NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ––Registration is now open for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) New Brunswick stop on the agency’s National Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Road Tour scheduled for Wednesday September 18, 2019 at Rutgers University, Cook Student Center located at 59 Biel Rd in New Brunswick.

“The confab is part of a 16-city tour designed to connect and engage entrepreneurs working on advanced technology to the country’s largest source of early stage funding – the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs,” said SBA New Jersey District Director Al Titone. “These programs focus on next generation research & development (R&D) and are led by the SBA with 11 participating federal agencies that provide grant opportunities to further develop technologies solicited by each participating agency.”

“Every year, we meet entrepreneurs from around the country looking to turn their big idea into another great American innovation story. We are committed to supporting America’s small businesses owners wherever they are,” said Acting Administrator Chris Pilkerton. “This tour reflects our continued commitment to ensuring that these innovators are aware of SBA’s resources to help them reach that goal.”

Joining the SBA in sponsoring the New Jersey SBIR Tour are NJ Small Business Development Center, Eisner Amper and McCarter & English; sponsoring organizations include BioNJ and Rutgers University; and supporting organizations include NJ Innovation Institute an NJIT Corporation, NJ Tech Council, New Jersey Economic Development Authority, NJ Business Incubation Network, TechLaunch, Princeton University and Stevens Institute of Technology.

In addition to a full agenda of presentations on subjects ranging from Surprising Opportunities with DoD and NASA to Collaborating with New Jersey’s Research Universities, small business owner who pre-register will be invited to register for one or more 1-on-1 one meetings with program managers from the participating federal agencies. Meetings are scheduled 15 minutes apart. They will be scheduled on a first come first served basis upon submission of a required profile. Throughout the day participants will also be invited to take part in targeted panels, discuss technology areas, and share insights into how the agencies make funding decisions.

SBA Regional Administrator Steve Bulger, who oversees all activities for SBA’s Atlantic Region, which encompasses all of New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, noted that New Jersey is fertile ground for innovation and technology. Since 1983, New Jersey small businesses have received a total of 4,571 SBIR/STTR grants for $1.2 billion. In 2018, 101 SBIR/STTR grants for $50 million went to New Jersey small businesses.

“The SBIR Road Tour plays an important role in increasing engagement with entrepreneurial ecosystems across the country and building out greater networks to support the creation of small businesses focusing on high-impact research,” said Bulger. “This is a great opportunity for New Jersey small businesses involved in technology and innovation to come together to learn about and gain access to America’s Seed Fund, the SBIR/STTR programs.”

“The SBIR/STTR programs tend to fly under the radar, yet they provide over $3 billion in early stage funding to small businesses each year in a wide variety of technology areas such as unmanned systems, advanced materials, health, cybersecurity and defense,” added Bulger. “The SBIR/STTR programs execute over 5,000 new awards annually, which allow innovators to advance new technologies and have contributed to the creation of thousands of jobs.”

There is a pre-registration fee of $45 for small technology firms, innovators, scientists or researchers who would like to attend the event. The pre-registration fee for students who would like to attend is $20. The day of event fee for non-students is $65 and$40 for students. To register online for the New Brunswick SBIR Road Tour, visit https://njsbdc.com/SBIR/.

For additional information about the SBIR/STTR programs, visit https://www.sbir.gov/.

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