MNSBIR Catalyst Program

MNSBIR Catalyst Program is sponsored by MNSBIR Inc.. The MNSBIR Catalyst Program assists Minnesota-based startups and small businesses in securing non-dilutive funding from federal SBIR/STTR programs.

Catalyst Program Application - MNSBIR Inc. Catalyst Program Application Ready to take your innovation to the next level? Start your Catalyst Program application with MNSBIR, Inc. to access expert guidance toward federal non-dilutive R&D funding. This application helps us understand your business, innovation, and needs so we can tailor our support.

Eligible applicants are Minnesota-based startups or small businesses engaged in applied research with commercialization potential. Applications are accepted year-round, reviewed upon submission, and kept confidential. Before applying, please download the MNSBIR Overview .

Please review all application requirements carefully before preparing your responses. You may save your progress and return later by using the button at the bottom of the form. For questions, contact info@minnesotasbir.

org . What is the ownership and eligibility criteria? Download the Full Eligibility Guidelines (PDF) Review size and eligibility standards that are applicable to the SBIR and STTR programs.

The Ownership Requirement: A majority (more than 50%) of your firms’ equity (e.g., stock) must be directly owned and controlled by one of the following: 1) One or more individuals who are citizens or permanent resident aliens of the U.S., 2) Other for-profit small business concerns (each of which is directly owned and controlled by individuals who are citizens or permanent resident aliens of the U.S.).

This includes a single VCOC, HF, or PEF that is itself a small business concern which is more than 50% directly owned and controlled by individuals who are U.S. citizens or permanent resident aliens of the U.S. This also includes applicants more than 50% directly owned and controlled by ANCs, NHOs, or Indian Tribes or by a wholly owned subsidiary of an ANC, NHO, or Indian Tribe.

September 2024 6 3) A combination of the scenarios presented in (1) and (2) above. 4) Multiple VCOCs, HFs, PEFs, or any combination of these, so long as no one such firm owns or controls more than 50% of the equity. Note: This option is allowed only for SBIR awards from agencies that are using the authority provided in § 5107 of the SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act (majority‐VC‐owned authority), 15 U.S.C.

§ 638(dd)(1). What defines Veteran and BIPOC status? Veteran is defined as a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident who has served in any branch of the U.S. armed forces, and who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable.

BIPOC (Black, Indigenous or Person of Color) is defined as a U.S. citizen or permanent resident who identifies as Black or African-American; Asian; American Indian or Alaska Native; or Hispanic, Spanish or Latin origin. Why do we collect this information? As a federal and state funded business, we must report demographic information.

Answers do not impact the acceptance or denial of the Catalyst Application. The form is not accepting my website address. The full website must be listed (e.g. http:// www.

yourwebsite. com) Note: If no website exists, this may be left intentionally blank. Where can I find my Legislative Districts?

Using the legal business address visit Who Represents Me? to find information on the Congressional district, Minnesota Senate district, and Minnesota House of Representative district. Please note in this example: The Minnesota House and Senate numbers should be the same.

The U.S. House number is the Congressional District What is my Technology Readiness Level (TRL)? The federal SBIR/STTR programs seek novel ideas, concepts and projects with strong commercial potential. Funding supports early stage product research and development projects with significant technical risk.

The federal government uses various technical readiness system to determine the maturity of the technology. The most recognizable, developed by NASA, is called the Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs). Learn more: minnesotasbir.

org/download/technology-readiness-levels/ 2 Applicant Information & Instructions 4 Operational & Funding Details 6 Company Legislative Representation 7 Catalyst Program History 8 Business and Technical Assistance Did you receive an invitation to apply to the Catalyst Program? (Required) Sorry, you must have an invitation before applying. Please start your journey here.

Section 1: Applicant Information & Instructions You may complete or view different parts of the form by selecting the title or number above. You may also utilize "Save and Continue Later" at the bottom of form. For this section, please tell us about yourself and your background.

Phone Type - select one - Cell Phone Business Phone Other LinkedIn Profile Leave blank if you do not have a LinkedIn profile. Highest Degree Earned (Required) - select one - Doctorate Masters Bachelors Associates Not Applicable Contact Demographic Status (Required) Select all that apply: -Rural is considered outside of the 7-county metro area.

-BIPOC is Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color Section 2: Company Profile Legal Company Name (Required) Company Physical Address (Required) State Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah U.S. Virgin Islands Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Europe Armed Forces Pacific Which Minnesota county is the company located?

(Required) - select one - Aitkin County Anoka County Becker County Beltrami County Benton County Big Stone County Blue Earth County Brown County Carlton County Carver County Cass County Chippewa County Chisago County Clay County Clearwater County Cook County Cottonwood County Crow Wing County Dakota County Dodge County Douglas County Faribault County Fillmore County Freeborn County Goodhue County Grant County Hennepin County Houston County Hubbard County Isanti County Itasca County Jackson County Kanabec County Kandiyohi County Kittson County Koochiching County Lac qui Parle County Lake County Lake of the Woods County Le Sueur County Lincoln County Lyon County Mahnomen County Marshall County Martin County McLeod County Meeker County Mille Lacs County Morrison County Mower County Murray County Nicollet County Nobles County Norman County Olmsted County Otter Tail County Pennington County Pine County Pipestone County Polk County Pope County Ramsey County Red Lake County Redwood County Renville County Rice County Rock County Roseau County Scott County Sherburne County Sibley County St.

Louis County Stearns County Steele County Stevens County Swift County Todd County Traverse County Wabasha County Wadena County Waseca County Washington County Watonwan County Wilkin County Winona County Wright County Company Website Leave blank if you do not have a company website. Company LinkedIn Profile Leave blank if you do not have a company LinkedIn profile.

Provide a company summary for external communications Does the business have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM. gov) system? (Required) - select one - Yes No In Process / Not Active What is the firm's Unique Entity Identification (UEI) This is a 12-digit number and letter combination.

Is the company a startup from the University of Minnesota, the Mayo Clinic, or another institution? (Required) Which institution?

University of Minnesota Mayo Clinic Other Section 3: Operational & Funding Details Date of Incorporation (Required) Legal Structure (Required) - select one - Nascent Sole-Proprietorship Limited Liability Company Cooperative Corporation Partnership S Corporation Public Benefit Corporation Other NAICS Industry Sector (Required) - select one - 31-33 Manufacturing 54 Professional, Scientific and Technical Services Other Most Recent Full Business Year Revenue (Required) Company's previous year revenue total, or enter $0 if a startup Please enter a number greater than or equal to 0 .

Number of Full-Time Employees (Required) Number of Part-Time Employees (Required) Number of Independent Contractors/Consultants (Required) Is the firm raising capital from angels, private equity or venture capitalists? (Required) - select one - Yes No Approximately how much funding has been raised by the firm? What is the product or service you are developing?

(Required) This field is hidden when viewing the form Pitchdeck Accepted file types: pdf, Max. file size: 2 MB.

This field is hidden when viewing the form MIT CFRL Level - select one - First Choice Second Choice Third Choice Section 4: Company Ownership Small Business Owner Eligibility Verification (Required) A majority (more than 50%) of your firms’ equity (e.g., stock) must be directly owned and controlled by one of the following: 1) One or more individuals who are citizens or permanent resident aliens of the U.S., 2) Other for-profit small business concerns (each of which is directly owned and controlled by individuals who are citizens or permanent resident aliens of the U.S.) I confirm that the business meets the eligibility requirements set by the SBIR/STTR programs.

This field is hidden when viewing the form 51% Owner(s) Demographic Status (Required) The share of 51% or more may be met individually, or be combined across owners. Please check all that apply. Section 5: Company Legislative Representation Please use the address used above to verify this information.

Find the district information in the "References"section. What is the business state senate legislative district?

(Required) - select one - Legislative District 1 Legislative District 2 Legislative District 3 Legislative District 4 Legislative District 5 Legislative District 6 Legislative District 7 Legislative District 8 Legislative District 9 Legislative District 10 Legislative District 11 Legislative District 12 Legislative District 13 Legislative District 14 Legislative District 15 Legislative District 16 Legislative District 17 Legislative District 18 Legislative District 19 Legislative District 20 Legislative District 21 Legislative District 22 Legislative District 23 Legislative District 24 Legislative District 25 Legislative District 26 Legislative District 27 Legislative District 28 Legislative District 29 Legislative District 30 Legislative District 31 Legislative District 32 Legislative District 33 Legislative District 34 Legislative District 35 Legislative District 36 Legislative District 37 Legislative District 38 Legislative District 39 Legislative District 40 Legislative District 41 Legislative District 42 Legislative District 43 Legislative District 44 Legislative District 45 Legislative District 46 Legislative District 47 Legislative District 48 Legislative District 49 Legislative District 50 Legislative District 51 Legislative District 52 Legislative District 53 Legislative District 54 Legislative District 55 Legislative District 56 Legislative District 57 Legislative District 58 Legislative District 59 Legislative District 60 Legislative District 61 Legislative District 62 Legislative District 63 Legislative District 64 Legislative District 65 Legislative District 66 Legislative District 67 What is the business state representative legislative district?

(Required) - select one - Legislative District 1A Legislative District 1B Legislative District 2A Legislative District 2B Legislative District 3A Legislative District 3B Legislative District 4A Legislative District 4B Legislative District 5A Legislative District 5B Legislative District 6A Legislative District 6B Legislative District 7A Legislative District 7B Legislative District 8A Legislative District 8B Legislative District 9A Legislative District 9B Legislative District 10A Legislative District 10B Legislative District 11A Legislative District 11B Legislative District 12A Legislative District 12B Legislative District 13A Legislative District 13B Legislative District 14A Legislative District 14B Legislative District 15A Legislative District 15B Legislative District 16A Legislative District 16B Legislative District 17A Legislative District 17B Legislative District 18A Legislative District 18B Legislative District 19A Legislative District 19B Legislative District 20A Legislative District 20B Legislative District 21A Legislative District 21B Legislative District 22A Legislative District 22B Legislative District 23A Legislative District 23B Legislative District 24A Legislative District 24B Legislative District 25A Legislative District 25B Legislative District 26A Legislative District 26B Legislative District 27A Legislative District 27B Legislative District 28A Legislative District 28B Legislative District 29A Legislative District 29B Legislative District 30A Legislative District 30B Legislative District 31A Legislative District 31B Legislative District 32A Legislative District 32B Legislative District 33A Legislative District 33B Legislative District 34A Legislative District 34B Legislative District 35A Legislative District 35B Legislative District 36A Legislative District 36B Legislative District 37A Legislative District 37B Legislative District 38A Legislative District 38B Legislative District 39A Legislative District 39B Legislative District 40A Legislative District 40B Legislative District 41A Legislative District 41B Legislative District 42A Legislative District 42B Legislative District 43A Legislative District 43B Legislative District 44A Legislative District 44B Legislative District 45A Legislative District 45B Legislative District 46A Legislative District 46B Legislative District 47A Legislative District 47B Legislative District 48A Legislative District 48B Legislative District 49A Legislative District 49B Legislative District 50A Legislative District 50B Legislative District 51A Legislative District 51B Legislative District 52A Legislative District 52B Legislative District 53A Legislative District 53B Legislative District 54A Legislative District 54B Legislative District 55A Legislative District 55B Legislative District 56A Legislative District 56B Legislative District 57A Legislative District 57B Legislative District 58A Legislative District 58B Legislative District 59A Legislative District 59B Legislative District 60A Legislative District 60B Legislative District 61A Legislative District 61B Legislative District 62A Legislative District 62B Legislative District 63A Legislative District 63B Legislative District 64A Legislative District 64B Legislative District 65A Legislative District 65B Legislative District 66A Legislative District 66B Legislative District 67A Legislative District 67B Which congressional district is the company located?

(Required) - select one - Congressional District 1 Congressional District 2 Congressional District 3 Congressional District 4 Congressional District 5 Congressional District 6 Congressional District 7 Congressional District 8 Section 6: Catalyst Program History Has the business previously applied for SBIR/STTR funding? (Required) - select one - Yes, the business has secured SBIR/STTR award(s). Yes, the business will be re-applying.

No Has the business submitted a Catalyst Program application in the past? (Required) No, the company is new to MNSBIR, Inc. Yes, this is for a new project. Yes, I am re-engaging with the program.

Section 7: Business and Technical Assistance Needs Does the firm need scientific and technical proposal writing assistance? (Required) Does the firm need help with federal solicitation and topic matching? (Required) Does the firm need help with technical assistance?

(Required) (e.g., prototyping, lab partnerships, etc.) Does the firm need help with business assistance? (Required) (e.g., market research and analysis, audit/accounting, grant and contract management, etc.) Does the firm need assistance with its financial management system? (Required) Has the company used any of these resources?

(Required) Check all that apply UMN/MIN-Corps Value Proposition Course National Science Foundation I-Corps Have not used these programs Section 8: Project Information Project Category (Required) - select one - Health and Biomedical Technologies Advanced Manufacturing Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Cybersecurity and Information Assurance Clean Energy and Sustainability Climate and Environmental Sciences Quantum Science and Engineering Aerospace and Space Technologies Defense and National Security Technologies Transportation and Mobility Agriculture and Food Systems Education and Workforce Development Technologies Other Which Health and Biomedical Technology sub-category matches your project closest?

- select one - Medical devices Diagnostics and imaging Therapeutics and drug delivery Digital health and telemedicine Biotechnology and synthetic biology Health IT and electronic health records Aging and Alzheimer’s technologies Pandemic preparedness and infectious disease Other Which Advanced Manufacturing sub-category matches your project closest?

- select one - Additive manufacturing (3D printing) Robotics and automation Smart manufacturing Advanced materials and composite Microelectronics and semiconductors High-precision tooling and machining Other Which Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning sub-category matches your project closest?

-select one - Predictive analytics Computer vision Autonomous systems AI for scientific discovery AI for cybersecurity and national defense Other Which Cybersecurity and Information Assurance sub-category matches your project closest?

- select one - Secure communications Network and cloud security Quantum-resistant encryption Identity verification and access control Cyber-physical systems protection Other Which Clean Energy and Sustainability sub-category matches your project closest?

- select one - Solar, wind, and geothermal technologies Battery storage and energy materials Hydrogen and fuel cells Smart grids and energy efficiency Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) Circular economy and materials recycling Other Which Climate and Environmental Sciences sub-category matches your project closest?

- select one - Environmental monitoring and sensors Water purification and treatment Climate modeling and impact tools Agriculture and soil health innovations Sustainable land and forest management Air quality and emissions control Other Which Quantum Science and Engineering sub-category matches your project closest?

- select one - Quantum computing Quantum sensing and metrology Quantum communications Quantum materials Other Which Aerospace and Space Technologies sub-category matches your project closest?

- select one - Satellite or space communications Space propulsion and launch systems Space-based sensors In-space manufacturing Space health and life support systems Other Which Defense and National Security Technologies sub-category matches your project closest?

- select one - Integrated Sensing and Cyber Advanced systems and survivability Tactical communications and situational awareness Directed energy and hypersonics Integrated Network Systems-of-Systems Autonomous and unmanned systems C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) Other Which Transportation and Mobility sub-category matches your project closest?

- select one - Electric and autonomous vehicles Aviation technologies and air traffic systems Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) Rail and marine innovation Sustainable fuels and emissions reduction Other Which Agriculture and Food Systems sub-category matches your project closest?

- select one - Precision agriculture Controlled environment agriculture Food safety and traceability Livestock health and genetics Plant breeding and protection Other Which Education and Workforce Development Technologies sub-category matches your project closest?

- select one - STEM education platforms Workforce training tools and simulations Virtual and augmented reality for learning Skills credentialing and job matching platforms Other This field is hidden when viewing the form Which Federal Agency are you applying to?

Department of Health and Human Services (NIH, FDA, CDC, ACL, ARPA-H) National Science Foundation Department of Defense (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, DARPA, etc.) Department of Homeland Security Department of Transportation Environmental Protection Agency Department of Agriculture National Aeronautics and Space Administration Select the agencies that align with your proposed project.

(Check all that apply) (Required) Department of Health and Human Services (NIH, FDA, CDC, ACL, ARPA-H) National Science Foundation Department of Defense (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, DARPA, etc.) Department of Homeland Security Department of Commerce (NOAA, NIST) Department of Transportation Environmental Protection Agency Department of Agriculture National Aeronautics and Space Administration This field is hidden when viewing the form Which HHS Institute(s) or Center(s)?

- select one - Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) National Cancer Institute (NCI) National Eye Institute (NEI) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) National Institute on Aging (NIA) National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) National Library of Medicine (NLM) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) - FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) - FDA Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI) – Office of the Director - FDA Center for Disease Control Other This field is hidden when viewing the form Which DoD component?

- select one - Army Air Force CBD DARPA DHA DLA DMEA DTRA MDA Navy NGA OSD SDA SOCOM USSOCOM Other This field is hidden when viewing the form Which DOC sub-agency?

- select one - National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) This field is hidden when viewing the form What is the title or a brief description of the proposed project (200 character limit) This field is hidden when viewing the form Which phase aligns with your proposed project?

(Required) We will help you determine the most appropiate phase for your project in consultation with the NIH. Phase I - Technical Feasability Phase II - Prototype Development Fast Track - Combined Phase I & Phase II SBIR Direct to Phase II - Prototype Development Phase IIB - Sequential Phase II Commercialization Readiness Program This field is hidden when viewing the form Which program aligns with your proposed project?

(Required) Note: STTR requires a research institution collaboration. Does the proposed project involve an industry partner, academic institution(s), a federal laboratory, or another institution? (Required) The federal SBIR/STTR programs seek novel ideas, concepts and projects with strong commercial potential.

Funding supports early stage product research and development projects with significant technical risk. The federal government uses the technical readiness system to determine the maturity of the technology. Section 9: Project Narrative Questions Please provide detailed responses.

These answers may be used for federal agency conversations or to generate documents such as NSF Project Pitch, NIH Specific Aims, or DOE Letters of Intent. Describe the status of the intellectual property associated with your technology and your protection strategy. (Required) Describe the technological innovation.

(Required) Explain the core high-risk technical innovation to be researched and developed during a Phase I project. NSF must understand what research and development is required and how this technical innovation differs from and is significantly better than existing solutions. It may also be that the proposed innovation creates a new market.

In this case, why will it be adopted? Describing features or benefits of the proposed technology is not sufficient. Describe the technical objectives and challenges.

(Required) Clearly explain the specific research and development required to prove that the foundational technology works and address the associated challenges explicitly with a high level description of how each will be managed.

This section must convey how the proposed work is technically innovative and demonstrate that you have an understanding of the core research and development tasks necessary to prove out the technical innovation. Describe the market opportunity.

(Required) Explain the value of the technological innovation including the potential uses and those who will benefit (who is the customer) and demonstrate a high-level understanding of the competitive landscape and why this innovation has the potential to compete. Describe the members of the company and the technical team.

(Required) Explain the team’s suitability to successfully execute the project based on the proposed innovation and approach to R&D. Provide information on plans to address gaps in the team. Provide any relevant scientific and technical literature.

(Required) Conducting a scientific and technical literature review is an essential step in the research process. It involves systematically searching, evaluating, and synthesizing existing scholarly works, such as research papers, articles, books, and other relevant publications, to gain an understanding of the current state of knowledge on a particular topic.

With this in mind, we ask applicants to include up to five peer reviewed publications. These publications can be derived from others or yourself. Conducting a literature review is important and necessary to communicate to reviewers and the agency that the applicant is aware of the state of the art in their scientific or technical field.

This field is hidden when viewing the form This field is hidden when viewing the form Project Solicitation Details Cohort Intent to Apply and Proposal Only This field is hidden when viewing the form Is the proposed project a clinical trial? We will help you determine if your project is a NIH clinical trial. Please note, a NIH clinical trial is different from a FDA clinical trial.

This field is hidden when viewing the form What is the regulatory pathway for the proposed product or service? This field is hidden when viewing the form Agency or Solicitation Deadline This field is hidden when viewing the form What is the solicitation number, BAA, NOFO, or RFA?

This field is hidden when viewing the form Topic Number or Research Area NIH: Alzheimer's disease and AD-related dementias, DOD: A254-016: Innovative Operations for Treatment and Processing of Wastewater, DOT: 25-FH1: Open Standards-based 3D-Model Viewer for Highway Construction This field is hidden when viewing the form This field is hidden when viewing the form What was the budget request?

Include the full amount, including subawardees. This field is hidden when viewing the form Project Investigator or Project Director Details This field is hidden when viewing the form Do you know who will serve as the Principal Investigator/Project Director for the project?

This field is hidden when viewing the form This field is hidden when viewing the form This field is hidden when viewing the form This field is hidden when viewing the form This field is hidden when viewing the form This field is hidden when viewing the form Additional Team Members and email address Name This field is hidden when viewing the form Subawardees List any subawardees, consultants or subcontractors that are involved in the project and the amount of the subaward.

This field is hidden when viewing the form What was the project abstract? (No propietary information.) This field is hidden when viewing the form What is the Public Health Relevance statement?

How did you hear about us (Required) This field is hidden when viewing the form Would you recommend the Catalyst Program? This field is hidden when viewing the form If you have recommendations to improve MNSBIR's support and coaching, please let us know.

This field is hidden when viewing the form Consent By requesting business management and technical assistance services from MNSBIR, Inc., I understand that all consultants, counselors, and personnel assigned to assist me will treat all information and data received in complete confidence. I acknowledge that this is a management and technical assistance service, and not legal, tax, or financial advice.

In consideration of receiving this support, I hereby waive any and all claims against MNSBIR, Inc., its affiliates, consultants, counselors, and personnel arising from or related to this assistance. I agree to cooperate if selected to participate in surveys or evaluations designed to assess the effectiveness of these services.

I further understand that any consultant working with me has agreed not to recommend goods or services from sources in which they have a financial interest, nor accept fees or commissions resulting from this relationship. By signing my full name below, I acknowledge that I have read, understood, and accepted the terms of this agreement. I accept the agreement above.

Your Signature (Required) Insert any number (Human Check) This field is hidden when viewing the form Please list any dietary restrictions. Please leave this box checked if you already receive emails.

I consent to receive email communications from MNSBIR, Inc. Navigation at the bottom of the form will only allow you to proceed when all fields have been filled, however, you may skip to different sections by clicking on the title or number at the top of the form.