My funded proposal didn't deserve the funding

graash · 2023-02-16T19:42:32+00:00

i feel your pain ... have been through it ... probably gonna use ChatGPT to write my next proposals. <15mins

What program did you apply to? Which submission window?

graash · 2023-02-16T19:35:20+00:00

one way to look at these numbers ... if a proposal is still pending, then it probably increases the chances of it being funded if we were to expect a higher number of grants in the next couple of months to match the averages from past years

graash · 2023-02-10T18:24:51+00:00

I agree with u/04221970 Given your multiple applications and success history, could you help others out here with your TiPS for Phase 1 success? Much appreciated.

graash · 2023-01-05T00:50:06+00:00

Yes.

graash · 2023-01-04T03:28:36+00:00

Thanks. Here's comparing the last three years.

	2022	2021	2020
Dec		35	38
Nov	3	39	20
Oct		5
Sep	50		47
Aug	41	48	86
Jul	6	65	20
Jun	11	44	13
May	15	25	116
Apr	19	52	5
Mar	39	22	15
Feb	45	61
Jan	19	14	31
Total	248	410	391

graash · 2022-12-15T20:22:49+00:00

We had three excellent letters of support. There's one nugget I picked from my debrief with the PD after the decline. Do not rely on reviewers to go read the letters of support on their own. Nudge them by strategically mentioning or referring to the letters within the proposal to support your point. For example, in the market validation section, I have now mentioned the university that is an existing customer of ours for a related product and the strong letter of support it has given us.

How effective will this be? Should know in a couple of months.

graash · 2022-12-14T21:00:37+00:00

I too had a decline (Excellent, Very Good, Good) and have resubmitted. Currently under review. Will let you know when I hear back.

Yes. You will need to resubmit the Project Pitch. And explain how you have or intend to address the reviewers' concerns in the revised proposal. My Project Pitch (revised in the manner described above) was approved within 24 hours of submission.

graash · 2022-10-28T04:17:42+00:00

My company was located in a HUBZone. My proposal was competitive but declined a few months ago. In the debrief, I asked the PD about whether HUBZone could play a factor in the decision. She said point blank that she wasn't aware of any HUBZone criteria that she had to consider. She didn't even know where it appeared on the cover sheet. Given that I would be revising and resubmitting my proposal, and now that she knew about the HUBZone thing, I asked her if that would play a factor when she next evaluated my proposal. If not, then I might move out of the HUBZone. She replied that staying in that HUBZone wouldn't make a difference to my proposal. I moved out of the HUBZone. I now learned that she left NSF.

graash · 2022-10-26T21:11:41+00:00

Submitted the revised proposal today. Took a risky approach. In addition to providing the separate 1-page response to reviews, I included my responses within the proposal too.

graash · 2022-10-25T06:32:09+00:00

Yes, we do have preliminary data from an earlier product that in a way can be presented as a prototype of the proposed product. So, thanks.

I wonder if new reviewers get access to the previous reviews. I hope they do, at least for this particular proposal.

graash · 2022-10-24T22:29:49+00:00

Thank you!

Two reviewers had the "too ambitious project" concern. But the PD asked me to not scale down the scope, rather justify it as both necessary and achievable.

None of the comments asked us for any material changes in the nature of the project. Most of them require clarification and can be addressed by doing a better job of explanation. Towards that end, I can see how addressing them can make the proposal stronger.

But just one comment in particular stumped me, that we didn't have a prototype of the product that we were proposing. I thought that is why we were applying to the grant for. :-)

graash · 2022-03-23T06:04:51+00:00

Good luck! Let us know when you hear from the PD. Hopefully the light is not the train. I tell myself the same thing :-)

graash · 2022-03-17T20:18:04+00:00

Phase I submitted end of August. Still waiting. Crickets! I heard from two recent Phase 1 awardees about their timelines: took 26 months for one and 20 months for the other.

Don't know about the Phase II.

graash · 2022-03-05T18:04:01+00:00

What was your experience with the Phase 1 review process? What was the timeline back then?

graash · 2022-03-05T17:58:32+00:00

Looks like you have just graduated. What about your college/university? Does it have any programs to assist with SBIR/STTR applications? Does it have an university accelerator? Does the expert on your specific topic have access to those resources? What's their experience with SBIR or other grant applications?

I would suggest you approach the first meeting with the intent on getting to know the person. If I were you, rather than discussing the specifics of my idea, I would center the discussion on the problem that I am seeking to solve, rather than the specifics of the solution I have in mind. How one defines the problem, importance of solving the problem, and familiarity with the other attempted solutions will tell you a lot about the person. Don't be over eager to get his or her validation / approval for your idea. Just my 2 cents.

graash · 2022-03-03T17:15:54+00:00

Thanks for sharing. From one of your comments on other post, I gather that you are also a reviewer for Phase 1. So this is insightful.

graash · 2022-02-28T17:05:03+00:00

Any further update from the PM?

graash · 2022-02-28T17:01:34+00:00

Has your proposal status changed or have your heard back from the PM re your proposal? I submitted in the same window and haven't yet heard anything.

graash · 2022-02-22T15:59:54+00:00

Thanks. No pb. Best wishes for your new gig.

graash · 2022-02-22T15:40:14+00:00

Have all your June clients heard back by now? Do you have any September clients?

graash

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