Technical and Business Assistance (TABA) Funding
TABA Funding is part of a comprehensive NIH program intended to help small businesses identify and address their most pressing product development needs. TABA programs assist small businesses in:
- making better technical decisions concerning such projects;
- solving technical problems which arise during the conduct of such projects;
- minimizing technical risks associated with such projects; and
- developing and commercializing new commercial products and processes resulting from such projects, including intellectual property protections.
Small Businesses may request
- up to $6,500 per year for a Phase I
- up to $50,000 across all years per Phase II project
Fast-Track applications are a combination of both Phase I and Phase II and small businesses can request TABA Funding in both phases within their Fast-Track application up to these amounts for each phase. Technical and business assistance funds cannot be requested for the Commercialization Readiness Pilot (CRP) program.
TABA Funding Can Support
Examples include, but are not limited to:
- Assistance with product sales
- Intellectual property protections
- Market research and/or validation
- Development of regulatory plans
- Development of manufacturing plans
- Access to technical and business literature available through on-line databases
TABA Funding Cannot Support
- Activities that the recipient can provide internally
- General maintenance of or investment in an applicant/division within the small business, an affiliate/investor of the small business, or a subcontractor/consultant required as part of the awarded Phase I or Phase II
- Contributions to the SBIR/STTR fee
- Audit services
- Bookkeeping services, including payroll management or general accounting services
- Patent costs above and beyond those outlined for the NIH funded program
- Contingency costs or costs associated with the research and development activities of the award
Request TABA Funding in Your Application
If you wish to utilize your own technical and business assistance provider/vendor, you are required to include them as a consultant in your budget and to provide a detailed budget justification. All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
- Label the requested cost “Technical Assistance” on one of the lines from 8-10.
- Include a detailed description of the technical or business assistance that your vendor will provide, including the name of the vendor and the expected benefits and results of the technical or business assistance provided in the Budget Justification.
Request TABA Funding Through an Administrative Supplement
Small businesses may become aware of technical or business needs after awarding of the Phase I or Phase II that necessitate requesting TABA Funding through an Administrative Supplement. If you need to request TABA funding after you receive notice of award, please refer to NOT–OD–24–077.
Awardees who request and receive TABA Funding through the grant award, either as part of the application or through an administrative supplement, cannot utilize centralized NIH TABA services for the phase of the SBIR/STTR that received TABA Funding. However, any SBIR/STTR awardee can utilize non-TABA product development support.
Please contact your Program Official if you have any questions. For more information, please see the TABA FAQs.
