AdvaMed Accel Information Session on SBIR/STTR Funding Programs 

Gain insights into the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) funding programs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Department of Defense (DOD). Learn which programs are available to medtech companies at various stages of development, and how best to apply and leverage this source of non-dilutive funding. Senior officials from NIH, NSF and DOD will highlight their respective programs and applicant resources for medtech companies, before opening the session to AdvaMed Accel member questions on funding opportunities, application requirements, and the peer review process.

The event is open to AdvaMed members and non-member medtech companies. The webinar will be recorded and made available only to AdvaMed members. 

Featured Speakers

Henry Ahn, SBIR/STTR Program Director, Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships, Directorate for Engineering, National Science Foundation 

Henry Ahn joined the National Science Foundation in July 2016 as an SBIR/STTR Program Director Prior to joining NSF, Henry managed seed/ early stage investment programs for TEDCO for 12 years including Technology Commercialization Fund, TEDCO’s flagship seed funding program for technology based companies in Maryland During his time at TEDCO, Henry was actively involved with various entrepreneurs and entrepreneur support groups as a guest speaker, an advisory board member, a judge, a mentor, among others Additionally, Henry was part of the licensing/supplier relations team at a biotechnology company called Upstate, where he successfully negotiated, licensed and commercialized approximately 190 biomedical research reagents from around the world Henry has also done approximately five years of research, mostly in the field of immunology (including graduate work) Henry has an MBA from Rice University, an M S in biotechnology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and a B S in biomedical engineering from Boston University.

Stephanie Fertig, HHS Small Business Program Lead, Small business Education and Entrepreneurial Development, Office of Extramural Research, National Institutes of Health 

Stephanie J Fertig is the Program Lead for the Small Business Programs (SBIR and STTR) of Health and Human Services ( including the National Institutes of Health ( Stephanie leads the Small Business Team within the Small Business Education and Entrepreneurial Development ( office Previously, Stephanie served as the Director of the NINDS Small Business Programs in the Office of Translational Research at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke ( During her almost 15 years at NIH she has led the development and implementation of multiple programs focused on small businesses and translational research In addition, she co leads the BRAIN Initiative team focused on training and dissemination of technologies Before coming to NINDS, Ms Fertig worked as a researcher in the Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering at the Naval Research Laboratory ( in Washington D C for Nova Research, Inc Ms Fertig has a B S degree in Chemistry with a major in Physics from the University of Virginia and an MBA from the University of Maryland’s Robert H Smith School of Business.

Colleen Gibney, SBIR/STTR, Deputy Project Manager at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC)

Colleen Gibney is the SBIR Deputy Project Manager at the US Army Medical Research and Development Command serving both Army and Defense Health Agency SBIR and STTR Programs for over four years Prior to her Army Civilian role, Colleen provided SBIR and STTR technology transition and commercialization assistance to small business performers as a Technical Assistance Advocate support contractor at USAMRDC She previously served as the SBIR Program Director for ITAC, the NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership co funded center for New York City, under NYMEP’s SBA awarded FAST Program, and as the Project Manager for an NSF Partnerships for Innovation funded program at the City University of New York’s Institute for Software Design and Development Colleen has been working with SBIR/STTR, America’s Seed Fund, from multiple vantage points, since 2004.

Larry Pollack, SBIR/STTR Program Manager, Joint Science and Technology Office for Chemical and Biological Defense, Department of Defense 

Mr. Pollack is the Program Manager for the Chemical and Biological Defense (CBD) SBIR and STTR Programs at the Joint Science and Technology Office for Chemical and Biological Defense (JSTO CBD) This office is located in the Chemical/Biological Technologies Department at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. His technical expertise encompasses field and laboratory chemical analysis (detection identification) and environmental sample collection Mr Pollack has worked with the DoD SBIR Program for more than 10 years Mr Pollack received his Master of Science degree from the Florida Institute of Technology ( FL) and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland (College Park, MD) He was recognized in 2015 by the U S Small Business Administration ( with a Tibbetts award for his continuing contributions to the SBIR and STTR small business programs.

Jason Talley, SBIR/STTR Outreach/Education/Transition Manager, DOD 

Jason Talley currently serves as the Education, Outreach, and Technology Transition Specialist for Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer, Small Business and Technology Partnerships, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Mr Talley’s primary duties are to bring awareness, advocacy, and increase participation in the SBIR/ STTR programs, providing small businesses with research and development opportunities to produce innovative technologies for the DoD He leads initiatives to increase understanding of the SBIR/STTR program and executes a new technology transition program known as OUSD Transitions SBIR Technologies ( This program provides critical funding to SBIR/STTR Phase II projects through a Phase II Enhancement ( or Technology Transfer Agreement ( Prior to his current role, Mr Talley was responsible for the leadership, development, and implementation of the commercialization training and support program commonly referred to as the DoD Velociter Pilot Program In three years, the Velociter program mentored over 400 companies, nationwide, representing over 600 million in DoD investments He holds a master’s degree in Business Administration ( from the University of Maryland Before supporting the DoD, through small business support contracts, Mr Talley served as a program manager for the Department of State, Health and Human Services, and the Department of Energy.

Webinar Recording

Additional Resources

• SBIR-STTR Funding Information Guide
• SBIR-STTR Webinar Slides and Speaker Bios
• DOD SBIR-STTR Program Overview