SBIR small business innovation competition
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Do you want to work on innovative solutions to societal issues? The Small Business Innovation Research Programme (SBIR, in Dutch) aims to stimulate entrepreneurs within the European Union propose innovative solutions for Dutch societal issues from concept to end product.
What is SBIR?
SBIR is a competition structure which consists of 3 phases (in Dutch):
- Phase 1: feasibility research. Companies with the best proposals may carry out a feasibility research project, to explore the feasibility of their proposal.
- Phase 2: developing the innovation. In this phase, feasible projects produce their end result. For example, a prototype or proof of concept.
- Phase 3: marketing the innovation. The company will bring the product to market. The Dutch government should be able to purchase the innovative project as first customer.
Who can apply?
SBIR competitions are organised by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) on behalf of the Dutch government. All types of EU-based companies can apply. SBIR consists of multiple calls for tenders. Consult the full list of calls on RVO’s website (in Dutch), and select a call to read more on the conditions and the deadline for application.
How to apply?
You file your SBIR-tender to RVO in Dutch. You must file a tender for phase 1 and phase 2 (in Dutch), consisting of at least:
- A completed and signed SBIR-form (phase 1 and 2)
- A model project plan (phase 1 and phase 2)
- A management summary (phase 1)
- A business plan (phase 2)
Innovations that have successfully passed the first 2 phases go through to phase 3, in which you bring your product to market.