How Dr. Sue Carr’s “Frog” Device Transformed Medical Safety with Help from the SBIR/STTR Proposal Lab
Dr. Sue Carr had a vision – to remove the hidden dangers that lie within common medical injections, dangers that threaten patients and healthcare professionals alike. Funding issues aside, even with the potential of her device, “the Frog,”, she was stymied in taking it any further. With the help of the SBIR/STTR Proposal Lab, Carr not only garnered critical funding, but also the resources to rebuild her company’s future.
Securing NSF Phase I funding had been an uphill struggle doggedly fought; Dr. Carr’s initial applications were derailed by complex budget requirements and compliance missteps – unfortunately all too common of an experience for many small business innovators. Expensive design outsourcing further stretched her company’s resources very thin. With rejection after rejection, something more than persistence was needed – a new approach was in order.
Enter the SBIR/STTR Proposal Lab. Through its structured guidance, Carr refined her proposals, cut through the compliance red tape of NSF, and honed her messaging. The virtual format urged flexibility without sacrificing depth: targeted workshops and mentorship from experts addressed precisely what she needed, from budget planning to project summaries. The Lab’s hands-on approach, tailored to her unique vision for the NSF proposal, not only strengthened her immediate project but also equipped her with invaluable skills to independently craft successful proposals in the future.
The Proposal Lab was not about checking boxes off some kind of compliance checklist for Carr. It was an avenue to fill in the blanks of better insights into how to effect change: streamline project summaries, budget alignment, and find a low-cost local partner, Route Three Labs, that could do her device design within the NSF guidelines-all in one sweep. That kind of strategic pivot equated to cost-cutting while creating local jobs, showing immediate value beyond grant writing.
The results were instant and measurable. Carr’s refined proposal secured a $275,000 NSF Phase I grant-important capital that helped launch “the Frog.” Created to eliminate glass shard contamination and needlestick injuries, the device eliminates needle-switching, bringing new safety to injections. As Carr moves on to an application for a Phase II grant for up to $1.25 million, her story is one of the heights one can reach with the appropriate support and edification.
Carr has big plans: Phase II funding will allow her to scale-building a specialized sales force to bring “the Frog” into hospitals and care centers nationwide. Her device could save billions in healthcare costs while protecting countless lives-a pretty great case for innovation-driven impact. The Proposal Lab’s structured approach gave Carr more than a grant; it gave her the momentum to turn groundbreaking ideas into commercial reality.
