Proactive Positioning: How Access to Government Agencies Can Sharpen Your Projects, Increase Success

Access is something companies don’t think about as a benefit of working with the government. If you have a well-developed technology and are trying to secure funding, it is absolutely crucial that you meet with agency project managers. What can occur from this meeting? If the agencies see value, they can help guide you to an established or upcoming program that is in alignment with your technology.  Also, we have seen programs built around fantastic technology that do not neatly fit into existing initiatives. Even if you have an early stage technology that does not align with agency initiatives, simply the act of presenting it and getting feedback can aid in project refinement. This is what it means to proactively position your project.

Project Refinement

Our clients are surprised by how much value they get out of applying for an open solicitation to receive funding. It is certainly great to capture the award, but even applying and writing the proposal has tremendous benefits. Access to the agency executives and key policy makers can be worth its weight in gold during the process of refining technology value propositions. Dan Coughlin, ITECS Director of Open Innovation, says, “Agencies have access to ‘best practice’ information. A company will find that their early stage ideas are honed to a greater degree and get sharpened when working with the government.”

The government sponsors technology workshops in certain industries and brings in experts to discuss technological needs. The discussions at these forums can define which direction an industry takes for technology development or provide valuable insight to companies on where they should put their innovation dollars.

Project Selection

Just as agency feedback is valuable for project definition, it is critical that this feedback is employed when developing a value proposition and applying for funding. Although the act of applying for funding can be beneficial in and of itself, if the project doesn’t align with the mission of the program you’ll be spinning your wheels. Jo Anne Goodnight, former SBIR/ STTR coordinator at the NIH and Program Manager at ITECS explains the value of agency positioning, “Meeting with agencies can provide very valuable insights and feedback to what the agencies consider to be important. It is also an opportunity to get extremely valuable guidance on what reviewers expect.” However, simply getting the feedback is not enough, “You need to be willing to use that information to develop your value proposition and package your message so it resonates well with those reading your application.”

Coughlin says, “It is now more important than ever to select the right programs that truly blend commercial and public interests.  Many companies have investable programs, but either do not understand which elements may be eligible for funding, or do not know how to frame their projects such that they provide cost effective solutions for the missions which have been identified by government agencies.”

Whether your goal is to secure funding or bring clarity to an early stage technology, leveraging government agencies can be a valuable addition to your innovation toolbox.

Best,

Susan Ward

President, ITECS