HHS Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program Contract Solicitation (PHS 2018-1) Now Available

Notice Number: NOT-OD-17-089

Key Dates
Release Date: July 18, 2017

Related Announcements
None

Issued by
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Purpose

Innovative technologies and methodologies fuel progress in biomedical and behavioral research and represent an increasingly important area of the economy. The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program provides support for research and development (R&D) of new or improved technologies and methodologies that have the potential to succeed as commercial products.

The purpose of this notice is to (1) announce the issuance of the Solicitation of the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for Small Business Innovation Research Contract Proposals (PHS 2018-1) with a receipt date of October 20, 2017, 5:00PM EDT; and (2) inform the public about the opportunities that the SBIR program offers to small business concerns as well as to scientists at research institutions.

The SBIR legislation requires the Public Health Service (PHS), Department of Health and Human Services, and certain other Federal agencies to reserve 3.2 percent (for FY 2017) of their extramural research or R&D budgets for an SBIR program. (The NIH SBIR set-aside requirement for FY 2017 is $861 million.)

The offeror organization must be a small business concern as defined by the Small Business Administration and described in the Contract Solicitation. The primary employment of the principal investigator MUST be with the small business concern at the time of award and during the conduct of the proposed project. In accord with the intent of the SBIR program to increase private sector commercialization of innovations derived from Federal R&D, scientists at research institutions can play an important role in an SBIR project by serving as consultants and/or subcontractors to the small business concern. Generally, up to 1/3 of the Phase I budget may be spent on consultant and/or subcontractual costs, and, generally, up to 1/2 of the Phase II budget may be spent on such costs. In this manner, a small business concern with limited expertise and/or research facilities may benefit from teaming with a scientist(s) at a research institution; for the scientist(s) at a research institution, this team effort provides support for R&D not otherwise obtained. The SBIR program consists of the following three phases:

PHASE I: The objective of this phase is to determine the scientific and technical merit and feasibility and potential for commercialization of the proposed research or R&D efforts and the quality of performance of the small business concern, before consideration of further Federal support in Phase II. Generally, Phase I SBIR awards do not exceed $150,000 for direct costs, Facilities and Administrative (F&A) costs, and negotiated fixed fee for a period generally not to exceed six months.

PHASE II: The objective of this phase is to continue the research or R&D efforts initiated in Phase I. Funding shall be based on the results of Phase I and the scientific and technical merit and commercial potential of the Phase II proposal. Phase I contractors are eligible to apply for Phase II grant or contract funding and will be informed of Phase II opportunities. (However, see "Fast-Track" Initiative and "Direct to Phase II" below.) Generally, Phase II awards do not exceed $1,000,000 for direct costs, F&A costs, and negotiated fixed fee for a period generally not to exceed two years.

PHASE III: The objective of this phase is for the small business concern to pursue, with non-SBIR funds, the commercialization of the results of the research or R&D funded in Phases I and II.

"FAST-TRACK": (Applicable only to proposals submitted to the NIH and only if an awarding component indicates that it is accepting Fast-Track proposals for a particular topic.)

The Fast-Track initiative is an opportunity for small business concerns to submit both a Phase I and Phase II proposal for concurrent peer review. This initiative also has the potential to minimize any funding gap between Phase I and Phase II. Proposals must be prepared in accordance with Phase I and Phase II proposal preparation instructions.

DIRECT TO PHASE II: The congressional authority for SBIR Direct Phase II has expired. Accordingly Direct Phase II proposals WILL NOT be accepted for this soliciation.

Submission Process: Offerors are responsible for submitting proposals, including any revisions or modifications to the electronic Contract Proposal Submission (eCPS) website at https://ecps.nih.gov/sbirsttr by the deadline. Offerers must use this electronic transmission method. No other method of proposal submission is permitted. Instructions for electronic submission are provided in the solicitation.

Pre-proposal webinar: HHS will hold a pre-proposal conference, via webinar, on August 15, 2017 at 2:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time. This informational webinar will discuss the PHS 2018-1 solicitation, and in particular will discuss the new electronic contract proposal submission (eCPS) website. For this solicitation, proposals will only be accepted via the eCPS website.

Offerors may register for the webinar at:

HHS SBIR PHS 2018-1 Contract Webinar
Join us for a webinar on Aug 15, 2017 at 2:00 PM EDT.
Register now!
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1195433406128202754
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
View System Requirements

Following registration, a confirmation e-mail will be sent containing information about joining the webinar. Presentation material from this webinar shall be posted on FedBizOpps and the NIH SBIR/STTR webpage following its completion.

Following are the research topics contained in the PHS 2018-1 Solicitation:

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

National Cancer Institute (NCI)
370 Targeted Therapy for Cancer- and Cancer Therapy-Related Cachexia.
371 Drugs to Exploit the Immune Response Generated by Radiation Therapy.
372 Development and Validation of Non-Mouse Reagents to Enable Preclinical Development of Novel Therapeutics.
373 Tools and Technologies for Monitoring RNA Modifications.
374 Novel Approaches for Local Delivery of Chemopreventive Agents.
375 Diagnostic Imaging for Cancer Immunotherapies
376 Imaging-Based Tools for Longitudinal and Multi-Dimensional Mapping of the Tumor and Its Microenvironment.
377 Bridging the Guideline Implementation Gap: Clinical Decision-Support to Improve Cancer Symptom Management.
378 Mobile Application for Surveillance of Post-Radiation Therapy Health-Related Quality of Life.
379 Software Enabling Data Integration from Wearable Sensors to Generate Novel Analytics for Cancer Patients.
380 Computer Aided Decision Support for Radiation Oncology.
381 Development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools to Understand and Duplicate Experts Radiation Therapy Planning for Prostate Cancer.

National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
103 Devices for Transcatheter Surgery.
104 Tapered Guidewires for Transcatheter Electrosurgery.
105 Reagent Development for Small Cell Number ChIC-seq.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
050 Methods Improving HIV Protein Expression: Cell Substrate and Protein Purification.
051 Inhaled Delivery of Clofazimine (CFZ) An Important Anti-tuberculosis Drug.
052 High-Throughput Assay Platform for Quantifying Latent HIV Reservoirs.
053 Effective Targeted Delivery of RNA-based Vaccines and Therapeutics.
054 Adjuvant Discovery for Vaccines and for Autoimmune and Allergic Diseases.
055 Adjuvant Development for Vaccines and for Autoimmune and Allergic Diseases.
056 Reagents for Immunologic Analysis of Non-mammalian Models.
057 Development of Sample Sparing Assays.
058 Bioinformatics tools to make data FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable).
059 Diagnostics to Enable Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Elimination.
060 Computational Software Development to Advance Translational Research for Infectious.
061 Induction of Mucosal Immune Response to Parenterally Delivered Vaccines.
062 Novel Vaccine Technologies and Strategies to Promote Sustained Vaccine Efficacy.

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
163 Digital Markers for Marijuana Intoxication.
164 Development of Portable Neuromodulatory Devices for the Treatment of Substance Use Disorders.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC)

Center for Global Health (CGH)
009 Improving Global Laboratory Diagnostic Capacity: Modular, End-user-assembled Biosafety Cabinets for Sustainable Biocontainment.

National Center for Chronic Disease and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP)
039 Finding Human Carriers of Taeniasis to Prevent Neurocysticercosis Associated Epilepsy.
040 Web-based Application to Enable Healthy Behaviors through Behavioral Design.

National Center for Emerging Zoonotic and Infectious Diseases (NCEZID)
015 Antifungal-containing Solution for Corneal Tissue Storage and Transport.
016 Bacterial Amplicon Subtyping.
017 Identification of Brucella canis Seroreactive Proteins and Serology Assay Development.
018 Multiplex Pan_lyssavirus/ -actin Real-time RT-PCR Assays for Rabies Diagnostics.
019 Tools for Combined Analysis of Optical Mapping and Sequencing Data.

National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP)
048 Development of a Benchtop Laboratory Platform for Amplicon Deep Sequencing.
049 Risk Reduction Toolkit for Non-Prescription Syringe Sales in Community Pharmacies.


National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD)
033 Heat Stable Sabin-based Inactivated Polio Vaccine.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Eligibility requirements, definitions, submission procedures, review considerations, contract proposal forms and instructions, and other pertinent information, including the "Fast-Track" Initiative, are contained in the Solicitation (PHS 2018-1). The Solicitation, including contract proposal forms, is available electronically through the NIH "Small Business Research Funding Opportunities Web site. See SBIR Phase I Contract Solicitation PHS 2018-1 (PDF [http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/SBIRContract/PHS2018-1.pdf] or MS Word [http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/SBIRContract/PHS2018-1.docx]). Be sure to use the appropriate CONTRACT PROPOSAL forms as they differ from the SF424 (R&R) GRANT application forms.

Note: The SBIR Contract Solicitation is available ONLY via electronic means. Potential offerors are encouraged to check the NIH Small Business Research Funding Opportunities Web site for updates on the program. Any updates or corrections to the Solicitation will be posted there.

Contracting Officers

Any small business concern that intends to submit an SBIR contract proposal under this Solicitation should provide the appropriate contracting officer(s) with early, written notice of its intent, giving its name, address, e-mail, telephone, and topic number(s). If a topic is modified or canceled before the Solicitation closes, only those companies that have expressed such intent will be notified.

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Tiffany Chadwick
Procurement Analyst & Contract Officer
Office of Acquisitions
National Cancer Institute
Telephone: 240-276-7293
Email: ncioasbir@mail.nih.gov

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

John Taylor
Telephone: 301-435-0327
Fax: 301-480-3338
Email: taylorjc@nhlbi.nih.gov

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Charles H. Jackson, Jr.
Contracting Officer
Office of Acquisitions, DEA
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
National Institutes of Health, DHHS
Telephone: 240-669-5175
Email: Charles.Jackson@.nih.gov

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Andrew Hotaling
Contracting Officer
NIDA R&D Contracts Management Branch
Neurosciences Offices of Acquisition
Telephone: 301-443-6677
Fax: 301-443-7595
Email: hotalingar@mail.nih.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

For general administrative SBIR program questions, contact:

Sean David Griffiths, M.P.H.
Office of Technology and Innovation
Office of the Associate Director for Science
Telephone: 404-639-4641
Fax: 404-639-4903
Email: SBIR@cdc.gov

Darlene Forrest, M.A. (Contractor)
SBIR Program and Logistic Specialist
Office of Technology and Innovation
Office of the Associate Director for Science
Telephone: 404-639-1023
Fax: 404-639-4903
Email: SBIR@cdc.gov

Gwen Barnett, M.P.H.
Deputy Director
Office of Technology and Innovation
Office of the Associate Director for Science
Telephone: 404-639-4791
Fax: 404-639-4903
Email: SBIR@cdc.gov

Center for Global Health (CGH)

Theresa Routh-Murphy
Contracting Officer
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Office of Financial Resources
Telephone: 770-488-2713
Fax: 770-488-2778
Email: TRouthMurphy@cdc.gov

National Center for Chronic Disease and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP)

Julio Lopez
Contracting Officer
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Office of Financial Resources
Telephone: 770-488-2892
Fax: 770-384-4245
Email: JLopez3@cdc.gov

National Center for Emerging Zoonotic and Infectious Diseases (NCEZID)

Priscilla Turner
Contracting Officer
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Office of Financial Resources
Telephone: 770-488-2821
Fax: 770-488-2024
Email: PBTurner@cdc.gov

National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP)

Priscilla Turner
Contracting Officer
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Office of Financial Resources
Telephone: 770-488-2821
Fax: 770-488-2024
Email: PBTurner@cdc.gov

National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD)

Christina McMillian
Contracting Officer
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Office of Financial Resources
Telephone: 770-488-2697
Fax: 770-488-2024
Email: CMcMillian@cdc.gov

Those interested in the PHS small business research GRANT programs, where investigator-initiated research ideas are encouraged, are invited to access the Omnibus Solicitation of the Public Health Service for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Grant Applications (PHS 2017-2).

To understand better the differences between grants and contracts, see https://sbir.nih.gov/apply.