Engaging SBIR Resources for Development of Surgical Innovations in Oncology

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are some of the largest sources of early stage capital for technology commercialization. A component of NIH, the National Cancer Institute (NCI)’s SBIR/STTR program has an annual budget of $167 million (in 2018) and serves as NCI’s main engine of innovation for developing and commercializing novel cancer technologies including surgical technologies. The NCI SBIR Development Center provides both funding and non-funding resources all aimed at translating technologies to the clinic to help cancer patients and providers. In this article, we provide an analysis of cancer-focused surgical technologies funded by the NCI SBIR program from 2009 to 2018, the various resources available to the small business community, and real-world examples of companies that have leveraged NCI SBIR resources to accelerate commercialization of surgical innovations.