SBIR Proposal Writing Basics

SBIR Proposal = Writing Basics: What is Your Phase I Feasibility Question?

Gail & Jim Greenwood, Greenwood Consulting Group, Inc.

You probably already know that a Phase 1 project in the SBIR or STTR program = is supposed to be a feasibility study. You are supposed to prove the = feasibility of your innovation with a limited amount of time and money in Phase 1 and, = if it proves feasible, then go on to delve deeper into the R&D in Phase = 2.

So what does =93feasibility=94 mean? = Good question, and we=92re going to answer it in this proposal writing = tip.

In its simplest form, proof of feasibility means proving to yourself and = the SBIR/STTR agency that your innovation =93works.=94 If you were one of the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk many years ago, your feasibility study might have been designed to answer the question = =93will our design for an airplane work?=94 = Note the emphasis there, as it should be in your Phase 1 proposal, was on = technical feasibility: the Wright = Brothers=92 measure was not whether non-believers were convinced it achieved flight, = nor if they were willing to buy an airplane regardless of whether it achieved = flight, but did it get off the ground and fly.

Maybe your Phase 1 proposal is a simple proof of whether your innovation = =93works.=94 However, if you have the time and money to go farther (more likely now = that many agencies allow $150k Phase 1s), then you should answer a little tougher question: =93Does your innovation work better than competing = solutions?=94 Now you=92ve set the bar a bit higher, and the reviewer will like = that. Don=92t just indicate whether you achieved flight, but whether = you did it better than that crazy guy with feathers glued on his body who jumped = off a cliff flapping his arms (We certainly hope so). But note implicit in this example is the question =93how are you = defining =91better=92?=94 Higher? = Longer? Cheaper? With more grace and poise? With greater intimidation of the = enemy? So if you are going to take the important additional step of = asking whether your innovation works better than competing solutions, you need = to (a) define how you are measuring =93better=94 and (b) explain why that is a = relevant measurement. No one at = Kitty Hawk cared about the cost of that flight; the Wright Brothers knew that, and therefore focused on other measures of feasibility.

Staying up with us? Feeling enthused about better defining your feasibility = question in your upcoming Phase 1 SBIR/STTR proposal? Good! Then let=92s take that feasibility question even one step = farther, again assuming we have the time and money to do it. Refine the feasibility question to be =93Does your innovation = work better than competing solutions and are customers willing to buy it?=94 Note that we are now talking about technical feasibility and = market or commercialization feasibility. = For years, the SBIR/STTR agencies have asked you to focus your attention on technical feasibility in Phase 1 projects. However, the trend we are = seeing is to broaden the definition of feasibility to include market or = commercialization feasibility in Phase 1. Now we=92re really getting somewhere: we are = defining feasibility to conclude whether your innovation =93works=94 technically, = whether it is superior to competing solutions in ways that important to users, = and whether there are customers willing to buy a product or service with = your innovation in it . And = let=92s take that last point an extra important step and ask =93not only is someone = willing to buy it, but does there appear to be enough =91someones=92 to whom we can sell profitably and in sufficient = volume to make it worth our while to do so?=94

It is important to note that, as we have expanded the feasibility question = that we intend to answer in our Phase 1 project, we did not lose sight of the = basic requirement that we demonstrate technical feasibility. Market or = commercial feasibility is becoming increasingly important in addition to technical feasibility, not instead of it.

So remember the fundamental concept that a Phase 1 project should prove = whether your innovation =93works.=94 = Then take that basic concept as far as you can, given the limited time and = money, to demonstrate the superiority of your innovation in measures important to potential users, and even to demonstrate market demand for your solution = over competing technologies and products. After all, without the latter, that = day at Kitty Hawk would simply be a topic of some history book, rather than the = birth of a major international industry linking the four corners of our = world.