Technical and Business Assistance Programs

NIH Technical and Business Assistance (TABA) Programs help small businesses identify and address their most pressing product development needs. The 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.

The three TABA Programs include TABA Funding, TABA Needs Assessment and TABA Consulting. For information regarding the 2022-2023 TABA Needs Assessment, visit NOT-OD-22-133.

 

TABA Funding

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 up to the amounts listed above for each phase. TABA funds cannot be requested for the Commercialization Readiness Pilot program.

TABA Needs Assessment

The TABA Needs Assessment Report provides a third-party unbiased assessment of your progress in technical and business areas that are critical to success in the competitive healthcare marketplace. The Needs Assessment Report helps:

• Companies strategize for the project’s next steps;
• Analyzes the current state of your Phase I project and identifies strengths and weaknesses across four categories; and
• Is of no cost and the time commitment for participation is minimal.

TABA Consulting

Up to $50,000 of free TABA Consulting Services are now available to help a limited number of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II awardees in ONE of the following areas:

• Intellectual Property

  Work with a lawyer to help determine your intellectual property (IP) strategy. IP is more than patents; it may also involve copyright, trade secrets, trade dressing, and trademarks. Get assistance converting your provisional application to a utility patent with the U.S. Patent and Trade Office or with an international patenting program.

• Market Analysis

  Define your competitors. If you’re developing a technology that doesn’t currently exist, take time to understand what your first customers might look like, need, or desire. Gather data to support market segmentation in the overall space within which your technology will be used.
  • Have a Phase II SBIR or STTR award that was active within the last two years;
  • For that award, describe a clear need in one of the areas identified above that can be addressed for no more than $50,000; and respond promptly to communications from NIH and its contractors.

• Regulatory Affairs

  Prepare for a pre-submission or pre-Investigational New Drug meeting. Find out if your proposed regulatory plan or predicate selection is feasible. Get assistance developing your Quality Management System.

• Reimbursement Planning

  Learn how you will get paid for your technology or service, such as through a current payment code that a clinician can use. If you’re developing a specialty pharmaceutical, define whether your product or service will be sold directly to consumers, to health care systems, to clinician offices, or to testing labs. Consider whether it will be paid independently or by bundling into a larger service.

The TABA Consulting Services Program is carried out by Medical Science & Computing (MSC), a Guidehouse Company, on behalf of NIH. MSC and NIH work with each selected small business to craft a Statement of Work (SOW) based on the company’s self-identified need. This SOW will be used to solicit proposals from potential vendors.

Your company is NOT eligible to request TABA Consulting Services for any project that has received Phase II TABA funding through the award.