Template for WSSI Phase 0 Proposals

The following document is a template for use in preparing the SBIR/STTR Phase 0 proposals.  Feel free to fill in the template itself or use the template as a guideline or checklist.  Keep the general bold headings as given, and add your own text in the areas where the plain text appears.  The guidelines are in bulleted format; this does not mean you need to bullet your text.  You may if it is appropriate.  A few items of general discussion include:

•	Phase 0 proposals are due by 5:00 p.m. on the 1st day of each month regardless of the day of the week or if it is a holiday.
•	Proposals must be submitted electronically as a pdf attachment (if you don’t have the ability to PDF, you can send a word document and we will convert it). 
•	Reviewers like to see innovative companies teaming with other Wyoming resources. Please visit with the WSSI Program Manager if your small business is looking for expertise or facilities for possible partnerships.   
•	Reviewers like to see a strong commercialization potential.  If the idea has limited potential, you may have limited success.  Spend some time in the proposal stage to perform initial market research, reach out to work with the market research team for secondary research. 
•	It is extremely important to contact the target agency program manager to briefly discuss your innovation and report the feedback in your Phase 0 proposal.  It is also beneficial to be familiar with the target agency solicitation and expectations. 
•	The Work Plan must be concise, detailed, and easy to follow.  Explain your entire procedure, and do not be general or ambiguous.  
•	The quality of the team is an important ingredient.  Reviewers want to see beneficial teaming with university or community college faculty or other experts, preferably from Wyoming, but not required.  Do not go it alone!
•	It is important to follow the layout given in the solicitation.  The main body of the report can only be 3 pages using Times New Roman font with a font size at 12 and no smaller than one inch margins.  The resume section can only be 5 pages max.  Sometimes you will have to require that the faculty members trim their resumes accordingly. Resumes should be in similar format if time allows. Proposals that do not follow the rules will not be reviewed.  Remember, this is a tune-up for the Phase I submittal to a federal agency.  
•	A meaningful graphic or two adds a nice touch and breaks up the sea of black ink.  However, be aware that you only have 3 pages to work with so space is critical.  
•	If you have never won a SBIR/STTR Phase I award before, you are required to set aside $360 of the $5000 award to pay for mentoring fees.  Mentors are paid a flat rate of $360.00 which entitles you to up to 12 hours of mentoring service.  These hours include reviewing the drafts of your Phase I proposal.

If you choose to use the template, do not delete anything in bold print; all bold categories must be included.  In the “table portion” of the template (the Cover Page), you may use the “Tab” key or your mouse to move through the table.  To use the “Tab” key, begin by placing the cursor in the first line of the table using your mouse and simply press the “Tab” key to advance through the page.  To move backwards through the table using the “Tab” key, hold the ”Shift” key down and then press the “Tab” key.   Make sure you delete unnecessary “template” text.  As you tab through the Cover Page, the text will be highlighted; if the highlighted text is text that needs to be replaced with your text, simply begin to type.  Use your mouse to maneuver through the rest of the template.  If you choose to create your own version of the Phase 0 form, it should look like the template when you are done.

Please take a moment to read through the entire template and solicitation before proceeding.  Good Luck! 

SBIR Phase 0 Proposal

Submitted to:

University of Wyoming Research Office
WSSI Outreach

Attention:

Kelly Haigler Cornish
WSSI Program Manager

Submitted by:

NAME
COMPANY (IF APPLICABLE)
CITY, STATE

DATE

Cover Page	
	
Business Name here	Voice:  (XXX) XXX-XXXX	
Proposer’s Name here	Physical Address: 	
Address here (mailing Address)	Email:	
City, ST,  Zip	
	
Target Agency/Topic:	This cell will adjust to the amount of text.	
Agency Solicitation URL: 	Enter website where solicitation can be found.	
Phase I Submission Due Date:	Date Here	
		
Phase 0 Project Title:	Enter Title Here. This cell will adjust in size.	
		
Proposed Phase 0 Project Cost:	$5000 max	
	
Phase 0 Cost Justification:  The costs for the Phase 0 study are broken down as follows:	
Major tasks	$	
Travel and expenses 	$	
Phase I Proposal development/preparation	$	
Mentoring Fees	$360	
TOTAL	$	
	
Budget Justification:	
Describe Phase 0/00 Budget Justification (Explanation of Major Cost Elements) include who is 
doing the work, what work is being done, estimated cost of work, travel, supplies etc. 	
	
Phase 0 Schedule:  	
Insert Date:	Major milestone	
Insert Date:	Major milestone	
Insert Date:	Submit a draft of Phase I proposal for review  (Must be at least three weeks prior to Phase I submittal date)	
Insert Date:	Submit final draft of Phase I proposal for review	
Insert Date:	Submit Phase I proposal to (insert agency)	

Abstract:   This abstract is limited to 200 words and should include a brief description of the problem or opportunity, project objectives, a description of the effort, anticipated results, potential commercial applications and your business model.  This cell will expand with your text and will easily fit 200 words.	

Project Description

This section can only be a total of 3 pages in length.  Do not exceed this length!

Identification and Significance of Problem  

In this section, consider:

•	Identify the problem that you intend to solve with your innovation.
•	What is the proposed innovation?
•	Why are you proposing this innovation?
•	Discuss the significance of the problem.  How large is it?  What is the impact that your innovation could have on society?
•	Include any statistics or research you have gathered to support these claims.  

Background  

In this section, give background information on the proposed innovation, including but not limited to:

•	When the “light bulb” came on…how was the idea born?
•	General discussion of the proposed innovation, related products, experiences, etc.
•	Brief background on your company and how you are poised to pursue this idea.

Phase 0 Objectives

This section can and maybe should be bulleted:

•	If you are performing preliminary testing or fabrication in Phase 0, state what the objective of the tests are.  How would these tests benefit the development of your Phase I. Remember, the primary purpose of a Phase 0 is preparing a competitive Phase I, not to complete your product development.  
•	Foremost, the top objective should state “Our objective of this Phase 0 project will be to write a first class, competitive, successful Phase I proposal that will allow our company to grow and create jobs.”  
 
Phase 0 Work Plan  

It is imperative that this section be detailed, specific, and to the point.  Do not be general or ambiguous.  Discuss the following as a minimum:

•	How will the work be performed? 
•	Who will perform the work? 
•	What resources will be used?
•	What are the expected results?
•	What are the anticipated risks and workarounds if any?
•	Your planned attendance at a SBIR conference

Related Research or R&D

In this section, identify the following if applicable:

•	Related R&D that you and/or your company or team members have been involved in.
•	Related R&D that others have been involved in.  

Key Personnel 

List and give a brief description of all personnel who will be involved in both Phase 0 and Phase I projects.  If you do not have all the appropriate team members on board at time the Phase 0 proposal is due, identify what expertise you will recruit and what role they will play.  Recruiting appropriate personnel might be one of your Phase 0 objectives.

(If possible, utilize UW faculty members or other Wyoming business people with experience in the field of research that you are pursuing.  Remember, this is a Wyoming grant…)

Importance of Phase 0 for Phase I

In this section, state the importance to the Phase I project in receiving the Phase 0 grant.  It is not out of line to state that without the Phase 0 money, you could not afford to put together a quality Phase I proposal.  If you are going to do some preliminary testing in Phase 0, state the importance of the results in preparing the Phase I.   Remember, a Phase I is a feasibility demonstration of your innovation.

Facilities

Identify the facilities where the work will be performed.  As mentioned earlier, a UW lab or facility is excellent to include.  

Commercialization Potential

*Critical section.  

•	If possible, do some basic research so that you can include some “real life” estimates of the potential market. Work with the SBDC to receive market research data to include. 
•	Describe your customers and market sectors if there multiple.
•	State why you feel your innovation can take market shares away from an existing product. 
•	If you don’t have real numbers, state that you intend to do a thorough market research during Phase I. 

Previous SBIR Experience

State your previous SBIR experience, including both successes and failed proposals, and all Phases (including Phase 0.)  Do not be afraid to say that you have no experience.  

References

Room permitting, reference any sources of information that you may have included in the main body of the proposal.  These may be papers written by faculty members, books, articles, etc.   Otherwise, use a footer to mark references.

RESUMES

(5 pages maximum)