FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Governor Ernie Fletcher's initiative to help Kentucky's high-tech small businesses spurred the state's General Assembly to fund a program that matches federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) grants to those companies. The program is the first in the United States to specifically match federal SBIR and STTR Phase 2 awards and is part of Kentucky's plan to offer its high-tech small businesses comprehensive SBIR and STTR funding.
"Kentucky is again leading the nation in our support of high-tech small businesses. This initiative means that Kentucky is now the only state in the nation with a start-to-finish matching funds program for innovative high-tech small businesses that receive federal SBIR and STTR awards," said Governor Ernie Fletcher. "These grants support the development of new technologies into commercial products and help demonstrate Kentucky's commitment to assisting our high-tech companies."
Kentucky now offers Phase 0, Phase 1, Phase 00, and Phase 2 funding and also invests state funds in selected Kentucky high-tech companies during Phase 3 technology commercialization efforts.
The Cabinet for Economic Development's Department of Commercialization and Innovation (DCI) will manage the program, which will be administered under contract to DCI by the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation. Kentucky-based SBIR and STTR grant recipients can apply for matching funds of up to $100,000 to support Phase 1 exploration of the technical merit or feasibility of an idea or technology. Phase 2 federal awards, which support full-scale research and development, will be matched by the commonwealth starting July 1, 2007, up to $500,000 in each year of the award. Phase 0 and Phase 00 funds are available to assist with preparing proposals for Phase 1 and Phase 2 grants, respectively.
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Contact: Paul Boisvert
Paul.Boisvert@ky.gov
Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development
16-Nov-2006