RALEIGH — Eva Garland Consulting (EGC) has announced success stemming from their efforts to enhance diversity in the Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR). The news, published in a paper in Nature Biotechnology, reports increases of 18-22% in the awarding of SBIR grants for women-owned and socially and economically-disadvantaged small businesses that participated in their Applicant Assistance Program (AAP).
CEO Eva Garland expressed pride in the results, stating that they demonstrate “the effectiveness of a carefully designed program specifically tailored to provide expertise and support across the entire entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
A Discouraging Trend
In 1982, the U.S. government began a new program for supporting small businesses. Coordinated by the Small Business Administration, the new Small Business Innovation Research or SBIR program was intended to provide contracts and grants to help small businesses conduct research and development.
The goals of the program included four initial objectives: simulate technological innovation, use small businesses to meet Federal research needs, increase private sector commercialization, and lastly, to "foster and encourage participation by minority and disadvantaged persons in technological innovation."
Forty years later, the SBIR program is mammoth, with $3 billion awarded through the program each year, offering a scientific leg-up for small businesses. But it's not all success. Throughout the history of the program only 10-15% of the annual awardees are women, with another 10-15% from socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses, statistics that have stubbornly refused to improve. Considering one of the core objectives is to increase underrepresentation, this is discouraging, to say the least.
"We really want to break through this barrier that has been there for 40 years of having almost exactly the same percentage women participants," Garland told me on a call. "We want to actually see that graph start to rise."
https://maritdigital.com/2024/05/07/nc-represents-in-sbas-2024-growth-accelerator-competition/
Developing a Support System
Eva Garland Consulting was established in 2013 to support scientists and entrepreneurs seeking development of their innovations. Early on, the Raleigh firm identified the SBIR program – and other similar programs – as strong contributors to the kind of work it does. The company received a Growth Accelerator Fund Competition (GAFC) award from the Small Business Administration, and with those funds developed a new support tool: SBIR Land.
SBIR Land supports women, and others, applying for SBIR grants, as well as National Science Foundation (NSF) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants. The site includes access to 35 PhDs with expertise from various industries, as well as 12 accounting experts able to answer money and funding-related questions.
Earlier this year, EGC applied for and won a second Growth Accelerator Fund Competition (GAFC) award. The $50,000 in funds will allow the team to pilot expanded support on the SBIR Land site by adding mentoring from a successful female NSF SBIR/STTR awardee and coaching from an EGC Scientific Grants Expert. Those in the pilot program will also get a copy of EGC's book on the topic, "Winning SBIR/STTR Grants: A Ten-Week Plan for Preparing Your NSF Phase I Application."
https://maritdigital.com/2023/02/05/three-triangle-life-science-execs-crack-women-in-business-awards/
In parallel with this work, the firm also been working with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on an Applicant Assistance Program (AAP). This week's paper shows the results of that effort, referencing 5 years of work with 738 AAP-participating companies. These, and other programs, combine to offer numerous resources that Garland is proud to be a part of.
"[It] really breaks down the barrier for entrepreneurs from all over to be able to apply for these awards."
Continuing Work
While this week’s study show strong results, there is clearly much more work to be done.
The GAFC Award comes with the opportunity to apply for a second award, and Garland plans to “scale up” for phase two, increasing partnerships to reach more women in the entrepreneurial community. With more than 10 years in business, EGC has developed a strong network of incubators across the nation and hopes to work with many of them to increase the pilot access to mentorship to a much broader audience.
And while SBIR Land is a nationally-available support structure, Garland believes North Carolina has unique characteristics that offer broad insights.
“North Carolina really represents, in a microcosm, what the nation looks like, in that we have three regions that are historically very strong in entrepreneurship and biotech. But there’s great ideas from everywhere. And so the more that we can help support all the different regions of the state, you know, the more it’s going to be prosperous for everyone.”
