We had a meeting with the Navy to demonstrate our technologies.  During this meeting, it was suggested that Vektrex submit a proposal through the SBIR program.

2. Describe the process you went through in submitting your SBIR proposal

As with anything, a little research and planning will go a long way toward ensuring success. SBIR proposals are submitted through a simple on-line process that takes approximately 15 minutes - if the submission occurs before the 11th hour deadline. While the submission process is simple, the actual proposal development process is time consuming. Each SBIR solicitation includes very specific instructions about how the submission will look and the documents that must be submitted in order to be considered for award. For the Department of Defense (DoD), submissions must include a cover sheet, technical proposal, company commercialization report, and cost proposal. Our first Phase 1 proposal followed the format of a sample proposal we received from a friend whose company has won several Phase 1 and 2 SBIR grants.

Test equipment obsolescence is a serious problem in DoD Automated Test Equipment (ATE) systems today. Test instruments are routinely integrated into ATE to test everything from commercial aircraft to cell phones. Often these ATE systems are required to operate for years, sometimes decades. In many systems, the instruments are now reaching end-of-life and are failing at increased rates. Exacerbating this problem, critical components necessary to repair the original instruments are often out of production, rendering the instrument obsolete and unsupportable. As a result of these factors, many complex ATE instruments have become, or are destined to become the problem-prone "system degraders" tracked in ATE program reviews. The SBIR funded Masquerade technology developed by Vektrex enables rapid cost-effective development of COTS-based form, fit, functional Composite Replacement Instruments (CRIs) that seamlessly replace obsolete instrumentation in legacy automatic test equipment (ATE). CRI's developed with Masquerade technology extend the life of the legacy ATE immediately eliminating hefty maintenance and support costs and reducing the risk of system downtime.

A.) Be Proactive:

• Propose your own SBIR topic. Yes, you can propose your own topic.
  
• Each SBIR solicitation lists a point of contact and a timeframe during which personal contact is acceptable. These people are very nice albeit sometimes difficult to reach. If responding to a solicitation, then take the time and effort needed to have a conversation with the contact person. During the conversation, determine if your concept of the resultant technology will meet their requirements before spending a lot of effort developing a proposal for submission.
  
• Leverage agency resources. For example, Vektrex participated in a Navy SBIR-sponsored Commercialization Assistance Program (CAP). CAP is a year-long program funded to assist and help ensure the success and commercialization of SBIR-funded developments. The foundation for CAP is making small companies successful so the funding agency will benefit from better technology. Through the CAP program, Vektrex was assigned a mentor who helped us think through our business plan. The culmination of the CAP program is an Opportunity Forum attended by large system integrators, DoD program managers, and investment resources. Vektrex was accepted into the CAP Advanced Commercialization Workshop and will be presenting at the Opportunity Forum May 5-6, 2003.

B.) Understand that working with government agencies at the federal, state, and local level may be different from anything you've experienced in the commercial world. To win, you must understand this political environment, the multiple communications paths, and decision-makers. It is extremely important for you to know your customer/sponsor and the benefits that your SBIR-developed technology provides to the agency.

D.) Communication is key - keep everyone informed of your achievements.

In a word, definitely.  In fact, Vektrex is currently considering submitting other SBIR proposals.

Melissa Ford brings more than 20 years of senior technology experience to Vektrex. As the company's first CEO, Melissa created the Vektrex vision from the start - Advancing Measurement Technology - and she has focused the company on this vision, guiding it steadfastly toward measurement products,augmenting the original systems integration services business.

About Vektrex
Incorporated in 1986, Vektrex is a software and systems integration company supporting the test and measurement industry. The company is focused on advancing measurement technology and migrating measurements from hardware; test instruments and test tubes, into software. It has established key expertise with test instruments, instrument drivers, and software based measurements and provides enabling products and services that help clients migrate to software based measurements. Products include Masquerade, technology enabling the rapid development of form, fit, function replacements for obsolete instrumentation in legacy ATE and, VIVID the software development toolkit that produces IVI compliant COM based drivers.