Connecting Research Policy and Practice A Government Program

Connecting Research, Policy and Practice “A Government Program Every American Ed-Tech Startup Should Know About” The Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) ies. ed. gov Edward Metz, Ph. D. U. S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences

About ED/IES SBIR funds small businesses for R&D of commercially viable education technology products for students, teachers, or administrators in regular or special education. ies. ed. gov

Resources for ED/IES SBIR Website: http: //ies. ed. gov/sbir/ New to the Program? http: //ies. ed. gov/sbir/intro. asp ies. ed. gov

About ED/IES SBIR 5 Examples to Get Started ies. ed. gov

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FY 2016: ED/IES SBIR Info • Eligibility: For-profit small business <500 employees, US owned and operated (note: non-profits can be subs) • RFP opens/closes: Likely Dec. , 2015 / Likely late Jan. or Feb. , 2016 • Awards: Phase I ($150 K); Phase II ($900 K) • Topics: Products for students, teachers, and administrators in regular and special education, and products to support adult learners in basic math, reading, and writing. • Review Process: Internal independent review, proposals are scored/ranked & awards based on scores. Award Notification within 90 days. ies. ed. gov

ED/IES SBIR: Recent Award #’s 2013 q 11 Phase I awards (out of 184 proposals- 7%) q 3 Fast-Track awards q 6 Phase II awards 2014 q 12 Phase I awards (out of 252 proposals- 4%) q 2 Fast-Track awards q 1 Phase II awards 2015 ies. ed. gov q 13 Phase I award (out of 172 proposals – 8%) q 8 Phase II awards

Examples of products of IES SBIR program: Top 6 “Have to Have” List What does one need for a strong proposal to IES SBIR? ies. ed. gov

“ 6 Have to Haves” #1: Strong concept with a clear “differentiator” #2: Strong theoretical/empirical foundation #3: It can be built. It can be iteratively refined #4: Pilot research is rigorous and appropriate #5: Commercial pathways are convincing #6: The team brings the expertise ies. ed. gov

IES SBIR Program: Where are we now? • Since 2014, IES SBIR products were used by ~2 M students and in 20, 000+ schools in all 50 states. • Typical distribution channels: app stores; direct sales; licensing agreements; VC funding; acquisition • Research-based program: many peer-refereed academic journal articles details findings from research. • Significant Awards & Recognition…. ies. ed. gov

ED/IES SBIR News & Awards ies. ed. gov

Across SBIR: Games Emerge ies. ed. gov

Another Program to Know About Funding Opportunity for Ed Tech R&D or Evaluation Research Grants Programs at IES • $1. 5 M to $3 M for R&D & evaluation of interventions. • RFA likely released in 2016 with applications likely due in summer, 2016 • For more information, visit http: //ies. ed. gov/funding ies. ed. gov

For more information ED/IES SBIR Program Manager Edward Metz, Ph. D. Email: edward. metz@ed. gov Website: http: //ies. ed. gov/sbir/ Videos: http: //ies. ed. gov/sbir/videos. asp Twitter: @IESResearch ies. ed. gov