UW Programs Receive Competitive Grant for States Small Businesses

Innovative, research-oriented small businesses in Wyoming will benefit from a $125,000 FAST grant to the University of Wyoming from the U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Federal and State Technology (FAST) partnership program.

Partnered with the Wyoming SBIR/STTR Initiative (WSSI), the UW Small Business Development Center (SBDC) was among 21 grant recipients nationwide that will receive support for research and development and small business innovation. SBA received applications from all 50 states.

The FAST partnership program is a grant sponsored by the SBA, and its primary purpose is to improve the participation rate of small businesses in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, says Jill Kline, SBDC state director.

“The FAST grant couldn’t come at a better time. With the recent budget cuts to our programs, these federal dollars will help with the shortfall. We leveraged our current WSSI funding as a match, and that’s what permitted us to apply for the $125,000 from SBA,” Kline says.

She adds that the grant will allow “us to complement the WSSI program by providing key SBIR training and outreach opportunities for Wyoming small businesses.”

“SBIR is one funding tool that appropriate Wyoming businesses can tap into to help build high-tech companies and help diversify our state’s economy,” Kline says.

The FAST program is a competitive grant program designed to strengthen the technological competitiveness of small businesses. Its purpose is to improve the participation of small technology firms in the innovation and commercialization of new technology to help keep the U.S. on the cutting edge of research and development in science and technology.

“We want to make sure that every company that is interested is able to compete for the more than $2.5 billion in federal funding available every year. This grant will go a long way to help us make that happen,” Kline says.

The SBDC is a partnership among UW, the Wyoming Business Council and the SBA. The SBDC focuses on educating and training small-business owners and potential owners on how to successfully start and operate small businesses. The SBDC’s state office is located at UW, with offices across the state.

The SBIR and STTR programs are contract- and grant-funding competitions specifically targeted to the nation's for-profit small business sector. The WSSI is funded by the Wyoming Business Council and administered by UW through the SBDC. The initiative helps qualified Wyoming small businesses and individuals to access federal funds that support the development of new, cutting-edge technologies.

For more information, contact Kline at (307) 766-3405 or jkline@uwyo.edu.

For more information about the FAST program, visit the website at www.sbir.gov/about-fast.