Peter Higgs passed away on 8 April at the age of 94
Peter Higgs has passed away at the age of 94. An iconic figure in modern science, Higgs in 1964 postulated the existence of the eponymous Higgs boson. Its discovery at CERN in 2012 was the crowning achievement of the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics – a remarkable theory which explains the visible universe at the most fundamental level.Alongside Robert Brout and François Englert, and building on the work of a generation of physicists, Higgs postulated the existence of the Brout-Englert-Higgs (BEH) field. Alone among known fundamental fields, the BEH field is “turned on” throughout the universe, rather than flickering in and out of existence and remaining localized. Its existence allowed matter to form in the early universe some 10-11 s after the Big Bang, thanks to the interactions between elementary particles (such as electrons and quarks) and the ever-present BEH field. Higgs and Englert were awarded the Nobel prize for physics in 2013 in recognition of these achievements.
“Besides his outstanding contributions to particle physics, Peter was a very special person, an immensely inspiring figure for physicists around the world, a man of rare modesty, a great teacher and someone who explained physics in a very simple yet profound way,” said CERN’s Director-General Fabiola Gianotti, expressing the emotion felt by the physics community upon his loss. “An important piece of CERN’s history and accomplishments is linked to him. I am very saddened, and I will miss him sorely.”Peter Higgs’ scientific legacy will extend far beyond the scope of current discoveries. The Higgs boson – the observable “excitation” of the BEH field which he was the first to identify – is linked to some of most intriguing and crucial outstanding questions in fundamental physics. This still quite mysterious particle therefore represents a uniquely promising portal to physics beyond the SM. Since discovering it in 2012, the ATLAS and CMS collaborations have already made impressive progress in constraining its properties – a painstaking scientific study which will form a central plank of research at the LHC, high-luminosity LHC and future colliders for decades to come, promising insights into the many unanswered questions in fundamental science.
Hello, everyone. I got here a little early, since traffic on the 405 is a little crazy. I am going to put some basic notes out on the SBIR program to start the discussion.2
The SBIR and STTR Programs The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs are highly competitive programs that encourage domestic small businesses to engage in Federal Research/Research and Development (R/R&D) with the potential for commercialization. Through a competitive awards-based program, SBIR and STTR enable small businesses to explore their technological potential and provide the incentive to profit from its commercialization. By including qualified small businesses in the nation’s R&D arena, high-tech innovation is stimulated, and the United States gains entrepreneurial spirit as it meets its specific research and development needs. Central to the STTR program is the partnership between small businesses and nonprofit research institutions. The STTR program requires the small business to formally collaborate with a research institution in Phase I and Phase II. STTR’s most important role is to bridge the gap between performance of basic science and commercialization of resulting innovations.
The mission of the SBIR/STTR programs is to support scientific excellence and technological innovation through the investment of Federal research funds in critical American priorities to build a strong national economy. The program’s goals are to:
Stimulate technological innovation.
Meet Federal research and development needs.
Foster and encourage participation in innovation and entrepreneurship by women and socially or economically disadvantaged persons.
Increase private-sector commercialization of innovations derived from Federal research and development funding.
In addition, the STTR program aims to:
Foster technology transfer through cooperative R&D between small businesses and research institutions.
Organized for profit, with a place of business located in the United States
More than 50% owned and controlled by one or more individuals who are citizens or permanent resident aliens of the United States, or by other small business concerns that are each more than 50% owned and controlled by one or more individuals who are citizens or permanent resident aliens of the United States; and
For SBIR awards from agencies using the authority under 15 U.S.C. 638(dd)(1), an awardee may be owned and controlled by more than one VC, hedge fund, or private equity firm so long as no one such firm owns a majority of the stock. Phase I awardees with multiple prior awards must meet the benchmark requirements for progress toward commercialization.
Bottom line? About 3% of the Federal Research money goes to small businesses. There is a review process from each agency (NIH, DoE, NSF, etc) to validate the idea and the commercialization of the idea.
It is non-dliuted money. It’s free until you realize you have to work for it.
The process starts with an idea. The idea needs to be a technical innovation. After you have your idea, you need to understand the term “Topics.” A topic is an area of interest by one of the agencies.
This can be a project in development. Phase 1 is about validating the technology. Phase 2 is about commercializing the technology. That is where the product development occurs. In Phase 1, up to $300K, you can develop your prototype and test it for innovation. In Phase 2, you look to create a marketable model, with design and manufacturing partners (up to $1.5m).
You can be in the idea stage to start the SBIR process. The early stages have a low overhead to work with the agencies and determine next steps.
At this point, you should look to the NSF Quick Pitch information. This will give you an idea of what the agencies are looking for in the grants.2
The Technology Innovation. (up to 500 words)
2. The Technical Objectives and Challenges. (up to 500 words) 3. The Market Opportunity. (up to 250 words) 4. The Company and Team. (up to 250 words)
Put that together and you have a start. This document can be submitted to the NSF for a Phase 1 and start the conversation with other agencies on your idea.
America’s Seed Fund powered by the National Science Foundation (NSF SBIR/STTR) supports startups with research and development funding to create technologies.
If you do a good job on your application and get rejected, they will often give you feedback on what to fix in your application. That’s the good news. The next review team may be completely different and have a totally different perspective on what you need to work on. Bummer.
So, here’s the lesson. You have to be ready to move quickly on the grant process. The window is a few months and you have to get it submitted by the deadline. You have to want to get this done and accomplish your goals.
You define the issue in the grant. It will be based on the role of the university on whether new IP is created. I have done projects in Hungary, India, Korea, Mexico, Portugal, Chile, Ukraine, Russia, Qatar and other countries. I have been to many of these countries, working with startups.
At The University of Texas, I was sent to Hungary to help review about 12 technologies. I had thick books with extended descriptions of the techs. I was in the Frankfort Airport for about 8 hours, read them all, and I saw the whole field. I saw the idea, the market, the steps, everything. It was when I realized I found my calling. I left all the binders and documentation in the trash because I saw it all. Chess players will look at a board and see everything. That’s what I saw. This has been my passion for over fifteen years. I have no plans to ever stop.
Licensing – We are reviewing licensing and development opportunities to advance startups into the marketplace, creating a grant process which will lead to investment opportunities.
Introductory Presentations / Office Hours – We have delivered introductory presentations and office hours for startups and economic development programs, helping the companies identify potential opportunities for expansion.
Business Development Programs / Revenue Focus – We have conducted multiple business development programs with a focus on developing collaboration and sales opportunities for the startup. Our focus in this area was the development of financial opportunities for these startups, not general research interviews. We provided successful connections and start of business opportunities on multiple projects.
Identification of Grant Opportunities – We have worked with multiple startups in the identification of the best grant programs for application. We have worked with the government agency Program Managers and the startups on determining opportunities and eligibility for funding. We believe this is a key first step in the grant process and use the process to develop potential clients into customers.
Grant Review and Development – We have written multiple grants in the DoE, NSF, and NIH space. This includes reviews of technical sessions and writing of commercialization sections for Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 2A and 2B grants.
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seedfund.nsf.gov