Marcene Sonneborn Wins Tibbetts Award

Since the fall of 1992 the Central New York Technology Development Organization (CNYTDO) has operated an SBIR Outreach Program in conjunction with the Onondaga Small Business Development Center. The program is designed to assist entrepreneurs and technology-based businesses by increasing the number and competitiveness of applications to the federal SBIR program. Marcene (Marcie) S. Sonneborn was selected as the SBIR Specialist because of her considerable background in technology management and track record of winning research and development grants in her previous positions.

Marcie’s SBIR Outreach Program assists potential SBIR applicants in the Central New York, Mohawk Valley, North Country, and Southern Tier regions of New York State--covering 24 counties. The multi-regionalism of the program is in keeping with both federal and state initiatives: Regional effects are better addressed through regional solutions that focus on the strengths of local industrial, technological, and workforce characteristics.

Originally, the goal of the program was to increase both the quality and quantity of federal SBIR proposals and increase SBIR awards in the region by at least $1 million by the end of the second year. However, in the five years since Marcie took on this project, companies that the program serves have won more than $35 million in SBIR awards. The influx of such moneys has proved to be an effective catalyst for entrepreneurial and economic growth in the region and has generated a net income for the national economy.

Many of these SBIR awards are due to Marcie’s direct assistance with the companies, including both group workshops that give participants an overview of the federal program and one-on-one consultations. It is especially during the latter that Marcie’s expertise is demonstrated, as she positions the SBIR research agenda as a potential marketplace, and uses her unique visioning ability to show prospective SBIR candidates how best to meld science and technology into an innovative technological application.

In Marcie’s day-to-day activities she leads SBIR candidates step-by-step through the "how-to" process: structure their applications; meet administrative requirements; improve the technical strength of their applications; and, work out the key strategic business matters--the importance of which are oft-times underestimated by the companies. By expanding business opportunities for companies, Marcie’s SBIR outreach efforts help local companies convert novel ideas into products and processes; and, find solutions to technological problems that will facilitate the transfer of technology from the laboratory to the marketplace, re-energize the tax base, and help retain the region’s highly skilled workforce.

The success of Marcie’s work is so evident, the New York State Science and Technology Foundation plans to replicate her program statewide and seek the necessary funding from the state legislature for its expansion and retention.

The SBIRs won by companies in Marcie’s outreach territory attest to the impact her expertise has had in promoting innovation in the region, increasing productivity, creating jobs, and enhancing the global position of New York State’s technology base.