WORKSHOP  
Accessing Government Funding for Research

January 28, 2008  
7:30 am – 4:00 pm  
UCI University Club  
801 East Peltason, Irvine, CA 92617

Numerous U.S. government agencies provide funds and non-cash resources to small life science companies with innovative technologies in the form of grants, contracts, screening services and other development assistance. Government grants can provide non-dilutive funding, validation from peers, feedback from experts and prestige. This SoCalBio workshop will focus on tapping funding opportunities from:

• National Institutes of Health
• National Science Foundation
• U.S. Army

Workshop Leaders:

• Gregory Milman, Ph.D., Director, Office for Innovation and Special Programs, Division of Extramural Activities, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH

• Ali Andalibi, Ph.D., SBIR/STTR Biotechnology Program Director, National Science Foundation

• David D. Hood, Senior Advisor to the Principle Assistant for Acquisitions, US Army MRMC/TATRC

Entrepreneurs' Perspective on Maximizing Grant Winning Chances:

• Michael Helmbrecht, Ph.D., President & CEO, Founder, Iris AO, Inc.   (Berkeley, CA)

• Paul J. Hung, Ph.D., CTO, CellASIC   (San Leandro, CA)

• Philip L. Felgner, Ph.D., Founder and Chairman, ImmPORT Therapeutics (Irvine, CA)

• Darrel Drinan, President / CEO, PhiloMetron Inc. (San Diego)

Escaping the Valley of Death: How to Position Your Early-Stage Company to 
Leverage Grant Money and Attract Institutional Funding

• Anthony Natale, M.D., Venture Partner, Prism VentureWorks (Santa Monica)

What will be covered:

• The Fundamenals:
  • SBIR/STTR basics
  • Differences between grants and contracts
  • Grant and contract eligibility rules
  • Targeting the right agency
  • When to apply
  • How proposals get scored
  • How long it takes to get a notice of award
• Understanding Proposals
  • Identifying a problem and a solution
  • Understanding the heart of the proposal.
  • Identifying research questions
  • Documenting the state of the art
  • Choosing Phase I technical objectives
  • Understanding the relationship between Phase I and Phase II
  • Proving significance of the work
  • Assuring the agency wants what you’ve got
  • Assuring your approach is correct
  • Assuring the work is innovative
• Understanding Reviewers and the Review Process Regarding:
  • Work plan & budget
  • Research team, equipment and facilities
  • Determining whether you need a partner 
  • How to find a partner
  • Convincing reviewers that commercialization is likely
  • Follow-on funding for commercialization
• Tips on Technical Writing.
  • What it means to write well
  • Putting the proposal in formats required by different agencies

Agenda:

7:30 am      Registration & Breakfast
8:00 am      Introductions
8:30 am      Accessing SBIR/STTR Grant Funding from the NIH
9:30 am      Accessing SBIR/STTR Grant Funding from the NSF
10:30 am    Tapping Grants and Contracts from the Army
11:45 am    Luncheon & Keynote Presentation
1:30 pm      Entrepreneurs' Perspective on Winning Grants
3:00 pm      "Escaping the Valley of Death," A Venture Capitalist's Perspective 
4:00 pm      Workshop Adjourns

Testimonials from Past Attendees

“The workshop provided an opportunity to learn how government agencies actually conduct funding reviews from people who have been directly involved in the process”

“It was informative and professional without seeming stuffy”

“It was interactive and the presenters were articulate and accessible”

“The whole atmosphere of the workshop was very pleasant”