No-cost – Online
Application Deadline – August 14, 2026
August 26 – September 30, 2026 (6 Wednesdays)
Calling all CT-based innovators!
Are you planning to pursue an SBIR/STTR grant this year? Don’t undertake this highly competitive process alone – join CTSBDC’s SBIR/STTR Accelerator to get closer to submitting a successful grant proposal. If you can commit to six weekly, online sessions the SBIR/STTR Accelerator can help you get a leg up on the competition. Our advisors have helped guide many clients through this process, resulting in significant grant awards.
Upon completing the Accelerator, you will have an opportunity to receive up to $1,000 in specialized consulting services.
Meet the Instructors
- Amanda Barnhart, MBA, BBCetc Principal Consultant – Amanda joined BBCetc as Principal Consultant in 2020 after serving as the Director of Business Development and Regulatory Affairs for a Michigan manufacturing facility producing medical isotopes for cancer therapy. In addition to her directorial
responsibilities, Amanda worked as a nuclear engineer, project manager, and program manager to secure over $60 million in the Department of Energy, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and private investor funds. Her grant writing and negotiation skills have won over 30 Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III contracts through the SBIR/STTR program and she has managed the post-award administration
process for five universities and six national laboratories. Amanda secured three licenses and 20 amendments from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and established facility registration and Drug Master Files with the Food and Drug Administration. She has an Executive MBA in Integrative Management from Michigan State University and a Bachelor’s in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann
Arbor. - Christine Sullivan, CTSBDC Advisor & SBIR/STTR Specialist – Christine enjoys helping entrepreneurs and small business owners achieve their next milestone. Whether it’s developing a business plan or finding the right source of capital, Christine can help advise on the best plan to achieve the company’s short- and long-term goals. Prior to joining CTSBDC, Christine worked in investment banking for nearly 20 years where she focused on technology and food and beverage companies
- Greg Lewis, CTSBDC Advisor & SBIR/STTR Specialist – Gregory Lewis is a Detroit native and graduate of Harvard University. He received his Bachelor of Arts (BA), Psychology and Social Relations, at Harvard University. Greg finds it rewarding to partner with visionaries and provide the guidance, resources, and checks and balances they need to transform their ideas into financially secure reality.
What is SBIR/STTR?
Through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, America’s Seed Fund awards non-dilutive funding to develop your technology and chart a path toward commercialization.
CTSBDC will guide you step-by-step toward a successful application:
- Session #1: Intro to SBIR, ABCs of SBIR/STTR
- Session #2: Assessing Your Business Concept and Business Model
- Session #3 Market Research and the Essentials of Commercialization
- Session #4: Defining Your Technological Innovation and Understanding Federal Agency Objectives
- Session #5: Overview of a Phase 1 Proposal
- Session #6: Final Showcase
Am I a good fit for SBIR/STTR?
SBIR/STTR funds research and development (R&D) that advances science/engineering and can become commercial products, not general business or app development projects. Agencies look for novel technical risk and a plan to test feasibility (Phase I) and develop it further (Phase II).
Appropriate for SBIR/STTR (examples of funded work):
- New science/engineering with clear R&D
- Advanced medical/assistive hardware with novel sensing
- Aerospace manufacturing breakthroughs
- AI when it requires new methods + rigorous R&D
Typically not appropriate for SBIR/STTR:
- Service or consulting models without a clear technical innovation
- General business or consumer apps that assemble existing tools with no new R&D
- Service/consulting concepts or projects centered on marketing, sales, or business development