Understanding Government Funding: Accessing Federal & State Resources for Transportation and Logistics Innovation
Federal and state funding can pay for the research, prototypes, and pilots that private investors won't, without taking equity. Most transportation and logistics founders never apply, because the programs look opaque and the paperwork looks endless. This session is a live, no-slides Q&A with Katie Thompson, Executive Director of Science Venture Studio, who has spent more than a decade helping Arkansas science and technology companies find, apply for, and win SBIR/STTR and other non-dilutive funding. She'll be joined by a founder from a local transportation and logistics venture that has used SBIR funding to build and grow here in the region, with a candid look at what the process was actually like.
Bring your questions. You can also submit them when you register and we'll work them into the conversation.
What we'll cover
What SBIR/STTR is, who qualifies, and which agencies fund transportation, logistics, and supply chain technology (DOT, DoD, DOE, NSF, USDA, DHS)
How to find a topic that fits what you're already building, and how to read one
Registrations and timelines: SAM, SBIR.gov, and the lead time a competitive proposal really takes
What separates a funded Phase I from a rejected one
Arkansas state programs that pair with federal awards, and how to stack them
A local founder's story: how an SBIR award funded a transportation and logistics venture in the region, what the application really took, and what they would do differently
How ORIC's no-cost federal grant assistance works, and how to get a one-on-one review of your idea
Live Q&A
Who should attend
Founders and operators building or adopting technology in transportation, logistics, or industrial infrastructure, especially companies with a technical idea that needs research or prototype funding before customers or investors will commit. Partners, university researchers, and economic development colleagues are welcome.
Can't make it live? Register anyway and we'll send the recording.
Learn more or join the cluster: https://oric.startupjunkie.org
ORIC is powered by Startup Junkie and funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
All opinions, conclusions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA. Enterprise partners, investors, lenders, and public agencies retain sole discretion over all pilot, purchasing, investment, lending, award, and contracting decisions.