Innovators, entrepreneurs and researchers interested in learning about small business funding are invited to attend a summit to be held on Aug. 17 and 18 at the Best Western Plus GranTree Inn Convention Center. Summit topics include international exporting, small business financing, government procurement and individual guidance specifically for those interested in competing for government funding for early stage technology development.
 
The Greater Yellowstone Region Entrepreneurship and SBIR/STTR Summit is co-hosted by Montana State University’s TechLink and the Montana Technology Innovation Partnership. The event is aimed at small, high-tech companies and entrepreneurs throughout Montana and the region. Online registration is open, with detailed information on speakers and schedule on gyres.mt.gov.
 
This event coincides with and includes the only Montana stop on the SBIR Road Tour, a national outreach effort bringing more than a dozen program managers from multiple federal agencies and the Department of Defense to Bozeman to meet with local entrepreneurs and provide information about funding opportunities offered through the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs.
 
The SBIR and STTR programs provide more than $2.5 billion annually in early stage funding to small businesses to develop and commercialize innovative new products and processes. More than 100 Montana small businesses have won grants and contracts totaling $175 million through these programs, with TechLink and MTIP playing vital roles in many of these companies’ successful proposals for this funding.
 
In addition to the national presenters, regional business leaders will be featured on a panel to offer insights into their successful efforts to secure federal funding for their high-tech products and services. Other summit topics and presentations will focus on proposal writing, working with prime contractors, government accounting, audits and strategic business partnering. Participants will also have opportunities to meet one-on-one with federal program managers and prime contractor representatives for subject matter advice and help with matching ideas to federal agency needs.
 
Featured speakers include nationally recognized SBIR and federal contracting legal expert, David Metzger, a partner in the Arnold and Porter Government Contracts Group, Washington, D.C. Representatives from the Department of Agriculture, Navy, Air Force, Missile Defense Agency, Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Science Foundation and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office are also scheduled to participate.

Event organizers say space is available for 200 small, high-tech companies to attend. Registration for the Greater Yellowstone Region Entrepreneurship and SBIR/STTR Summit is $40 for the two-day event, and includes breakfast and lunch on Tuesday, and a networking event on Monday evening. A limited number of discounted registrations are available for college students. The summit website, where registrations are being accepted, is http://gyres.mt.gov. A block of discounted hotel rooms for attendees are available at the GranTree Inn, 1325 N. 7th Ave., 587-5261.
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About TechLink: TechLink is the primary U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Partnership Intermediary, based at Montana State University. TechLink facilitates technology partnerships between all DoD labs and industry nationwide, brokering most of DoD’s patent license agreements, and working with small businesses to successfully develop and transition DoD SBIR/STTR technologies to support national defense needs. With additional support for Montana companies for all agency SBIR/STTR proposals, TechLink has directly assisted companies nationwide in winning over $200 million through these programs.
 
About the Montana Technology Innovation Partnership: MTIP is a Montana Department of Commerce initiative created to promote technology commercialization as a viable economic development strategy for the state of Montana. MTIP's mission is to build the short-term benefits of technology research and development into the long-term rewards of economic development through commercialization.