Small-Business/ ERC Collaborative Opportunity (SECO)

Small-Business/ ERC Collaborative Opportunity (SECO) is sponsored by National Science Foundation (NSF). Facilitates collaboration between small businesses and Engineering Research Centers to translate research into marketable products.

NSF 13-551: Small-Business/ ERC Collaborative Opportunity (SECO) | NSF - U.S. National Science Foundation Archived funding opportunity This solicitation is archived. Important information for proposers and award recipients All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the requirements specified in the funding opportunity and in the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) and its supplements .

All NSF grants and cooperative agreements are subject to the applicable set of NSF award terms and conditions . NSF has updated its research security policies for NSF funded projects. NSF 13-551: Small-Business/ ERC Collaborative Opportunity: (SECO) Funded by the ERC Translational Research Fund and the SBIR Program Download the solicitation (PDF, 0.

4mb) National Science Foundation Directorate for Engineering Engineering Education and Centers Industrial Innovation and Partnerships Letter of Intent Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p. m. proposer's local time) : Option 1 (full proposals) and Option 2 (requests for supplemental funding) Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.

m. proposer's local time): Option 1 (full proposals) and Option 2 (requests for supplemental funding) Important Information And Revision Notes A revised version of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) , NSF 13-1 , was issued on October 4, 2012 and is effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after January 14, 2013.

Please be advised that the guidelines contained in apply to proposals submitted in response to this funding opportunity.

Proposers who opt to submit prior to January 14, 2013, must also follow the guidelines contained in Please be aware that significant changes have been made to the PAPPG to implement revised merit review criteria based on the National Science Board (NSB) report, National Science Foundation's Merit Review Criteria: Review and Revisions .

While the two merit review criteria remain unchanged (Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts), guidance has been provided to clarify and improve the function of the criteria. Changes will affect the project summary and project description sections of proposals. Annual and final reports also will be affected.

A by-chapter summary of this and other significant changes is provided at the beginning of both the Award & Administration Guide .

Please note that this program solicitation may contain supplemental proposal preparation guidance and/or guidance that deviates from the guidelines established in the Summary Of Program Requirements Small-Business/ ERC Collaborative Opportunity (SECO) Funded by the ERC Translational Research Fund and the SBIR Program This opportunity aims to facilitate the translation of NSF's technology investments in Engineering Research Centers (ERC) and in Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) projects into the market place.

Furthermore, in instances where an ERC is funded with a mission to support the public good through the implementation of critical public engineering systems (the infrastructure), this includes facilitating implementations that realize the intended public benefit.

The specific goals of this opportunity are to: Speed the translation of ERC-generated research and technology advances to the marketplace or its implementation into critical public engineered systems and engage undergraduate and graduate students more directly in the innovation process through collaboration between an ERC and a small business concern, (OPTION 1) and Strengthen the research capacity of active NSF SBIR/STTR Phase II awardees to speed the entry of their innovations into the marketplace and broaden its portfolio of marketable products through collaboration with an ERC (OPTION 2).

Cognizant Program Officer(s): Please note that the following information is current at the time of publishing. See program website for any updates to the points of contact.

Carmiña Londoño, Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s): Anticipated Type of Award: Option 1: Fixed Amount Award with special reporting requirements and Option 2: SBIR Supplement Estimated Number of Awards: 15 Anticipated Funding Amount: $3,000,000 Each partnership consists of one small business lead collaborating with an active or self-sustaining, graduated ERC as a sub-contractor.

The combined total award would be up to $200,000 with a duration of one or two years. Awards are subject to the availability of funds. Proposals may only be submitted by the following: The following definitions are applicable in this section.

A Small Business Concern (SBC) is a legally established entity that meets the the NSF SBIR program definition of a Small Business Concern https://www. nsf. gov/eng/iip/sbir/definitions.

jsp#sbc and is also able to demonstrate financial viability during the award period, as per the Prospective New Awardee Guide ( https://www. nsf. gov/publications/pub_summ.

jsp? ods_key=pnag ) . This opportunity is only for fiscally viable SBCs.

An active ERC awardee is defined as an awardee with an NSF ERC award which has not yet expired. A self-sustaining, graduated ERC is defined as an ERC whose 10-year award period has expired, but which is financially self-sustaining and still retain ERC key features. Self-sustaining ERCs are from the Classes of 1990 or later (see the Appendix in Section X).

An active SBIR/STTR awardee is one with an NSF Phase II award, which has not yet expired. Given these definitions, proposals may only be submitted by the following: Option 1: Any Small Business Concern proposing to either speed the translation of ERC generated technology into the marketplace or speed its implementation into a critical public service engineered system (the infrastructure).

The firm may (or may not) be a current member of the ERC Industrial Advisory Board. (In Fastlane, submit the proposal to the EEC Division's ERC program). To be eligible for this award, the Small Business Concern must partner with either an active ERC awardee or a self-sustaining, graduated ERC that participates in the collaborative research project and is a subawardee.

In addition, the proposing firm must have obtained a license from the appropriate university for the ERC intellectual property associated with the proposed project before an award can be made. Active NSF SBIR/STTR Phase II awardees proposing to leverage ERC developed technology or know-how to strengthen the research capacity of the small business partner in the collaboration.

( Submit the proposal, via FastLane, as a supplement to the original Phase II award). The objective is to speed the entry of the SBIR/STTR's innovation into the marketplace. Only active NSF SBIR/STTR Phase II awardees are eligible to directly apply to this solicitation under Option 2.

In addition, the company is only eligible to apply, when an active or self-sustaining, graduated ERC, participates in the collaborative research project and is a subawardee. A list of self-sustaining, graduated ERCs meeting these criteria is provided in the Appendix in Section X. Note that graduated ERCs operating on brief no-cost extensions of the original award are classified as self-sustaining.

A potential list of active SBIR/STTR awardees can be viewed using the NSF award search tool at https://www. nsf. gov/awardsearch/tab.

do? dispatch=4 and confining the search to Element Code 5373 or 1591 for awards. Details about the award and PI are viewable by clicking on the award number.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: 3 Limit on Number of Proposals per PI: 1 Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions A. Proposal Preparation Instructions Letters of Intent: Submission of Letters of Intent is required. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

Preliminary Proposal Submission: Not Applicable Full Proposals submitted via FastLane: NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide, Part I: Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) Guidelines apply. The complete text of the GPG is available electronically on the NSF website at: https://www. nsf.

gov/publications/pub_summ. jsp? ods_key=gpg .

Full Proposals submitted via Grants. gov: NSF Grants. gov Application Guide: A Guide for the Preparation and Submission of NSF Applications via Grants.

gov Guidelines apply (Note: The NSF Grants. gov Application Guide is available on the Grants. gov website and on the NSF website at: https://www.

nsf. gov/publications/pub_summ. jsp?

ods_key=grantsgovguide ) Cost Sharing Requirements: Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited. Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: Option 2: Budgets for supplemental funding request must not exceed the hourly rate of salary/wage for each budgeted employee, the rate of fringe benefits, the rate of indirect costs and the rate of fee cannot exceed those in the final budget of the current Phase II award.

Other Budgetary Limitations: Not Applicable Letter of Intent Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p. m. proposer's local time) : Option 1 (full proposals) and Option 2 (requests for supplemental funding) Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.

m. proposer's local time): Option 1 (full proposals) and Option 2 (requests for supplemental funding) Proposal Review Information Criteria Merit Review Criteria: National Science Board approved criteria. Additional merit review considerations apply.

Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information. Award Administration Information Award Conditions: Standard NSF award conditions apply. Reporting Requirements: Additional reporting requirements apply.

Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information. This funding opportunity is aimed at enhancing the innovation impact of NSF's investments in Engineering Research Centers (ERCs). The first two generations of ERCs (1985-2009) were designed to function through sustained partnerships with their industry and government practitioner partners.

These ERC member organizations brought knowledge of industrial and professional practices and needs to academe, and they streamlined the translation of academic research into useful products, processes, and services.

However, there were still a large number of discoveries and inventions developed within the ERCs that never reached their full innovation or commercial potential, because the ERC member firms lacked the resources or the technology didn't overlap well with their long term business strategy.

As a result, the Generation Three (Gen-3) ERC Program construct was developed in 2008 to actively seek additional small business partnerships aimed specifically at spinning out center developed technology that was not licensed by the ERC member partners.

This new mandate broadens the role of the ERC to include creating and nurturing an innovation ecosystem designed to more effectively impact the development of new products and services delivered into the U. S. economy.

Generally, an innovation ecosystem includes the people, institutions, policies, and resources that promote the translation of new ideas into products and processes and services.

Similarly, the innovation ecosystem of Gen-3 ERCs is achieved through a symbiotic relationship between the center researchers, small businesses, large industrial and practitioner partners, and other partner organizations devoted to stimulating entrepreneurship and innovation.

As such, the Gen-3 ERCs will continue nurturing the sustained partnerships of the original ERC model, while also proactively seeking ways to translate ERC technology developments to the market that are not being developed with the resources of one of the partners.

While not required, many Gen-2 and recently graduated ERCs have pursued translational research partnerships under the Gen-3 protocol to accelerate the entry of their technology into the marketplace.

Option 1: This funding option is aimed at developing generic hardware or software technologies that derive from ERC research discoveries and proof-of-concept testbeds by having the active or self-sustaining ERCs form collaborations with fiscally viable small firms.

Beyond that, this solicitation seeks to maximize the leverage of NSF's earlier technology investments via technology translation by preferentially supporting the translation of ERC technologies that undergird strategically identified platform technologies . The identification of a platform technology is an option, not a requirement, in this solicitation.

Platform technologies are generically defined as a set of technologies that: Are common to different businesses and product families; Are distinctive and can provide competitive advantage; Enable and accelerate a broad range product development (tools, methods, etc.) In the business world, platform technologies are important because they provide a framework for reusing an initial investment in technological know-how in different markets and businesses in order to gain a competitive advantage.

"A platform may include physical components, tools and rules to facilitate development, a collection of technical standards to support interoperability, or any combination of these things. Serving as a stable nexus or foundation, a platform can organize the technical development of interchangeable, complementary components and permit them to interact with one another." See for example, http://kevinboudreau.

com/PAPER%20Open%20Platform%20Complement%20Draft. pdf . EXAMPLES OF PLATFORM TECHNOLOGIES: Computers are one of the most familiar examples of a technology platform that beautifully illustrates how physical components can be designed with hardware and software interface standards that make them interoperable.

An example of an ERC platform technology would be the image extraction techniques that were developed at the Center for SubSurface Imaging Systems (CenSSIS) to differentiate the target of interest from irrelevant clutter and scattered radiation.

The CenSSIS image extraction framework have been successfully applied to a wide variety of problems in underwater imagery, underground imagery, medical imagery inside the body, and 3-D biological microscopy inside a cell or collection of cells. Both Non-platform and Platform Technologies are eligible for an award. The solicitation encourages proposals for both non-platform and platform technologies that have high impact potential.

Option 2: This funding option is targeted to improve the competitiveness of small firms with active NSF Phase II SBIR/STTR awards by having them partner with active or self-sustaining graduated ERCs. Active NSF Phase II SBIR/STTR recipients are the elite subset of firms who have a demonstrated track record of successfully implementing innovative research.

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs are designed to stimulate technological innovation in the private sector by strengthening the role of small business concerns in meeting federal research and development needs, increasing the commercial application of federally supported research results, and fostering and encouraging participation by socially and economically disadvantaged and women-owned small businesses.

This program seeks to combine the innovations arising from NSF's investment in strategically planned, cross-disciplinary Engineering Research Center's (ERC) with the technology translation and business acumen of the small business sector, including that developed from NSF's investment in Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs and other fiscally viable small R&D firms.

The National Science Foundation-sponsored ERCs are cross-disciplinary, multi-university centers located at universities all across the United States, each operating in close partnership with industry; and, some also with additional government-agency or other service sector partners.

Each ERC provides an environment in which academe and industry collaborate in pursuing strategic advances in complex engineered systems and enabling systems-level technologies that have the potential to spawn whole new industries or to radically transform the product lines, processing technologies, or service delivery methodologies of current industries.

Activity within ERCs lies at the interface between the discovery-driven culture of science and the innovation-driven culture of engineering and industry. The centers provide the intellectual foundation for industry to collaborate with faculty and students in resolving long-range challenges, producing the knowledge needed for steady advances in technology and their speedy transition to the marketplace.

More information can be found at: http://www. erc-assoc. org/ .

The SBIR/STTR program stimulates entrepreneurship in this country through government support for research in small businesses. These small business concerns often need additional research to commercialize their products and/or services. One method of providing this needed research is by enabling small businesses to collaborate with an ERC.

More information can be found at: https://www. nsf. gov/eng/iip/sbir/ .

Under Option 1, the proposed funding request must be centered on research that is mutually beneficial to the ERC and the proposing fiscally viable small business concern. In particular, the small business should define a role that will align with the ERC's technology translation goal.

Under Option 2, if the small business concern is an active NSF SBIR/STTR Phase II awardee, the proposed research may also be aimed at leveraging ERC technology to help improve the competitive position of the proposing SBIR/STTR firm.

Thus, the solicitation serves the following dual purposes: Speed the translation of ERC-generated research and technology advances to the marketplace (or its implementation into critical public service infrastructure) and engage undergraduate and graduate students more directly in the innovation process though collaboration between an ERC and a fiscally viable small business concern; Strengthen the research capacity of the proposing active NSF SBIR/STTR Phase II awardee to speed the entry of its innovation into the marketplace thereby improving the awardee's competitive position, and broadening its portfolio of marketable products through collaboration with an ERC.

In both instances, the intent is to facilitate the translation of the knowledge gained from NSF's earlier technology investments into useful applications. The awardees create a mutually beneficial research and commercialization platform that joins ERCs and small business companies in this effort and establishes a model upon which the ERC and the firm can collaborate in the future.

Prospective fiscally viable small R&D firms and active NSF SBIR/STTR Phase II awardees should contact an ERC of interest, defined in the Appendix in Section X, to learn more about that center's scope of research, its membership agreement, the members of its Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) and the research areas of interest of the center's researchers, and whether there is intellectual property available for translational research.

Current information on ERCs can be found at http://www. erc-assoc. org .

Anticipated Type of Award: Option 1: Fixed Amount Award with special reporting requirements outlined in Section VII. c Option 2: SBIR Supplement Estimated Number of Awards: 15 Anticipated Funding Amount: $3,000,000, pending availability of funds Each partnership consists of one small business lead collaborating with an active or self-sustaining, graduated ERC as a sub-contractor.

The combined total award would be up to $200,000 with a duration of one or two years. IV. Eligibility Information Proposals may only be submitted by the following: The following definitions are applicable in this section.

A Small Business Concern (SBC) is a legally established entity that meets the the NSF SBIR program definition of a Small Business Concern https://www. nsf. gov/eng/iip/sbir/definitions.

jsp#sbc and is also able to demonstrate financial viability during the award period, as per the Prospective New Awardee Guide ( https://www. nsf. gov/publications/pub_summ.

jsp? ods_key=pnag ) . This opportunity is only for fiscally viable SBCs.

An active ERC awardee is defined as an awardee with an NSF ERC award which has not yet expired. A self-sustaining, graduated ERC is defined as an ERC whose 10-year award period has expired, but which is financially self-sustaining and still retain ERC key features. Self-sustaining ERCs are from the Classes of 1990 or later (see the Appendix in Section X).

An active SBIR/STTR awardee is one with an NSF Phase II award, which has not yet expired. Given these definitions, proposals may only be submitted by the following: Option 1: Any Small Business Concern proposing to either speed the translation of ERC generated technology into the marketplace or speed its implementation into a critical public service engineered system (the infrastructure).

The firm may (or may not) be a current member of the ERC Industrial Advisory Board. (In Fastlane, submit the proposal to the EEC Division's ERC program). To be eligible for this award, the Small Business Concern must partner with either an active ERC awardee or a self-sustaining, graduated ERC that participates in the collaborative research project and is a subawardee.

In addition, the proposing firm must have obtained a license from the appropriate university for the ERC intellectual property associated with the proposed project before an award can be made. Active NSF SBIR/STTR Phase II awardees proposing to leverage ERC developed technology or know-how to strengthen the research capacity of the small business partner in the collaboration.

( Submit the proposal, via FastLane, as a supplement to the original Phase II award). The objective is to speed the entry of the SBIR/STTR's innovation into the marketplace. Only active NSF SBIR/STTR Phase II awardees are eligible to directly apply to this solicitation under Option 2.

In addition, the company is only eligible to apply, when an active or self-sustaining, graduated ERC, participates in the collaborative research project and is a subawardee. A list of self-sustaining, graduated ERCs meeting these criteria is provided in the Appendix in Section X. Note that graduated ERCs operating on brief no-cost extensions of the original award are classified as self-sustaining.

A potential list of active SBIR/STTR awardees can be viewed using the NSF award search tool at https://www. nsf. gov/awardsearch/tab.

do? dispatch=4 and confining the search to Element Code 5373 or 1591 for awards. Details about the award and PI are viewable by clicking on the award number.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: 3 Limit on Number of Proposals per PI: 1 V. Proposal Preparation And Submission Instructions A. Proposal Preparation Instructions Letters of Intent (required): A Letter of Intent (LOI) is required to facilitate the NSF review process.

The letter should be submitted via FastLane no later than the LOI deadline specified in this solicitation. The LOI allows NSF to screen the proposals with respect to eligibility requirements, to categorize the proposals, and to identify conflicts-of-interest to prepare for the proposal review processes.

Follow these steps for the LOI preparation and submission: Submit information for your LOI through Fast Lane under these categories only (note the character limits, which include spaces, as stated below): Project Title: The Project Title should begin with "OPTION 1: Small-Business ERC Collaborative Opportunity for the technical title ..." or "OPTION 2: Small-Business ERC Collaborative Opportunity for the technical title ..."

to indicate which option the proposal will be directed to. The technical title and should then reflect the focus of the proposed collaboration. Synopsis: (maximum of 2,500 characters in this section): Provide brief statements of the vision and goals of the proposed collaboration at a sufficient level of detail to understand the proposed collaboration.

Participants (maximum of 255 characters in this section); identify the: Lead small business firm; Collaborating ERC organization; Small Business Project PI with contact information; ERC Faculty subawardee with contact information (include institutional affiliation if different from ERC lead institution); Participating Organizations: Include names and addresses (city, state, country) for the small business firm, the ERC, and the institutional affiliation of the faculty PI if he/she is not at the ERC lead institution.

Special Letter of Intent Preparation Instruction: Submission of multiple Letters of Intent is allowed. Participants and Participating Organizations are required when submitting Letters of Intent.

Letter of Intent Preparation Instructions: When submitting a Letter of Intent through FastLane in response to this Program Solicitation please note the conditions outlined below: Sponsored Projects Office (SPO) Submission is required when submitting Letters of Intent A Minimum of 0 and Maximum of 4 Other Senior Project Personnel are allowed A Minimum of 1 and Maximum of 5 Other Participating Organizations are allowed Submission of multiple Letters of Intent is allowed Full Proposal Preparation Instructions: Proposers may opt to submit proposals in response to this Program Solicitation via Grants.

gov or via the NSF FastLane system. Full proposals submitted via FastLane: Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the general guidelines contained in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG). The complete text of the GPG is available electronically on the NSF website at: https://www.

nsf. gov/publications/pub_summ. jsp?

ods_key=gpg . Paper copies of the GPG may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (703) 292-7827 or by e-mail from nsfpubs@nsf. gov .

Proposers are reminded to identify this program solicitation number in the program solicitation block on the NSF Cover Sheet For Proposal to the National Science Foundation. Compliance with this requirement is critical to determining the relevant proposal processing guidelines. Failure to submit this information may delay processing.

Full proposals submitted via Grants. gov: Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation via Grants. gov should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the NSF Grants.

gov Application Guide: A Guide for the Preparation and Submission of NSF Applications via Grants. gov. The complete text of the NSF Grants. gov Application Guide is available on the Grants.

gov website and on the NSF website at: ( https://www. nsf. gov/publications/pub_summ.

jsp? ods_key=grantsgovguide ). To obtain copies of the Application Guide and Application Forms Package, click on the Apply tab on the Grants.

gov site, then click on the Apply Step 1: Download a Grant Application Package and Application Instructions link and enter the funding opportunity number, (the program solicitation number without the NSF prefix) and press the Download Package button. Paper copies of the Grants.

gov Application Guide also may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (703) 292-7827 or by e-mail from Important Proposal Preparation Information for Option 1 (full proposals): FastLane will check for required sections of the proposal, in accordance with Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) instructions described in Chapter II. C. 2.

The GPG requires submission of: Project Summary; Project Description; References Cited; Biographical Sketch(es); Budget; Budget Justification; Current and Pending Support; Facilities, Equipment & Other Resources; Data Management Plan; and Postdoctoral Mentoring Plan, if applicable. If a required section is missing, FastLane will not accept the proposal.

Please note that the proposal preparation instructions provided in this program solicitation may deviate from the GPG instructions. If the solicitation instructions do not require a GPG-required section to be included in the proposal, insert text or upload a document in that section of the proposal that states, "Not Applicable for this Program Solicitation." Doing so will enable FastLane to accept your proposal.

Option 1: The fiscally viable small business, as the lead organization, must submit a single proposal that details the research responsibilities for both the small business and the ERC collaborator. (In Fastlane, submit the proposal to the EEC ERC program element 1480). The ERC collaborator must be designated as a subcontractor.

The sub-awardee budget to the ERC collaborator must be a minimum of 30% or a maximum of 60% of the total award amount. The title of the proposal must start with "OPTION 1: Small-Business ERC Collaborative Opportunity for the technical title ..." The proposal must state if the ERC partner is an active or graduated awardee.

Project Summary: The project summary consists of an overview and statements on the Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts of the proposed activity (one page limit). Project Description (15 page limit) : d. Broader Impacts: Please note, per guidance of GPG, the Project Description must contain as a separate section within the narrative a discussion of the broader impacts.

e. Student involvement: Discuss how this project will provide ERC students at the graduate and/or undergraduate levels with essential experience to succeed in a competitive engineering, high-technology startup environment. f.

Management Plan: This section should justify the choice for team members based on their expertise and in relation to the goals of the project. g. Future Commercialization Plan: Address the commercialization potential but do not write a full business plan.

If applicable include the expected impact of implementing the technology in support of critical public engine,ering projects (see the section on additional review criteria). Use this section to build a case for the expectation of success by benchmarking the proposed technology against the competition. Estimate the expected revenues over five years (include references that back up assumptions made in calculating revenue estimates).

Estimate the timeline to commercialization, including how much it will cost to complete commercialization. For the latter, if more than $1 Million, describe a plan for developing the source of additional funding, and wherever possible, secure letters of support from strategic partners.

It is important to include other useful information that helps the reviewers evaluate the viability of the small business collaborator such as: (i) the years of operation for the small business concern; (ii) any existing key revenue sources; (iii) any examples of prior commercialization successes; and (iv) the number of full time employees. 3.

Budget: Each partner organization must submit its own detailed budget and all line items in the budget must be justified. The budget should include travel for the small firm's PI and the ERC collaborator to attend a one-day workshop to be held in the Arlington, VA area.

Because this is a continuing grant increment and the funds are apportioned between two performance periods, A and B, each partner organization must submit a separate budget for each increment. Proposals with 24 month performance periods, A+B that sum to 24 months.

Half of the award funding will be released initially to fund Period A, and the remainder will be released after the NSF program director receives a satisfactory report on the first period of performance (see Section VII. C Reporting Requirements) to fund Period B; Proposals with performance periods less than 24 months can be either 15 months or 18 months in duration.

Awards for 12 month periods will not be allowed because the duration is too short to automatically trigger the second funding increment.

In addition, the following rules also apply: Period A is less than or equal to 12 months; Period B is less than or equal to 12 months; The sum of the durations, A+B, equals either 15 or 18 months and will be indicated on the cover sheet; Budget is prorated between the two performance periods; The initial progress report is due one month before the end of performance period A.

Performance period B will start as soon as the progress report is approved by both the ERC PI and the NSF PD. 4. Biographical Sketches: Per the Grant Proposal Guide, the biographical sketches must be submitted with two page maximum per person.

A minimum of two biographical sketches must be submitted, one for the small firm Principal Investigator, and the other for the ERC subawardee.

Supplementary Documents required for Option 1 : The following must be included with the proposal as supplementary documentation: Letter of endorsement from the company president or the CEO that indicates the value of the research partnership to the small business and also describes how the small business will contribute to the ERC.

Letter of endorsement from the ERC Center Director that describes the value of the research partnership to the ERC and for general proposals: indicates whether the partnership facilitates any part of the ERC's center developed technology; Organization chart of the small R&D firm; ERC lineage: Documentation establishing ERC lineage of proposed innovation by providing copies of the Estimated Budgets by Research Thrust and Cluster in Table 2 of the ERC Annual Report during the years when the proposed innovation was developed; Financial Conflicts of Interest (FCOI) Declaration: The subawardee PI on this proposal must be an ERC participant and must submit a conflicts declaration, indicating whether or not he/she has a conflict with the submitting firm (as defined below).

The definition of an ERC participant includes the ERC's Director, Deputy Director, and other faculty from the lead and/or partner universities of the ERC who are carrying out research supported by the ERC's direct budget (core) funds, whether