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Commerce supports small business innovation
The following information is provided to the Charleston Regional Business Journal by the South Carolina Department of Commerce for publication once a month.
The S.C. Department of Commerce, in partnership with Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research/Institutional Development Awards, or EPSCoR/IdeA, has committed to assist small business owners who are participating in the Small Business Innovation Research program. Commerce will provide support in the form of “Phase Zero” funding that will help small business owners in the state prepare to apply for an SBIR grant.
SBIR is a competitive grant program. Federal agencies that have a need for a certain technology solicit proposals from small businesses that have an idea for a product with the potential to meet that technology need.
Those small businesses, which often lack the funds to perform the necessary R&D to get their product ready for practical use, apply for SBIR grants, which provide support for their R&D efforts.
For a small business to receive an SBIR grant, the business must demonstrate the efficacy of its research, which must be reviewed and endorsed by a third-party expert.
The cost to prepare the grant application (“Phase Zero”) can run $4,000 and up. As a result of funding this phase of the process, the Department of Commerce and EPSCoR/IDeA hope to create growth opportunities for small businesses and for the state in general by getting more South Carolina companies into the SBIR pipeline.
Rural leaders recognized for developmental excellence
Rural leaders across South Carolina were recognized last month for their substantial efforts to develop and improve the state’s rural communities.
Recipients of the Rural Development Awards, presented as part of the Governor’s Rural Summit, included the following people:
Janice Roberson, director of Allendale County Adult Education Program, received the Rural Education Award. Under Roberson’s direction, Allendale County’s adult education unit has become a leader for its innovative programs and commitment to county citizens.
Angela Youmans of Lowcountry Healthcare System received the Director’s Award. Wanting to create a positive outcome in response to personal tragedy, Youmans formed the Heart to Heart Center in memory of her late son. Youmans feeds more than 100 people on a weekly basis, and purchased a 15-passenger van to transport youth to the center for activities that include a praise dance team, a drama team and a literacy program.
Robert R. Hurst Jr. of Phoenix Specialty Manufacturing Co. Inc. in Bamberg received the Rural Entrepreneurship Award. Hurst’s family has owned Phoenix Specialty Manufacturing for 45 years. The company supplies thousands of pieces of original equipment to manufacturers and ships tens of thousands of different specialty components annually.
Biotechnology Conference Monday in Hilton Head
The Palmetto Biotechnology Alliance is presenting the third annual PBA Conference April 18 at the Westin Resort on Hilton Head Island.
Monday’s speakers include Kay Etzler of the National Institutes of Health, who will speak on the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs; Kathie L. Olsen of the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President, who will speak on the federal government’s role in supporting the biotech industry; Ganesh Kishore of DuPont, who will speak on opportunities in plant biotechnology; and Rupert Osborn of IP Pragmatics Ltd., who will speak on developing and licensing life-science technology in Europe.
For more information, visit www.palmettobio.org.
The South Carolina Monthly Outlook is provided by the S.C. Department of Commerce. Please send inquiries to: Clare Morris, communications director, cmorris@teamsc.com.
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