to page content
to site navigation
The Foundation's primary site.
Global news, events, and resources.
The national learning program for entrepreneurs.
A new approach to developing the next generation of high-growth firms.
Access to university research and innovation.
The Kauffman Foundation's charter school serving Kansas City.
Encouraging the aspirations of young people.
The platform for business plan competitions.
College preparation and access for urban youth in Kansas City.
A guide to Kauffman Foundation and partner resources, for aspiring entrepreneurs.
News and announcements from the Foundation.
From our vice president of Entrepreneurship.
From our vice president of Advancing Innovation.
News from Global Entrepreneurship Week
News about this education program for entrepreneurs.
Tweets for the eMed Community at Entrepreneurship.org
News from the Kauffman Labs program.
From our business plan competition service.
Contribute to the community seeking to improve entrepreneurship and innovation measurement.
A look at entrepreneurship from the Kauffman Foundation's Thom Ruhe.
Tracks research and policies that are accelerating economic growth and changing the world.
Brings to light various policies and initiatives to advance innovation and drive economic growth.
A selection of our videos
Take our video and audio with you.
Explore many of our publications.
Join the discussion on our LinkedIn site.
Join us on Google's social service.
The Resource Center has all the info you'll need From content to user feedback, the resource center has the information you need for every level of the entrepreneurial process.
We encourage and advocate the use of veteran-owned firms as sourcing resources for our internal and external customers. We promote contracting opportunities for veteran-owned businesses and strongly encourage utilization of these resources to the maximum extend practicable. We have implemented a mentor-protégé program, service disabled veteran-owned small business initiative, and support industry-wide as well as industry specific outreach and training.
Providing management direction and Department-wide leadership and expertise in the areas of acquisition and federal assistance to ensure the timely delivery of quality goods and services that directly results in creating a more secure, democratic, and prosperous world for the benefit of the American people and the international community. Creating and implementing strategies to maximize the effectiveness, efficiency, and responsiveness of the contracting and grant making processes through Department-wide leadership in the areas of policy development, training, and support. Integrating technology, highly-experienced acquisition staff, and best business practices to offer mission-oriented and cost-effective risk management in the Department’s business areas of acquisition and federal assistance. Promoting partnerships with contractors, federal assistance recipients, and the general public by ensuring the transparency of State Department’s procurement processes while maintaining the highest level of public trust, integrity, ethical standards, and compliance with Federal and State Department procurement regulations and policies. Fostering innovation in the administration of these functions by collaborating with Department staff and the general public to explore new directions in Federal Government and Department procurement and federal assistance policies and procedures.
Small biotechnology firms represent a unique national resource for economic growth that may be the fastest and most efficient mechanism to create technological innovation to convert cutting edge biomedical research into new technology breakthroughs and competitive new products. The NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer(STTR) grant programs provide an opportunity for ALL key players in biomedical research to benefit. SBIR grants provide $850,000 (Phase I and II) or more and STTR grants provide $600,000 (Phase I and II) or more in research dollars to catalyze the commercialization of innovative projects that will benefit public health. Further, these grants offer company scientists an opportunity to pursue innovative projects for which company support may not be available, and they promote and foster partnerships with collaborators, including academic investigators. By serving as a collaborator, consultant, or principal investigator (for STTR), an academic investigator can gain long-term financial and scientific benefits. Collaboration with a company also offers access to company resources and expertise and possibly jobs for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. In a rapidly changing culture where research institutions are becoming more committed to innovation and entrepreneurship to enhance the economic development of their regions, NIH SBIR and STTR grants can add value to an academic institution’s intellectual property. With rapidly expanding biological knowledge, even large corporations can develop only a limited number of promising lead ideas. Large pharmaceutical corporations often look to small biotechnology companies for the initial development of embryonic technology. Thus, the end of a successful project for a small biotechnology company is often the beginning of R&D for a large pharmaceutical corporation. NIH small business grants can help bridge the needs of both by providing early-stage funding for research that adds value to an idea, promoting partnerships that lead to a marketable product.
The structure of EDN consists of three service providers. Loan and Political Risk Insurance Originators (Originators) serve as local service providers to micro, small-medium enterprises (MSMEs) to help develop the OPIC application package, refine marketing strategies, and draft or enhance business plans. Financial institutions serve as Designated Lenders to establish OPIC-backed lending facilities that are used to make loans to MSMEs or their affiliates for projects in OPIC-eligible countries. EDN Advisers are specialists in particular business sectors and geographic areas throughout the world and assist OPIC in credit underwriting and due diligence on OPIC-funded loans.
Application forms for Finance, Insurance, and Investment
The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is a set-aside program (2.5% of an agency's extramural budget) for domestic small business concerns to engage in Research/Research and Development (R/R&D) that has the potential for Commercialization.
NIH Lab to Life Funding Guide
The Enterprise Development Network (EDN) is a strategic alliance between the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and the private sector. Through a growing network of private sector organizations, EDN greatly extends OPIC’s ability to provide financing and political risk insurance (PRI) to more micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) doing business in developing countries.
This article, published by Red Herring, reports the venture capital industry is increasingly becoming global in nature while the traditional U.S. presence in global VC deals declines.
Want to get connected? Sign up to receive regular news, polls and updates from The Kauffman Foundation.
