AAG Unplugged: Managing your SBIR/STTR Award Effectively

Time for another AAG Unplugged! In this entry we’ll be summarizing an All About Grants episode that covers material that overlaps with one of our prior posts about managing your SBIR/STTR grant. We’ve previously written about some fundamental project management for SBIR/STTR, but not to the level of specificity discussed in this episode of All About Grants. The contributors to this episode focused on helping listeners understand the importance of communication with NIH officials and grant officers as well as understanding how to interact with key NIH systems, such as reporting and payment systems.

Key speakers

Let’s meet the experts who contributed to this episode:

• Adam Sorkin, Small Business Policy Manager for NIH SEED

• Dr. Toyin Ajisafe, Program Officer at the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research within the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

• Mindy Bixby, Grants Management Specialist at NICHD

• Callie Prassinos, Branch Chief and Contracting Officer with the NIAID Office of Acquisitions

• Jonelle Soeffing, Operations Officer within the Office of the Inspector General Office of Investigations

Takeaway 1: Be mindful of your responsibilities as an awardee and the importance of effective communication with NIH officials

The episode highlighted the significance of understanding your responsibilities as an awardee for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) funding. One key point was the importance of effective communication with NIH officials throughout the process.

Dr. Toyin Ajisafe emphasized the importance of understanding your grant or contract's specifics, saying, "It's really important that you understand what's in the contract and what the limitations are because the contract is very specific, and those obligations and limitations are hard requirements."

Mindy Bixby highlighted the role of the Grants Management Specialist in guiding awardees through the award process, stating, "The role of a Grants Specialist is to help you through the award process pre-award, during the JIT process, during award, post-award."

Takeaway 2: Stay vigilant to avoid fraud, waste, and abuse

The webinar brought attention to the importance of staying vigilant to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse. Jonelle Soeffing from the Office of the Inspector General pointed out ways to ensure compliance and avoid inadvertent violations.

She clarified what constitutes fraud, waste, and abuse, stating, "Fraud is an intentional or deliberate act to deprive another of property or money by deception or other unfair means. Waste involves practices that directly or indirectly result in unnecessary costs. Abuse is the intentional or unintentional thoughtless or careless expenditure, excessive or improper use of government resources."

Soeffing also encouraged attendees to report any suspicious activity or behavior, asserting, "If you see or learn of anything that seems wrong, please say or do something. Please report complaint information through the HHS website or by calling 1-800-HHS-TIPS."

Takeaway 3: Understand the ins and outs of the Payment Management System (PMS)

A significant part of the webinar was dedicated to discussing the Payment Management System (PMS), a crucial aspect of managing awards. Mindy Bixby provided insights into how and when to draw down funds from the PMS.

Bixby advised, "The rule of thumb is you draw down funds when they're needed. So you can make as many drawdowns as you need, but the rule of thumb is not to draw down funds too far in advance because you don't want to have a large amount of cash on hand."

She further emphasized the importance of understanding the workings of the PMS to ensure smooth management of awards, saying, "If you ever have any trouble with your PMS system with drawdowns or you hit an error, that's like your eRA Commons Help Desk. So the PMS Liaison can answer your questions as almost like a GMS on my side."

Summary

• SBIR/STTR awards have specific goals and requirements for different phases

• The Notice of Award is the official notification of funding and contains crucial information including funding level, period of support, terms and conditions of the award.

• The Payment Management System (PMS) is where all the awarded money goes, and recipients need to register for an account in PMS.

• Any changes in the terms or conditions of the contract, including the Statement of Work, changes to the key personnel, the delivery schedule must be accomplished in writing in a modification.

• Fraud, waste, and abuse are serious issues that can lead to criminal and civil prosecutions and administrative actions.

There was a lot of discussion in this episode about making sure to develop or work with experts in the field to make sure that your project moves along well in the grant application and award stages. It’s great to hear other experts discussing the importance of Grant Specialists as it shows just how important having the right team on your side can be for your project to have success as a NIH grant awardee. Here at BHGC we have over a decade of experience helping projects move along with success. We’re looking forward to working with you as your grant writer and grant specialist to make sure that you can focus on the science and commercialization of your project. Ready for that step? Schedule a free consultation with us to explore your project in greater depth!