NCI SBIR/STTR Programs: Informational Seminar and One-on-One Meetings with NCI Staff

The National Cancer Institute’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs provide critical early funding for small U.S. businesses developing innovative cancer technologies with strong potential to help people live longer, healthier lives.

Join NCBiotech and NCLifeSci on Wednesday, April 17, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. to hear from NCI SBIR/STTR program directors about:

• Funding opportunities for early-stage start-ups, academic spinout companies, and entrepreneurs
• Tips for writing competitive SBIR/STTR grant proposals
• Commercialization resources for applicants and awardees

Meet with NCI SBIR/STTR program directors

Following the program, you can also arrange to meet in person one-on-one with an NCI director to discuss your cancer technology or any questions about NCI SBIR/STTR programs.  

You will need to sign up in advance for a private meeting as there are a limited number of meeting slots available. If you are interested in meeting with NCI staff but are unable to meet in person on April 17, contact NCI SBIR for a future, virtual meeting.

Meet the speakers

Melissa Li, Ph.D., program director, Small Business Innovation Research Development Center, National Cancer Institute.

Li is focused on developing programs and initiatives that promote inclusion and equitable access to small business funding for entrepreneurs developing innovative cancer technologies. Currently, she is co-leading the NCI’s efforts on the Applicant Assistant Program (AAP), which provides Phase I SBIR/STTR application preparation support to small businesses.

Prior to joining NCI, Li was a scientific writer with positions as a proposal writer at a large CRO and a scientific consultant and grant writer for small businesses, raising >$15 million in federal funding. Her scientific training focused on molecular mechanisms of noncoding RNAs in the context of lung cancer during her postdoctoral fellowship at the NIH and in the context of metabolic stress during her Ph.D. in molecular cell biology at Washington University in St. Louis.  

Monique Pond, Ph.D., program director, Small Business Innovation Research Development Center, National Cancer Institute.

Pond manages a portfolio of grants and contracts to small businesses developing novel cancer therapeutics, digital health technologies and therapeutic devices. She leads the Connecting Awardees with Regulatory Experts program and other collaborative initiatives with FDA to assist small businesses in navigating the regulatory pathway for their technology.

She initially joined NCI as a science & technology policy fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Prior to joining NCI, Pond spent several years as a regulatory medical writer and consultant at a small start-up. Her postdoctoral research focused on the development of bioanalytical tools. She has a Ph.D. in chemistry from the Pennsylvania State University and a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin.

Swamy Tripurani, Ph.D., program director, Small Business Innovation Research Development Center, National Cancer Institute

Tripurani manages a portfolio of small businesses developing novel diagnostics, devices, and targeted therapeutics for cancer detection, diagnosis, and treatment. He is also involved in the Connecting Awardees with Regulatory Experts program, which fosters interactions between NCI-funded small businesses and the Food and Drug Administration.  

Before joining NCI, he worked at FDA for eight years as a research and regulatory review scientist. At FDA, he reviewed Chemistry Manufacturing and Controls attributes in drug applications and non-clinical studies in tobacco product applications. He also developed and executed multiple research projects focused on understanding mechanisms behind adverse toxicities associated with FDA-approved cancer therapies, for which he received numerous honor awards.

Tripurani received his Ph.D. in genetics and developmental biology from West Virginia University and completed his postdoctoral research training focused on reproductive disorders and cancer development at Baylor College of Medicine.