Kyle Snyder has been appointed commercialization manager of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Assistance Program for the State of Georgia, a Georgia Tech program designed to help businesses access the more than $2.2 billion in federal research awards given to small companies to develop innovative research ideas into a commercial products. In that role, he will be working with companies to analyze markets for technology applications, identifying and matching commercialization partners and evaluating commercialization strategies and proposals.
Snyder’s hiring is part of the Program’s expansion into the commercialization arena. In the two years of its operation, the SBIR Assistance Program for the State of Georgia has assisted many companies, particularly early-stage firms that have a strong understanding of the science behind their technology. However, the understanding of how to move the potential product out of the lab and into customers’ hands is often limited in these companies. Without an adequate explanation of the current marketplace and a clear path to commercialization in their proposals, the chances of successful funding are greatly reduced.
“We have some fabulous science being developed in Georgia, both in our universities and in private companies. One of the primary reasons Georgia companies do not receive more of the $2.2 billion in annual funding is that a clear path to commercializing the research is not presented,” said John Mills, director of Georgia’s program. “The establishment of this new position of commercialization manager addresses this shortcoming. Kyle Snyder, with a background in both high-tech research and development, and in getting the technology developed into the market place, will be extremely valuable to those companies that take advantage of his knowledge.”
Prior to his appointment at Georgia Tech, Snyder worked at Applied Systems Intelligence, Inc. in Roswell, Ga., Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems in Marietta, Ga., and at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif. At ASI, he successfully wrote Phase 1 and Phase 2 SBIR proposals. He holds a Master of Science degree in applied mathematics from the University of Tennessee Space Institute and an Aerospace Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Tennessee.
About SBIR/STTR:
The SBIR/STTR Program is a federally-mandated funding program that must periodically be reauthorized by Congress. Originally signed into law in July 1982, the program was reauthorized in 1986, 1992, and 2000, and is currently authorized until Sept. 30, 2008. With the exception of the National Institutes of Health, Phase I SBIR awards are now limited to $100,000 and Phase II awards to $750,000.
The SBIR Assistance Program for the State of Georgia, which is based at Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute, was launched in July of 2005. By June 2007, small companies assisted by the Program had received more than $6 million in SBIR and STTR awards – funding used by Georgia companies to develop innovative technologies.
For more information on SBIR/STTR services offered by Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute, contact Connie Ruffner (404-385-2600); E-mail: (connie.ruffner@innovate.gatech.edu).
About Enterprise Innovation Institute:
The Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute helps companies, entrepreneurs, economic developers and communities improve their competitiveness through the application of science, technology and innovation. It is one of the most comprehensive university-based programs of business and industry assistance, technology commercialization and economic development in the nation.
Research News & Publications Office
Enterprise Innovation Institute
Georgia Institute of Technology
75 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 100
Atlanta, Georgia 30308 USA
Media Relations Contact: John Toon (404-894-6986); E-mail (john.toon@innovate.gatech.edu).
Writer: Nancy Fullbright