TABA Assistance • NASA SBIR/STTR

Choose Fuentek As Your NASA TABA Vendor

Small businesses submitting Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) proposals to NASA can request funding supplements to help with marketing and commercialization guidance. Fuentek can help you take advantage of this relatively new program that NASA is implementing. We are a qualified TABA vendor and can provide you with the letter you need to request TABA funding in your SBIR/STTR proposal to NASA.

What Is TABA?

The Technical and Business Assistance (TABA) supplement provides funding that is separate from the R&D budget for SBIR/STTR projects, enabling businesses to gain valuable support at no additional cost. Specifically, TABA enables businesses to secure services from third-party providers to assist with one or more of the following activities:

  • Identifying customers
  • Evaluating financing strategies
  • Establishing strategic partnerships
  • Researching and protecting intellectual property
  • Crafting regulatory and reimbursement strategies
  • Developing activities to accelerate commercialization

IMPORTANT: Requests for TABA funding must be part of the Phase I and Phase II proposals. You cannot apply for TABA funding after you receive an SBIR/STTR award.

Contact us for help with your request for TABA funding

We were pleased to contribute to this Technology Transfer Tactics article about the TABA program.

How Is TABA Useful for SBIR/STTR Proposals to NASA?

You can request up to $6,500 in TABA funds in your Phase I proposal. In addition to market research and market validation activities, NASA encourages Phase I applicants to use TABA funds for two things:

  • Developing a Phase II TABA Needs Assessment: This document sets out for NASA exactly what is needed to commercialize your technology and how you will use the Phase II TABA funds. A Needs Assessment is required for all Phase II proposals.
  • Developing the Phase II Commercialization and Business Plan: Also required for Phase II proposals, this document sets out for NASA how you plan to commercialize your innovation. It includes anticipated projections for product sales, IP protections, and development of regulatory and manufacturing plans.

NASA does not consider whether you applied for TABA funds as it conducts the technical review of your R&D proposal. After projects are selected for awards, NASA then considers TABA requests and evaluates whether the vendor you selected is qualified.

Up to $50,000 is available in TABA funding for Phase II activities related to commercialization and marketing guidance.

Why Should I Specify Fuentek as My Firm’s TABA Vendor?

NASA allows applicants to select their own vendors to provide the TABA services. Fuentek’s valuable commercialization insights will put your company in a better position to successfully secure Phase II funding and successfully commercialize your SBIR/STTR-funded technology:

  • We Know NASA: Fuentek has provided technology commercialization services to NASA for over 20 years and has served as an SBIR/STTR proposal evaluator. So we know what the agency will be wanting to see in your Commercialization and Business Plan in your Phase II proposal.
  • We Have a Strong Team: Fuentek has a highly experienced, well-trained, longtime team of analysts with expertise in a wide range of technical and business areas. So, our insights will be relevant and specific to your business and your technology.
  • We Provide High-Quality Insights: Our market research goes beyond the basic data dump, instead providing a forward-looking analysis that helps you build a strategy for success by meeting a valid market need. Our analysts will help you understand the competition, your customers, and where your technology fits in the value chain.
  • We Understand Small High-Tech Businesses: We are highly experienced with the Business Canvas, Lean Startup, and other tools for planning and achieving success for a technology-based business.

Fuentek’s TABA services will give you the relevant and actionable information you need to strengthen your applications for future Phase II and post-Phase II/Phase III funding. More importantly, we will give you an effective strategy for moving your R&D into commercialization in both federal and non-federal markets.

How Do I Get Started?

If you do not know which SBIR topic is right for you or what SBIR funding is used for, please contact the Small Business Administration for support at https://www.sbir.gov/. Fuentek is not a funding organization and TABA is not a stand-alone grant.

Once you know what SBIR topic you intend to pursue, fill out the form below to receive a letter of support for inclusion in your Phase I TABA proposal. Also use the form to set up a time to discuss your TABA needs for a Phase II proposal.

Contact us. It’s easy. It’s quick. And there is no cost or risk to you.