SBIR small business innovation competition
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Do you as an entrepreneur want to work on innovative solutions to societal issues? The Small Business Innovation Research Programme (SBIR, in Dutch) aims to stimulate entrepreneurs within the European Union to put forward innovative solutions for Dutch societal issues.
What is SBIR?
SBIR is a competition and consists of 3 phases (in Dutch):
- Phase 1: feasibility research. Companies with the best proposals may carry outr a feasibility research project, to explore the feasibility of the proposal.
- Phase 2: developing the innovation. In this phase, feasible projects produce their end result. For example, a prototype or proof of concept.
- Phase 3: marketing the innovation. Innovations that have successfully passed the first 2 phases go through to phase 3. The company will bring the product to market. The Dutch government should be able to purchase the innovative project as first customer.
Who can apply?
SBIR consists of multiple calls for tenders. All types of EU-based companies can apply. You can find a full list of calls on the Netherlands Enterprise Agency’s website (in Dutch). Select a call to read more on the conditions and the deadline for application.
How to apply?
You have to file a tender for phase 1 and phase 2 (in Dutch), consisting of at least:
- A filled in and signed SBIR-form (phase 1 and 2)
- A model project plan (phase 1 and phase 2)
- A management summary (phase 1)
- A business plan (phase 2)
You file your SBIR-tender to the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO, in Dutch).