Registering company on multiple websites in order to submit grants is time consuming and excessive. Currently the following registrations are required: Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System, System for Award Management, Small Business Administartion Company Registry, electronic Research Administration (eRA) Commons, Grants.gov. These could be consolidated.
Company needs a qualified scientist principal investigator (PI) who can coordinate grant writing with academic for an STTR and submit the grant package for the company. The PI must have credibility at managing science.
Reviewers of rare disease grants seem to fail to appreciate that academic researchers in some rare disease areas are hard to find and may be outside the US. Their decision can ultimately prevent collaboration and progress.
Many reviewers do not understand that even a rare disease with a handful of patients can still have a return on investment if the rare pediatric disease voucher is obtained.
Reviewers’ attitude towards parents submitting grants needs improvement even though NIH encourages us to take this route.
After grant funding further steps generally need to be fulfilled to comply with NIH compliance rules. This requires considerable effort.
Since obtaining a grant we have had extensive legal contract work to license technology and set up a laboratory close to collaborator. Legal fees cannot come out of small business grants.
Hiring a postdoc can be tough and an experienced associate may be ideal instead.
