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Regional Funding Opportunities
San Antonio has several grant opportunities available for local life science companies that are seeking biomedical resources. The signature bioscience funding event is BioFest Invest, which brings together potential investors from across the nation and Texas bioscience companies seeking investment funding. BioMedSA connects members seeking funding with potential investors throughout the year. In addition, companies can contact Alamo Angels and BKC Angels to present pitches locally.
The San Antonio Medical Foundation awards collaborative research grants each year with Notice of Intent submissions required by Dec. 15. The San Antonio Partnership for Precision Therapeutics (SAPPT) calls for applications for collaborative research in their target area. The San Antonio Area Foundation has a biomedical research grant program for non-profits. The City of San Antonio has a Phase 0 grant preparation fund, a SBIR/STTR Grant Matching Program and a Second Stage Company Grant Program to support growing small to mid-size companies. Bexar County also has an Innovation Fund to support startups with 5+ employees. Texas companies working in the area of cancer research, product development, and prevention are eligible to apply for a Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) grant. The City of San Antonio also has a general fund to assist companies seeking to create jobs and investment in San Antonio, in addition to incentives.
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Info
The SBIR federal grant program provides phased funding without an equity cost to small businesses. An overview tutorial on all of the SBIR opportunities is here, including bioscience opportunities from DOD, NIH, and NSF. Several training sessions throughout the year are posted on our Events page. The UTSA Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and VelocityTX offer SBIR training. Neutrino Donut and Grant Engine offer grant writing assistance services.
Free SBIR Proposal Review available to BioMedSA members
BioMedSA members with successful grant experience have volunteered to review SBIR proposals in order to increase the win rate for our community. The volunteers will have signed a confidentiality agreement prior to the review, but entrepreneurs are encouraged to redact any confidential information. Companies will need to plan for the anticipated review process times as shown below, although reviews may be faster.
Step 1 (2 weeks): Interested startups can apply for the review by clicking the button below completing the following form. The volunteer reviewers will spend up to an hour reviewing the attachments and respond with strengths, weaknesses, and suggestions. Proposals that are accepted for review may proceed to Step 2. Others will be recommended to attend an SBIR preparation course.
Step 2 (2 weekends): For new proposals only (without agency review comments), companies will submit an outline/bullets for the proposal sections and 2-3 volunteers will spend an hour making comments in the document.
Step 3 (2 weekends): Companies will submit their fully written proposals, budgets, and the review form from the funding agency (or a document with the review criteria). A different set of 2-3 volunteers will spend up to 3 hours reviewing the proposal and budget.
