Innovate in RVA: From Bench to Business

Join us to learn how to take a technology from bench to a business in partnership with the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation and ICAP, with lunch being provided by the Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative at the University of Richmond.

ICAP Mentor Somiah Lattimore will discuss how ICAP works with Virginia’s founders to support their venture’s long-term efforts and needs. From early ideation and research through funding and company growth, ICAP provides mentorship and connections to resources throughout the life of a startup and young company. Since the program’s founding in 2018, more than 1000 startups have been supported in raising over $100M in capital. ICAP is a program of George Mason University and the Virginia SBDC and is partnered with Virginia Bio to support all of the Commonwealth’s life science ventures. To learn more about ICAP, visit our webpage – www.virginiasbdc.org/programs/icap. In addition to serving as an ICAP Mentor, Somiah leads the Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship Initiative (CIE) at the University of Richmond.

She will be joined by Joanne Goodnight, former NIH SBIR/STTR Program Director who will provide an overview of the Federal funding landscape and trends for life science, medical and biotechnology R&D.

Topics covered will include:
– Intro & Tips to applying to NIH SBIR/STTR grants
– What types of funding sources are available at various agencies for life science, medical, and/or biotechnology R&D
– What types of funding do agencies offer?
– Who is funding R/D?
– How much funding is available?
– What are key trans-agency themes and priorities?
– What types of initiatives are available?

Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration
Hosted by Activation Capital and Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC)
Presented by JoAnne Goodnight, grant consultant (former NIH SBIR/STTR Program Director)

JoAnne Goodnight

JoAnne is an independent consultant who specializes in assisting small technology companies in preparing competitive SBIR/STTR grant applications. She has 25+ years of federal government service, most of which was spent at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) serving as the SBIRSTTR Program Coordinator. She brings extensive experience in virtually all aspects of the NIH SBIR/STTR programs and processes including identifying relevant topics, facilitating agency introductions, developing research plan strategies, editing proposals using key grantsmanship tips, and interpreting the myriad federal policies that pertain to grants and contracts. In addition to her NIH research administration roles, JoAnne has held positions at for-profit and nonprofit research institutions, including The Jackson Laboratory where she served as Director of Sponsored Research for nearly eight years until she retired in October 2020. JoAnne holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology from Virginia Tech. 

Register Now