Army SBIR TABA Program
Supporting Small Businesses from Award to Transition
The Technical and Business Assistance (TABA) program mentors and supports SBIR awardees — driving faster technology transitions at no cost to small businesses. Learn more about TABA’s comprehensive support services below.
Technical and Business Assistance (TABA) Program
The TABA Program provides targeted support to small businesses, offering resources and assistance in a variety of areas, which may vary depending on the specific alignment with your business’s needs, including:
- Access to a network of scientists, engineers and technologists focused on commercialization and transition considerations such as protected supply chain management, advanced manufacturing, process/product/production scaling, etc.
- Assistance with intellectual property protections, such as legal considerations, intellectual property rights, patent filing, patent fees, licensing considerations, etc.
- Commercialization and technology transition support such as market research, market validation, development of regulatory or manufacturing plans, brand development.
- Regulatory support such as product domain regulatory consideration, regulatory planning and regulatory strategy development.
Who Can Participate?
The Army offers TABA for many SBIR topics. Eligibility for TABA will be written in the BAA and component instructions for each solicitation release. Army SBIR supports the following awardee types of participation in the TABA Program:
- Phase I businesses are eligible to receive up to $6,500 per project (in addition to the base SBIR award amount).
- Phase II businesses are eligible to receive up to $50,000 per project, at any time during the period of performance of the project.
- Army-Preferred Vendor — SBIR companies that choose an Army-preferred vendor (FedTech) for their TABA services receive funds to do so in addition to the base SBIR award amount at no extra cost.
- Firm–Selected Vendor — SBIR companies that choose their own firm must include it in their Phase II proposals and cover the cost through their SBIR award.
Services and Timeline
TABA Frequently Asked Questions
What is TABA?
After receiving a SBIR award, small businesses can request TABA support from the Army preferred vendor that provides support services to help accelerate their technologies. If a company wants to use their own TABA vendor, they must indicate that in their initial proposal, and it will be reviewed and evaluated as part of their submission. TABA’s availability is specific to each SBIR solicitation. Some of the services provided under the TABA program are:
- Access to a network of scientists, engineers, and technologists focused on commercialization and transition considerations such as protected supply chain management, advanced manufacturing and process/product/scaling.
- Assistance with intellectual property protections, including legal considerations, intellectual property rights, patent filing, patent fees and licensing considerations.
- Commercialization and technology transition support such as market research, market validation, development of regulatory or manufacturing plans, and brand development.
- Regulatory support such as product domain regulatory planning and regulatory strategy development.
Who is eligible to receive TABA?
TABA participation is voluntary for Army SBIR awardees, and availability is specific to each solicitation.
Can I receive TABA without an SBIR reward?
TABA support is only available to select Army SBIR-funded small businesses. For additional resources, please visit our Resources page.
Does the SBIR awardee pay for TABA?
If approved, TABA offers support at no cost to the awardee; the Army SBIR Program provides the funds directly.
Phase I SBIR awardees can receive up to $6,500 toward TABA services on top of their SBIR award amount.
Phase II SBIR awardees can receive up to $50,000 toward TABA services on top of their SBIR award amount if they use the Army’s preferred vendor. Should the awardee request another TABA vendor in a Phase II proposal, the base SBIR award amount will include TABA funding.
Who will provide TABA support services to my company?
FedTech is currently the Army SBIR program’s preferred TABA vendor and provides all requests unless the small business requests another vendor and they are approved.
If a small business would like to select their own TABA provider, they must include the request in their proposal, demonstrating why the Army-preferred vendor cannot provide the requested TABA services. A signed conflict of interest statement for their chosen vendor is also required.
How can I request TABA support?
Companies can request TABA support within their proposal when applying for an Army SBIR award, if at the time of award if they choose the Army-preferred vendor. A small business that does not opt for the Army-preferred vendor must include the request in their Army SBIR proposal. Small businesses must also give specific information on why they are requesting a different vendor (i.e., if the Army-preferred vendor cannot provide the requested TABA services).
If you have already received your Army SBIR award and would like to request TABA support, please click here.