This is the fourth in a series of articles on how tech startups and seasoned Federal contractors can find early stage innovation funding opportunities across a variety of Federal agencies, and I’m going to break it into two parts because for high tech firms, it’s important. This path is the road less traveled and is not for the classic Federal contractor. If you are services only, staff augmentation, forward or tweet this article to your friends whose companies have product or semi-customized solutions using off the shelf software that look and feel like product. This track operates differently from traditional responsive Government contract pursuits, with, initially anyway, smaller financial return. Having said that, finding a Federal technology innovation niche can insulate your tech company from competition and have long-term, year over year ROI.
Where to find Technology Innovation Funding Opportunities
So where does the industrious tech firm hunt for these innovation funding opportunities? Well, there are two kinds to look at—posted Government needs and early stage wants that aren’t yet found online.
Posted Government Needs
There is an internet search tool out there called, wait for it, Google, and using it you can find most anything. Seriously, these resources are found online at agency websites and they aren’t hard to locate, but it takes a little research time. Here is an incomplete list of key search terms to find great Federal technology innovation links:
• Federal industry days
• Science and Technology division
• Broad agency announcements (or Government BAAs)
• Other transactional authorities (or OTAs)
• Government research and development (R&D)
See what I mean?
Then comes the Federal technology innovation grant websites, that you can also use as a search term:
• Grants.gov
• FederalRegister.gov
• Challenge.gov
• CitizenScience.gov
• GSA Cyber/Digital strategies
There are more. The cool thing about these is that in many cases, the overall objective is defined but the means to get there is not, and that is usually by design. The Feds don’t know what they don’t know and are challenging industry and the higher education community to help them get there, often running contests for best solutions in certain categories. You may find some secret websites not via Google but from your contacts in Federal agencies, especially if those sites required classified access. NSA ARC BAA, I’m talking to you (careful on this one).
While the requirements leave room for you to move a bit technologically, sometimes the categorization is incredibly helpful. Take a look at the ODNI (Office of the Director of National Intelligence) IC S&T Investment Landscape , posted publicly. The figure below is just a snippet:
Those need numbers can be used to tailor your technology innovation presentation to, in this case, ODNI, so you hit a very specific mark. Want more on how to do this effectively? Contact me for an insightful discussion.
Early Stage Wants
These unlisted technology needs can be exactly what you’re looking for if you are an aggressive, creative tech firm looking to develop showcase opportunities from scratch. If you’re speaking to the right person at the right agency and you focus on Mission Needs of the agency (revisit Create a Winning Value Proposition), opportunities abound. If you live in the Federal Business Development world like FedTrax does, you attend industry events to network, of course, but also to find out what the Govies are thinking and what they want from their private sector contractors. AFCEA, NCMA, APMP, HIMSS NCA, GTSC—the list of meeting spots that feature Federal speakers is large. If you’re listening specifically for the gigantic GWAC opportunity only, you might be missing the boat on the smaller innovation funding opportunities not explicitly presented. The speakers at these events will tell you what they want that they can’t seem to find right now with current tech, and that’s your opportunity field. This is especially true for smaller firms where $1 million or even $100,000 is good business, because these opportunities generally fall beneath the $10 million and up radar of the large integrators.
So, these are some (not all) of the ways to find out innovation funding opportunities. In the next article, we’ll talk more about some simple ways you stir the pot and find them.
