A successful Phase I award is a significant achievement, but it's just the beginning. For many businesses that have completed an SBIR/STTR Phase I project, the next major milestone is often the Renewal Phase II. This transition involves developing the proof-of-concept data in Phase I towards a tangible, commercial-ready solution. Blue Haven Grant Consultants (BHGC) specializes in helping companies navigate this critical stage, and our approach provides a great roadmap for what a successful Phase II application should entail.

Contemporary business structures are often complex and multi-layered. As we live in a globalized world, it is possible that your team and project are global in nature as well. This is not a roadblock for your application, but having a foreign interest in your project does add additional steps and considerations to your SBIR/STTR application.

You've poured countless hours into your project, working diligently to bring your vision to life. But even before the finish line, Blue Haven Grant Consultants (BHGC) is here to guide you through the crucial stages of filing your final report and preparing for your Phase II application.

Blue Haven Grant Consultants closely monitors changes in the SBIR/STTR program. As the current legislation approaches its expiration, the U.S. Congress has begun proposing and debating the future of these programs. While the debate is ongoing, this post offers a high-level overview of the current proposals and what the future of the SBIR/STTR program might entail.

Your team and Blue Haven Grant Consultants (BHGC) developed your SBIR/STTR application together and submitted it for review. After 3-4 months the application will receive your review. BHGC will be with you the whole time and not as just your grant writer, but instead as your grant advisor and grant administration team.

Last-minute applications are rarely strong applications. This post describes the proposal preparation stage that Blue Haven Grant Consultants uses to develop your grant application and keep your project moving toward a timely and strong grant application to the National Institutes of Health’s SBIR/STTR program.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently announced a significant shift in their funding priorities, aiming to reduce reliance on animal testing and increase support for innovative, human-based research technologies.

You’ve invested your time and energy into identifying an innovative application of cutting-edge biomedical research and are ready to turn that mental investment into a commercial success.

We value the insights that NIH Seed posts on their social media. Recently, they have been providing some great “myth busting” content about commonly held misconceptions of SBIR/STTR application processes.

Our experience has shown that sometimes people don’t even know that funding exists or that smaller innovators are even eligible. That's why we're so excited to highlight our referral program – a vital part of how we connect with the organizations we're dedicated to serving.

April showers bring May flowers and May 2025 brings ORCIDs for all senior and key personnel. Of course we don’t mean flowers, but Open Research and Contributor IDs (ORCID).

When navigating the SBIR/STTR application process, you might encounter the term "TABA" and wonder how it fits into your project.

SBIR/STTR grant applications are difficult. Translating your innovation and the accompanying R&D plans into clear and compelling grant language can be arduous. With so much focus on the merits of the project itself, it can be tempting to think of the budget as an afterthought.

When applying for NIH grants, Specific Aims are the strategic backbone of your project’s work plan, guiding reviewers through the roadmap of your research.

When searching for a grant writer, it’s important to understand their philosophy as well as their skills. Different writers bring distinct frameworks to the table, and you want to be able to assess if that framework aligns with your team and your project.

On September 24, 2024, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) officially relaunched their Grants and Funding website with a fresh design, enhanced functionality, and reorganized content based on years of user analytics and feedback. For grant writers, particularly those focused on SBIR and STTR applications, these improvements represent a significant shift in how you can navigate the grant application process.

Your team is likely already aware of the NIH SBIR/STTR Omnibus Solicitation. However, many projects qualify for funding opportunities outside of the SBIR/STTR omnibus application cycle (January, April, and September each year).

With Phase II grants offering significantly higher funding amounts than Phase I, it’s natural to wonder if your team should skip Phase I and aim directly for a Phase II application. But is this the right strategy for your team?

As you work through the prompts, you find yourself easily answering “yes” to each of the prompts, but you know that can’t be all there is to this! You ask yourself “what proof do I need to persuade an NIH reviewer that our project is supported?”

In this post, we’ll briefly discuss the NIH’s scored criteria for SBIR/STTR grant applications and apply our experience writing and evaluating grant applications to help you better understand each criterion.