WHAT IS TABA?
Formerly known as Discretionary Technical Assistance (DTA) and sometimes referred to as “Commercialization Assistance,” TABA is authorized for companies that have been awarded a Phase I or Phase II under the Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR). TABA is paid for by the federal agency that awarded the SBIR or STTR and is meant to provide supplemental technical and commercialization support (up to $6,500 for Phase I and up to $50,000 for Phase II). These funds are in addition to the base award funds and must be proposed as part of the Phase I or Phase II proposal. Many participating agencies in the SBIR/STTR program select a vendor to provide commercialization assistance to its awardees. Recent legislation passed in 2018 also made an alternative available referred to as TABA, which stands for Technical and Business Assistance. TABA provides small businesses the option to select a vendor of its own choice as an alternative to the vendor that the agency has selected. As TABA is new, not all agencies have yet implemented it and the manner in which TABA is implemented varies greatly across agencies.
TABA AGENCY FUNDING
The John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 enabled agencies to provide increased funding for discretionary technical and business assistance (TABA) to SBIR and STTR Phase I/II awardees. In general, awardees have two options for technical and business assistance from an agency: (1) to utilize services provided by the vendor selected by an agency: or (2) to identify its own TABA provider(s). If a small business wishes to receive technical and business assistance from the agency-funded vendor, there is no action that they need to take in their proposal submission. However, if the small business wishes to select its own vendor there are specific guidelines that must be followed. These guidelines vary by agency. The specific amount provided as TABA funding is at the discretion of the agency and is UP TO $6,500 for Phase I SBIR/STTR awards and UP TO $50,000 for Phase II SBIR/STTR awards. Please note that not all agencies or DoD services and components have exercised TABA.
What TABA can be used for
Services allowed vary by agency.
Several agencies are implementing TABA services, but funding amount vary by agency. In addition, some agencies (for example NIH, some DOD components, DOE) provide commercialization assistance at no cost to the company. You need to read specific instructions from the specific agency funding your project. In addition, instructions are changing so you can’t assume that any information you already have — perhaps from a previous solicitation — is still valid.
In general, agencies will allow TABA funds to pay for the following services:
Market Analysis- reviewing competitive technologies, market size and dynamics
Expert/End-User Interviews for Insights and Market Validation
IP Landscape Review
IP Strategy Consultation
Product Development Consultation
Market Entry Launch Strategy
Company Resource and Team Building
Manufacturing Strategy Consultation
Fundraising Strategy Development
Financial Plan Review
Preparation of Marketing Materials
Identification and Outreach to Potential Partners
Regulatory Path-to-Market Consultation
Web Presence and Social Media Consultation
Technology Representation at Trade Shows, Conferences, or Events
Deal Terms Advisory
Requesting TABA funding
You should refer to the solicitation information from the agency you’re applying to for specific TABA amounts available and the request process.
In general, to request direct funding for TABA, a requesting firm must provide the firm name of the TABA provider, the TABA provider’s point of contact as well as contact information (email address and phone number, and a brief explanation of the TABA provider’s unique qualifications to provide the service. The request must also include a list of the tasks that will be performed by the TABA provider and the total cost and labor rates.
There are also a few factors that TABA must not include. The request must not be subject to any fee or profit by the SBIR applicant. The proposed TABA provider may not be an affiliate of the SBIR applicant, an investor of the SBIR applicant, or the SBIR applicant itself.
Kali Group is here to help
Our consultants at Kali Group can coach you through the TABA solicitation process as well as handling most of the services allowed by the participating agencies.
The consultants at Kali Group have provided SBIR/STTR consulting services since 2001 to help clients take their idea, concept or prototype from early product concept all the way to market. In addition to proposal development assistance and post-award administration, we can help you form partnerships, find capital, research opportunities, explore new markets and move products into production and into the hands of consumers. That includes technology startup creation, license generation, patents and intellectual property issues.
To learn more about TABA and how Kali Group can help, contact us by clicking here and describing your needs.
THE PROCESS
Selecting and submitting an application to hire your own vendor through TABA is not difficult. Kali Group will provide you with everything you need in order to request TABA as part of your proposal submission package. We are familiar with the different submission processes among the participating agencies and can provide you with what you need in a timely fashion along with instructions on how to submit.
The Department
of Defense
DoD
National Science
Foundation
NSF
DoD is not mandating the use of TABA pending further SBA guidance. Proposers should therefore carefully review individual component instructions to determine if TABA is being offered and follow specific instructions for requesting TABA funding. Kali Group carefully monitors DoD Broad Agency Announcements and can provide you with reference to the most current agency guidelines.
The Phase II funding amount has increased to a maximum of $1,000,000 to better support the nation’s startups and small businesses, as part of the recent federal adjustment for inflation. This amount includes up to $50,000 to be used by the Phase II awardee for commercial assistance under the SBIR Technical and Business Assistance (TABA) legislation.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NASA
Department
of Energy
DoE
NASA Phase I applicants can choose their own TABA vendor and request and receive up to $6,500 as a supplement to the Phase I award and up to $50,000 for a Phase II award.
The Department of Energy uses the phrase “Commercialization Assistance” instead of TABA in its Phase I and Phase II Funding Opportunities Announcements. You can readily find the guidelines in the FOA by searching for “Commercialization Assistance”. DOE provides $6,500 for Phase I and $50,000 for Phase II SBIR/STTR for companies to use with a vendor of their choice.