Innovation and Commercialization Office

The NHLBI Innovation and Commercialization Office (I&C) helps a diverse pool of extramural academic and small business innovators accelerate the transition of their new and promising discoveries into biomedical products that prevent, diagnose, and treat heart, lung, blood, and sleep diseases and disorders. I&C provides pre-application advice to innovators, offers product development support during funding periods, and helps identify potential federal and private sector partners that may support further technology development.

I&C coordinates and serves as a central point of contact for the NHLBI Small Business Program, which includes both Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) activities. I&C also facilitates alliances with federal and private sector partners, contributes to collaborative projects and initiatives that support innovators, and lends its expertise to other NIH and NHLBI programs that work with them.

Read NHLBI’s Small business and academic innovation success stories.

Our Programs

Applicant Services

Potential applicants for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) funding receive guidance on their funding proposals and answers to application questions.

New or previously unfunded applicants for SBIR/STTR funding may apply to receive an NHLBI Research Supplement through the NIH Applicant Assistance Program (AAP) for New or Previously Unawarded Small Businesses, an initiative supported by NHLBI and managed by I&C.

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NHLBI Small Business Program (SBIR/STTR funding)

The NHLBI is interested in Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) activities that advance the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders. View funding information for the NHLBI Small Business Program.

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Awardee Resources

Academic and small business innovators currently funded with NHLBI SBIR/STTR awards may apply for the following resources to advance their heart, lung, blood, and sleep innovations:

I&C’s Awardee Product Development Advisory Services

  • Product development mentorship. Scientific, business, and investor experts help facilitate the commercialization of innovations through Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EIR) and/or mentor network consultations.
  • Pitch coaching and conference support. Select NHLBI SBIR/STTR awardees receive conference registration fee support, coaching to improve their business development and pitch presentations, and opportunities to spotlight innovations at conference “showcases.”

Contact: Julia Berzhanskaya, Ph.D., Innovator Support Coordinator, nhlbi_sbir@mail.nih.gov

I&C-supported Awardee Opportunities

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Product and Business Development Resources (for Applicants and Awardees)

Digital Education (videos)
Available to all, these videos offer guidance on a broad range of product and business development topics (e.g., improving one’s business pitch, patent litigation) relevant to NHLBI innovators. Videos can be viewed by going to the I&C’s playlist on NHLBI’s YouTube channel.

Online Resources
I&C works closely with SBIR and STTR offices at other NIH institutes, offices, and centers, as well as the NIH Small business Education and Entrepreneurial Development (SEED) group. To connect innovators to online resources that can help them translate their discoveries into biomedical products, these offices compiled a list of useful links with answers to common questions. Innovators can find an array of information about protecting intellectual property, among other topics, as well as relevant guidance documents and points of contact at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Support for Other NIH and NHLBI Programs

I&C coordinates SBIR/STTR activities across NHLBI, and lends its expertise to other programs that support academic and small business innovators, including Catalyze and the Center for Advancing Point of Care Technologies in Heart, Lung, Blood, and Sleep Diseases (CAPCaT).

I&C manages the NIH Centers for Accelerated Innovations (NCAI) and NIH Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hubs (REACH). These programs help translate selected academic discoveries into commercial products through entrepreneurial training, feedback from federal and industry experts, funding to support early-stage product definition studies, and project management support.

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Contact Innovation and Commercialization Office

Postal Mail

Innovation and Commercialization Office
 - Division of Extramural Research Activities
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
6705 Rockledge Dr., Suite 200
Bethesda, MD 20817
United States