Writing and Reviewing NSF Phase II Grant Applications
Scientists are excellent at scientific research. MindForce excels at turning science ideas into the right business opportunities.
MindForce has acquired the hands-on expertise to write or review the 15-page commercialization plans required by the National Science Foundation (NSF) as part of their Phase II $500K applications. Our top consultants reviewed these plans by being mentors to over 40 NSF companies during the past two years. We also successfully wrote our first commercialization plan
that will be funded soon (a 100% batting average), once Congress re-authorizes the SBIR program for the 2009 fiscal year. We have also partnered with our sister firm, MBA GlobalNet, to tap over 125 seasoned professionals who have provided these same mentoring services to similar NSF Grantees.
Writing NSF Phase II Commercialization Plans
The NSF requires companies to write detailed 15 page commercialization plans as part of their Phase II grant application.
These plans must contain typical business plan sections such as market opportunity, company and management team, product/service, and detailed 5 year cash flow projections.
There is a precise methodology in writing these plans. The plan needs to tell a coherent and consistent story about the market potential, problem being solved and why your IP and company is the solution.
We will work with our client to write this commercialization plan by forming the right team, consisting of senior MindForce management, as well as one or two subject-matter industry experts.
Our fee structure usually includes a small upfront fee, a modest success fee if the NSF decides to fund the company, and a minority equiy stake in the newly funded company.
Through this equity stake, we also will agree to work with the company as needed during the next two years as the $500K NSF funds are used for further IP development, usually including the building of a prototype.
Reviewing NSF Phase II Commercialization Plans
Through our mentoring services of past NSF Phase II Grantees, we have reviewed "initial" and "final" commercialization plan drafts from over 40
Grantees. As one would expect, some plans are detailed and clearly the depth of information is impressive, and other plans lack
the necessary market data and are not as detailed as their competitors. In almost all cases, scientists who write these plans focus on the science more than the
actual business prospects, and many of them fail to completely describe to the reader, stating as simply as possible, why the NSF should care and fund their solution to their identified market problem.
MindForce can work with a Grantee to take their existing completed plan (or work in process) and provide review input to transform their plan into a succinct story
for funding, with an easy to understand identified problem and solution. We can, in effect, see the forest from the trees, for our clients, and paint the right story to NSF specifications.
Recent Client Testimonial:
1) “First class, competent, and professional” -- those are the words that come to mind when I think about MindForce. I am very appreciative of the way you helped us craft our winning Phase II business proposal. In fact, our NSF program officer indicated it was the best proposal in his review pile! With Phase II funding underway, we are now well on our way to achieving commercialization with our small business partner, and you played such a decisive role in that effort, in particular the way you helped us sharpen our commercialization plan. Besides your excellent communication style (timely in responding, clear in your message, always focused in discussion), what also caught my eye was how adept and quick you were in reviewing our draft plan, seeing areas that needed strengthening, and suggesting way to improve them. Thank you again for the exceptional and winning guidance you provided.
-Daniel P. Molloy, PhD – Director, NYS Museum Field Research Laboratory
2) “Rob Steir is an exceptional SBIR mentor and reviewer who went above and beyond the call of the average reviewer. Although we had already formulated our commercialization plan, his relentless efforts to get us to refine our story helped us to produce a compelling and consistent plan. He worked hard to understand our business and industry and put himself into the shoes of an investor who would not only find it exciting, but convincing enough as an investment candidate. That meant honest and sometimes difficult to swallow reviews or challenges to us as entrepreneurs, but it was realistic and exactly what we needed to reexamine and develop the best commercialization plan for our business. We highly recommend Rob, if you have a chance to work with him, please jump at the opportunity, it is well worth it.”
-Achyut K. Dutta, CEO, Banpil Photonics.
3) "I would be happy to provide a statement about the mentoring you provided to our work to develop a clear and concise Business Plan for Mayan Pigments, Inc. This Plan was submitted as a part of our Phase II SBIR proposal. Specfically, I thought that your individual feedback as a mentor was very helpful. You not only pointed out areas where improvements were needed, you also provided the reasons why the improvements were necessary and what the impacts would be. I also found your feedback very timely which was extremely impactful since we were under some very tight time constraints. Finally, I found your approach very professional and very thoughtful. Your input added a lot of clarity and value to the final Business Plan.
If you have any questions or need more information, please let me know. Regarding the Grant, we were awarded a two-year Phase II SBIR grant beginning February 2007. We are a little over half-way through the period and are making very good progress against all the milestones. Our business is just now starting to gain the needed traction."
-Gary Williams, CEO, Mayan Pigments
4) Your help for Commercialization Plan reparation is highly appreciated by our team. You did a great job and provided very valuable comments.
We didn’t get the Phase II grant – very close. The main problem is that the research plan was not well designed.
-Thanks again for your help!
--C.C. Mao, CTO, Southeast TechInventures
5) Rob brought a new perspective to our SBIR commercialization plan. He challenged the overall presentation of our plan and helped us tell the most compelling story for the NSF reviewers. He additionally provided detailed feedback where necessary. Most impressively, his turn around time for review was exceptional. Thanks.
- James Wall, MD Medical Director, InSite Medical Technologies
6) Our company was one of the larger companies applying for a Phase Two grant and our challenge
was to show our strength as a company, yet also demonstrating the true need for government
support for our research as needed to undertake risky and novel development. Rob took the time to work with me on numerous drafts
of the commercialization plan to properly define the story we were telling, the problem we were trying to solve, and its importance.
He displayed a keen understanding of what needed to be said and how to say it to a general reader who is not an expert in the
technical field. I'm happy to say that we received the grant, and without a doubt, Rob's mentoring has played a key role.
Thanks Rob.
-- Grantee Name Withheld Per Request
7) What I really liked about you is that you have provided a straight to the point practical advice in a very timely manner. I agree that our proposal looks much better and most importantly, stands a much better chance. Presenting a new technology to the investors is not easy and I am glad that Julie asked you to help us. You certainly provided a lot of help not just as a reviewer, but also as a mentor.
-- Michael Linderman, CEO, Norconnect
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