NSF SBIR/STTR info session with an NSF program director

On Tuesday, October 6, 1–2 p.m. CT, the Texas Innovation Center is hosting a virtual session with Alastair Monk, PhD, a program director in NSF's SBIR/STTR program (America's Seed Fund). The session covers how NSF's startup funding works — the Project Pitch and what makes one competitive, the common reasons pitches are declined, and how awards are staged from Phase I ($305,000) through Phase II ($1,250,000) and supplements. NSF takes no equity and the company keeps its intellectual property. The final twenty minutes are live Q&A. It is aimed at people early in the process: of the 206 small businesses NSF awarded Phase I funding in FY2025, 92% had never held an SBIR or STTR award from any agency. For a postdoc weighing whether their research could support a company, this is a realistic look at what that route involves, including the eligibility requirements, which are worth understanding before anyone invests time in an application. Registration: https://luma.com/x9slrppl