Biohealth entrepreneurs: Experts on federal grants convening in Milwaukee

Experts who have valuable insights for tapping into America's largest biohealth entrepreneurial seed fund will gather in Milwaukee Nov. 7-9.

The national conference of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services highlights Small Business Innovation and Research and Small Business Technology Transfer grants. More than $920 million is available annually through the congressionally mandated fund. 

Around 100 program managers from the two grant programs will descend on Milwaukee for the conference. Conference attendees will be able to meet one-on-one with the program managers to learn how to submit successful applications for Health and Human Services seed funds.

he idea is to increase private-sector commercialization of innovations with the aid of federal funding. The awards through SBIR and STTR range from $75,000 to more than $1 million. The program has helped many companies get off the ground, including Madison-based Stratatech.

Wisconsin entrepreneurs have received $42 million in these funds from HHS since 2012.

Protein Foundry, a startup from the Medical College of Wisconsin, was awarded a SBIR grant for $250,000. Brian Volkman, Protein Foundry's president and a professor of biochemistry, teamed up on the application with another MCW professor whose research was of specific interest to the National Institute of Health and had been advised to apply.

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