Welcome to the

National Institutes of Health
Commercialization Assistance Program (CAP)
For Phase II SBIR Awardees
(Managed by Larta Institute)

Applications Deadline Closed! | Program Selection: September 30, 2009

What is CAP?

The NIH Commercialization Assistance Program (CAP) is a specialized technical assistance program for SBIR Phase II awardees. CAP is designed to help promising small life science companies develop their commercial businesses and transition their SBIR - developed technologies into the marketplace.

Assisting small businesses is a top priority for the NIH in ensuring the success of the SBIR programs and maximizing the agency's investment. Since the program's inception in 2003, NIH has worked with Larta Institute of Los Angeles, California to provide 492 participants with individualized assistance toward accomplishing their commercialization goals. This is achieved through training workshops, individual mentoring and consulting sessions, as well as public events in which companies present their technologies to the investment community, potential strategic partners and licensees.

Why CAP?

To provide assistance to appropriate to each participants’ needs, Companies enrolled into CAP are divided into two parallel tracks (see figure below):

• The Commercialization Training Track (CTT) is for emerging companies looking to develop competencies and strategies in multiple business areas. The CTT runs for ten months affording each participant with the opportunity to receive critique from industry experts during a feedback session on their commercialization strategy. The CTT culminates with an 18-month strategic action plan presentation.
  
  
• The Accelerated Commercialization Track (ACT) assists "seasoned" companies facing specific and immediate challenges in their business. ACT track may in some cases finish in as short as three months and companies present at a venture forum of their choice. NIH sponsors each ACT participant for business event registration fees; however, companies are responsible for all travel-related expenses to workshops and partnering events.

CAP participation is free of charge; however, participants are responsible for travel and lodging expenses associated with attending workshops and partnering investment events. NOTE: NIH will not provide additional funding for this purpose; however, participants with a currently active Phase II SBIR award may rebudget funds within the total costs awarded to cover allowable travel expenses for CAP events without NIH prior approval unless the rebudgeting action constitutes a change in scope or if the terms of award prohibit the use of funds for this purpose.

What should you expect?

• One-on-one business mentoring with your PA focusing on concrete deliverables.
• Advice from industry experts on regulatory and licensing issues, business strategy, investor pitch.
• Great networking opportunities you can leverage well into the future.
• Awardees participate in three separate program outcomes tracking over an 18 month period. Please view the "data" tab for CAP outcomes results.

Who Is Eligible to Participate?

• Companies whose NIH SBIR Phase II award (grant, contract, or cooperative agreement) was active in the past six (6) years.
• Companies that meet current SBIR small business eligibility criteria as described in the NIH SBIR/STTR Omnibus solicitation. (The solicitation and its parent funding opportunity announcements are available from the NIH Small Business Funding Opportunities website http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/sbir.htm).
• Previous NIH SBIR CAP participants. The same SBIR Phase II award may not be used.

If you meet the eligibility criteria, click here to read the full CAP program description and submit your application today!

FY 2009-2010 CAP Schedule 10 Month Training Process

FY 2009-2010 CAP Schedule (Text Version) CTT Track:   Company Selections: September 30, 2009 Kickoff Workshop: November 2009 Business & Strategic Planning: November 2009 – May 2010 Feedback Sessions: February 2010 Mentoring: February – May 2010 Close-out webinars: May/June 2010 18-month Tracking: July 2010 – December 2011   ACT Track:   Company Selections: September 30, 2009 Prepare Outcomes Proposal: November 2009 Prepare Final Outcomes Report: February 2010 ACT Showcase Event: Anytime between October and June 2010 18-month Tracking: July 2010 – December 2011