"So You Wanna Get an
SBIR?" That is the title of a comedic skit written by the Far West RTTC to provide an
entertaining introduction to key elements of the SBIR program. The skit opened last month
for a brief one-day run at the ITEC conference held in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The skit focuses on conveying valuable insight into things
that small businesses should and should not do to improve their chances of winning phase I
SBIR contracts with NASA. Following a format similar to The Dating Game, the skit is an
entertaining program that unlocks the secrets and pitfalls on the rocky road to obtaining
an SBIR contract. The skit is a novel way to laugh and learn what's really important about
the intricate SBIR process through comedy and audience interaction. Each scene dramatizes
key elements of the SBIR process. Cast members included an SBIR expert from the Far West
RTTC and the SBIR/STTR Manager from NASA Ames.
The skit was conceived as an alternative to traditional
slide presentations that are often used to describe the SBIR program. The skit format was
intended to break down the barriers of formality that sometimes exist between SBIR program
officials and small business hopefuls. The skit format succeeded admirably, judging by the
question and answer period that followed the debut in Honolulu. Audience members remained
for a full hour of give and take with the SBIR experts from the cast.
Far West RTTC videotaped the entire skit. Over the course
of the next several months, Far West RTTC plans to edit the tape and make a DVD that can
be distributed as an educational tool.
The Far West RTTC hopes to present the skit at other
conferences in the next several months. Possible venues include the National SBIR Early
2002 Conference in Anaheim, California from March 11-14, 2002 and a NASA technology
showcase event organized by the Arizona Technology Incubator, a Far West RTTC Affiliate,
to be held March 28, 2002 in the Phoenix area.
