y-Carbon and Piezo Resonance Innovations can count federal funds among the numerous financial validations they’ve amassed. In fact, companies applying for federal dollars using IPart’s assistance have achieved a success rate that is five percentage points better than the national average. Keystone Edge talked to Wylam about the process.
Keystone Edge (KE): Why has IPart been so successful?
Kelly Wylam (KW): We didn’t create another new organization for a client to find their way through. One of the great things IPart has done is bring all these organizations together to help clients successfully access federal dollars and bring them to PA to help grow companies here. From my perspective, that happens with a lot more fluidity now.
KE: Can you walk us through the process?
KW: Out of the box one of the benefits of the program here is it is one of the few statewide collaborative assistance programs for tech companies where are all of our technology economic development service providers are part of it. When a client calls, one thing we pre-screen them for is what technology space they’re in and where they’re physically located so we can give the client the best referral to one of our partners, which has their own business managers and counselors that work one on one with clients. They’ll help pinpoint the type of assistance the client should pursue. We then have an online pre-proposal assistance program, which is an application that mirrors the major area of the federal SBIR application. It serves as their outline so they can start organizing their final proposal.
Once that application is complete and technical feedback is received by the client, we have a funding committee that reviews the application and determines whether or not to make an award to defray the cost of writing or editing their final proposal. We have preferred grantwriters who have been pre-screened by our funding committee, which is comprised of representatives from our partner organizations. The client then submits their proposal. It usually takes six to eight months for clients to hear if they’ve received a federal award.
KE: What kind of impact do the state-funded MicroGrants and MicroVouchers have?
KW: When we first started with the MicroGrants, we saw it at the time as just sort of a carrot to get clients to complete the online pre-proposal. But the real value to the client, which we pay for with the subcontracted organization we work with (Lytmos Group Inc.), has a cache of more than 400 technical reviewers across the country. Litmos provides three reviewers who give technical feedback and substantial comments about whether it’s a good match at the federal level, whether the technology is sound, and the commercialization potential that puts them ahead of the game when they’re working with one of our preferred grantwriters.
KE: Are most of your client companies completely new to the SBIR process?
KW: There is a lot of recidivism of companies getting Phase I and Phase II SBIR grants. It’s worked into their business operation and they know they’ll receive a certain number of SBIR awards a year. We consider those “SBIR mills” that are just feeding off a particular program. It wouldn’t be in our best interest to help companies that are already extremely successful in accessing those funds. Most times it’s a new process for our clients. That’s a key component when our business managers counsel these clients when we pre-screen. That’s where all the value comes to the table with each of our participating organizations. They’re the seasoned professionals who have been working with small technology businesses for years and know whether this SBIR program is appropriate.
Joe Petrucci is managing editor of Keystone Edge. Send feedback here.
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