Commercial Grant Funding

Cowboy Technologies assists OSU-affiliated technology teams secure external commercial grant funding.

SBIR/STTR Grant and Contract Funding

Federal government agencies’ Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, also called “America’s Seed Fund,” enable US-owned and operated small businesses with cash to conduct research and development (R&D) on a technology that has a strong potential for commercialization. Cowboy Technologies assists OSU and OSU-affiliated invention-based teams secure this funding help progress invention to market.

SBIR/STTR Funding at a Glance

• Nearly $4B annually for small businesses

• Non-dilutive cash; not a loan nor in exchange for equity

• Phase I: $70,000 to $400,000 over 6-12 months

  • Research and development to establish the technical merit and feasibility technology

• Phase II: $750,000 to $1,500,000 over 2 years

  • Advance the technology towards a commercial product brought to market by small business

• Can be grant based or contract based

  • Grant: investigator-initiated solution to a problem/opportunity you identify

  • Contract: federal agency identifies problem and investigator proposes solution

Proposal and Award Assistance Provided

• Structuring and registering startup companies on behalf of co-founder, eligible to apply

• Identifying potential matches to federal agency and grant/contract topics

• Building a strong team across startup’s future employee(s) and sub-contractors and OSU

• Assisting with commercialization and budget section drafting

• Proposal review and conformance to SBIR/STTR requirements

• Proposal submission assistance to the startup company’s principal investigator

• Setting up startup company operations including insurance, payroll, bookkeeping, financial reporting requirements and others

• Ongoing business advising to the startup company