Wyoming SBDC, UW School of Pharmacy Offer Webinar on Advancing Innovation

Academic researchers and various small-business owners have an opportunity to learn more about programs offered by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR).

The Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network and University of Wyoming School of Pharmacy will host a webinar, titled “Advancing Innovation in the Equality State: NCATS, SBIR and STTR Programs for Small Businesses in Translational Science,” Thursday, March 28, from noon-1 p.m.

The webinar will feature an overview of the SBIR and STTR and the benefits of funding and being a part of the programs; top tips for submitting a successful application; key NCATS focus areas to advance clinical research and translational sciences; upcoming opportunities and deadlines; and NCATS resources and programs, such as the Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases and Bridging Interventional Development Gaps programs.  

Lili Portilla, director of the Office of Strategic Alliances, NCATS, at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will be the speaker. NCATS is the newest center at the NIH and focuses on the transformation of the translational science process so that new treatments and cures for disease can be delivered to patients faster. 

Prior to NCATS, Portilla served as the senior adviser to the director of the National Center for Research Resources and also was the director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Office of Technology Transfer and Development. Portilla has published several papers on public/private partnerships. She serves as an ex-officio board member of the Institute for Advancing Medical Innovation at the University of Kansas. She received her master’s degree in public administration in 1992 from American University and her bachelor’s degree in business administration, a double major in both finance and Spanish literature, from Stephen F. Austin State University.

Academic researchers; technology transfer organizations; small biotech or health care technology businesses; women-owned small businesses; and entrepreneurs from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds are encouraged to attend the webinar.

The SBIR and STTR programs are government set-aside programs for U.S. small businesses and research organizations to engage in research and development that has the potential for commercialization and public benefit. The programs are one of the largest sources of American early-stage technology financing.

For more information or to register, go to www.wyomingsbdc.org or call Kelly Haigler Cornish at (307) 766-2904, or email haigler@uwyo.edu.

The Wyoming SBDC Network is a business-advising group of the Wyoming SBDC, the Procurement Technical Assistance Center, Market Research Center and SBIR/STTR Initiative. The network’s mission is to help Wyoming entrepreneurs succeed. Advising and most market research activities are free of charge to Wyoming residents.

The SBDC is funded, in part, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. Additional support is provided by the Wyoming Business Council and UW.