The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will host a seminar on Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) competitive federal grant programs on April 15, 2009, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Dr. Siva “Suresh” Sureshwaran, National Program Leader in the competitive programs unit of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service (CSREES), will lead the seminar.
Dr. Sureshwaran will present an overview of the USDA SBIR programs (Phase I & II), discuss USDA objectives and opportunities for commercialization, and offer advice and answer questions regarding research, proposal submission and award management.
Research priorities for the 2009 request for proposals (RFP) will be released in late spring/early summer. The sub-field priorities for last year’s RFP included: food science and nutrition; animal production and protection; forestry; air, water and soil; aquaculture; small and mid-sized farms; plant production and protection (including biology and engineering); biofuels and bio-based products; animal manure management; and rural development, marketing and trade.
Entrepreneurs, university researchers, owners of small high-tech businesses, small manufacturers, service providers and government scientists are strongly encouraged to attend.
Following the SBIR workshop, Dr. Sureshwaran will present a second seminar on USDA competitive grants for research, education and extension, including the Beginning Farmer/Rancher Development Program, which was created in the 2008 Farm bill law. Competitive programs for Rural Development, Markets and Trade, and Small and Medium-Sized Farms, which are part of the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (replacing the USDA National Research Initiative) will also be discussed.
The SBIR seminar will take place in Regency B in the Nebraska Union, 14th & R Street. There is no charge to participate, but please register at http://researchfair.unl.edu/2009/SBIR.php
For more information about the seminar, contact Ryan Anderson at randerson13@unl.edu. To read more about the USDA SBIR grant program, visit http://www.csrees.usda.gov/funding/sbir/sbir_synopsis.html.
The seminar is presented by the UNL Office of Research as a featured session of the university’s annual Research Fair.
