Debunking SBIR/STTR Myths: Strategies to Protect and Optimize the Value of SBIR & STTR Program Authorities (2023 Update)

Format: Live webinar (on-demand recording available on September 14)
Date: September 5, 2023
Time: 1:00 pm EDT
Duration: Approx. 90 minutes
Instructor: Jeff Cuskey, Consultant & Expert Witness
Learning Credits: 1.5 CPEs, 1.5 ATCs

*Your registration includes access to the on-demand recording.

This webinar provides insight into the SBA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program regulations, common SBIR/STTR myths, and how to develop effective strategies to protect and optimize an SBIR and STTR participant’s rights, values and wealth under the SBIR & STTR programs.

The SBIR program was established under the Small Business Innovation Development Act of 1982 (P.L. 97-219) with the purpose of strengthening the role of innovative small business concerns in federally funded research and development (R&D). Modeled after the SBIR Program, the STTR program was initially established as a pilot program by the Small Business Technology Transfer Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-564, Title II). The goal of the STTR Program is to facilitate the transfer of technology developed by a research institution through the entrepreneurship of a small business concern.

Despite being touted as two of SBA’s most successful small business programs, the SBIR and STTR programs’ unique rules, regulations, and data rights provisions are not well understood by small businesses and some participating federal agencies. Forty years after the inception of the SBIR program, these small business set-aside programs still struggle against ignorance, indifference, and outright opposition.

You will learn how SBA’s SBIR and STTR policies differ from other government contracting regulations and, more importantly, how to address the government’s misinterpretations and reluctance to take advantage of SBIR/STTR program authorities.

Target Audience: Small businesses that want to pursue non-dilutive SBIR/STTR funding to help them complete the maturation and commercialization of their innovative technological solutions, products and/or services.

JEFF CUSKEY, Consultant & Expert Witness

Jeff Cuskey has over 34 years of experience in federal and defense acquisition and contracting. He is a nationally known government procurement consultant, speaker, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program and Defense Contracting expert witness, and two-time Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (APTAC) Economic Impact Award recipient. Over his extensive professional career, he has provided contracting advice to thousands of clients, covering a broad range of complex government contracting topics and issues. While serving in the U.S. Navy, Jeff held various leadership, acquisition, and contracting positions, including assignments as the Navy’s multi-billion-dollar F/A-18 Strike Fighter Program Business Financial Manager (CFO) and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Deputy Contracting Officer. After retiring from the Navy at the rank of Commander, he taught defense-focused MBA acquisition and contracting, fiscal law and regulations, and program management courses at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), Monterey, CA. Jeff has an MS degree in Acquisition and Contract Management from NPS and is a Certified Professional Contracts Manager (CPCM), Certified Federal Contracts Manager (CFCM), Certified Schedules Contracts Manager (CSCM), and Certified Procurement Professional (CPP). In 2020 APTAC recognized Jeff as its Betty McDonald Outstanding Member Achievement Awardee for his significant contributions and deep commitment not just to the procurement profession but also to the APTAC organization, its members, and his supported large and small business contracting clients.