A variety of
federal agencies that help fund small business growth will visit
Boise on Thursday, Sept. 18, as part of SWIFT IV, an eight-day
road tour through Northwest states. The fourth annual tour brings
federal government program managers from various agencies to meet
one-on-one with local business owners, scientists, engineers and
inventors and offer insight and information about the Small
Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology
Transfer programs. The federal initiatives provide more than $1.6
billion annually to small technology companies throughout the
United States.
The SWIFT IV conference takes place from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. at the
Holiday Inn, 3300 Vista Ave. It is sponsored by the Idaho Small
Business Development Center (ISBDC). The cost is $135. More than
100 local innovators and business owners are expected to
participate. To register, visit
www.idahosbdc.org.
“The SBIR and STTR programs are tools that can be used by
companies at all stages of their development to create new
products and services,” said Rick Ritter, technology services
consultant at the ISBDC at Boise State University. Companies
throughout Idaho have used these programs to start new businesses
or to grow existing businesses, Ritter said. American
Semiconductors (Boise) and Positron Systems (Boise and Pocatello)
are examples of how these programs can assist companies in
becoming successful.
The money is awarded to companies with 500 or fewer employees that
conduct research and development projects in advanced technology
and innovative solutions and that have commercialization potential
in both the private and public sectors.
SWIFT IV hopes to create interest among small businesses to apply
for a portion of the $1.6 billion of federal funds earmarked for
early-stage technology research. Attendees can participate in
one-on-one meetings and informative seminars with research and
development program managers from National Institutes of Health,
Department of Energy, National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, Department of Defense (Air Force, Army, Navy,
National Imagery Mapping Agency, Defense Advanced Research Project
Agency), Department of Transportation and the National Science
Foundation.
For more information, visit
www.idahosbdc.org or call 426-3875.
-30-
Contact
Rick Ritter
Idaho Small Business Development Center
426-3870
Media Contact
Sherry Squires
Boise State communications and marketing
426-1563
