SBIR Academy

We open our application about one month ahead of the cohort start date. Our application has a few questions about your company and your proposed application. We review applications on a rolling basis and contact qualified applicants to register and pay for the program. Once the cohort is filled, we will have a waitlist and make a reasonable effort to accommodate as many participants as possible, but this program is competitive.

Our Academy is designed to teach you how to evaluate grant opportunities, plan your application, and write an effective response. We provide a structured program where you write, and we serve as a partner and guide.

We offer video tutorials on various grant writing activities you can watch at your convenience.

There are weekly individual office hours with one of our Academy instructors to review your recent progress and answer questions.

We also offer weekly group writing halls to help you block time to get writing done. We attend to answer questions in real time to keep you moving.

Finally, we will thoroughly review all application materials and answer questions as you submit.

The Academy will cover the following topics:

• Basics & Value Proposition Design - Make sure you are ready to apply and start thinking about the value proposition your technology can provide.
  

• Team - Learn what makes for a good team and how to one
  Writing - Learn tips and tricks to make writing fast and efficient and learn where the easiest place to start writing is
  

• Technical Objectives - Learn how to set project objectives and craft a concise and compelling project plan
  

• Commercialization Plan - Learn what components make for a persuasive commercialization plan and business model
  

• Budget and Justification - Learn how to create a project budget and get the most out of the funds available
  

• Broader Impacts/Executive Summary - Learn how to concisely communicate the value and impact of your project in terms that will help reviewers and program officers
  

• Final Details/Submission Process - Make sure we have all the components and be ready to submit through the agency portal

We work with companies applying to any federal agency that offers an SBIR/STTR program. Our personal experience in successful applications spans HHS, FDA/CDC, USDA, NSF, DARPA, DOD, DOE, and NOAA, and we have had positive feedback from applications submitted to NASA and the Department of Education.

Our programming generally applies to all SBIR applicants, but we typically focus on deep tech companies building on recent fundamental science and engineering research.

This is an active learning and doing program. We will review each significant component of your proposal package and hold a one-hour working session with you weekly during the program so that we can review and edit as you write. This will include a detailed final proposal review before the application deadline. We are also available at semi-weekly writing halls for quick feedback.

Whether you have applied for or been awarded a Phase I SBIR/STTR award in the past, the Academy can help turbocharge your next application.

For our more experienced grant writers, we serve more as a partner and guide. Grant writing can be a lonely process. We are there every step of the way to keep you motivated and help you solve problems quickly.

And you have access to all of our program resources (e.g., templates, videos, checklists) to make your life easier.

No. The SBIR/STTR program is competitive, and Gliding Ant cannot guarantee the review process results. We will do everything possible to help you make the most competitive proposal possible. Our personal success rates are 3-4x higher than average, and we will share our application secrets with you.

This program is primarily designed for Phase 1 applicants only. However, if you are looking for assistance with a Phase 2 application, please fill out our application form and note this in the last question on the form, and we will be in touch. We are in the process of creating a program specifically to support Phase 2 applicants.

We intend to host an Academy three times per year aligning with the NSF SBIR program submission windows, but it depends on the agency deadline schedule and program interest.

The Academy is 100% remote. So, whether you are in Washington State, Kansas, or Florida, Gliding Ant is here to support you.

We offer two ways to pay for the program:

Invest in yourself

You make a $3,500 upfront payment for the entire program.

Gliding Ant invests in you

You make a $900 upfront payment to enroll and agree to share 5% of the award with Gliding Ant once the award is finalized. Most SBIR programs allow companies to include a Fee, consistent with standard profit margins for R&D work, in their budgets, which can be used for costs beyond the project scope. The NSF allows for a maximum Fee of 7%, for example. This Fee can be used to pay for Gliding Ant’s services.