Needs-driven, market-pull system: In close consultation with Tech Seeker(s), listing(s) of their primary areas of technology collaboration interest are developed. Various forms of assistance to that task can be rendered to less experienced Seekers. Careful attention is paid to the detail of what is actually being sought - and why. This ensures appropriate match between what Seeker asks for - skills sets and capabilities required - and capacities of small firms identified as potential partners. Particular focus and extent of detail required driven primarily by Tech Seeker objectives and types of relationship(s) sought. Also important is context of proposed interactions. Group sessions - ASSETs Forum or the ... focused to (industry) sessions; versus Tech Seeker-specific on-site inknowvation@work, site visits with particular small firms or off-line rfp-type Targeted Technology Solicitation all drive different levels of detail.

Topics in hand, idi staff parse description(s) to generate basic inventory of keywords/phrases. Task is to enable full and effective identification of all those SBIR-involved firms either-with demonstrated in-place capabilities and/or capacity(ies) to under-take work required. To ensure full complement and range of associated technical terms are in-place to drive effective search, those initial keyword/phrases are put through our proprietary Technical Thesaurus. Yield is often many multiples of original keyword/phrase listing.

Engage comprehensive search process, running full keyword/phrase listing through text indexed components of idi proprietary SBIR-STTR relational databases - award abstracts, patents, business profiles, capability statements, professional papers, scientific/ technical tags (company provided and idi assigned), management bios, featured articles in technical and popular press. In two-step process, initial yield of small firm listing includes matrix indicating where matches were found and total hits per. Permits elimination from particular search of zero-yield keywords. Technical and scientific terms can have quite different meanings in different industry segments. Hence, second step in search process is to re-classify first yielded small firm list by groups of associated terms. Removes technical outlyers from target group. For projects involving single Tech Seeker, important third step may also involve eyeball review of file of each yielded small firm to flag obvious mismatches, to identify/explain anomalies (e.g. cross-industry functionality) and/or, as appropriate, to prioritize best candidates

Initial contact to small firms on yielded target list is by email, alerting them to potential business opportunity. Note that idi systems include general contact email for all companies (c 19,000) and personal contact emails for some 45,000 personnel. Depending on response level achieved, a second (or even third) emailing may be employed. As appropriate, supplementary contact may also be arranged from relevant persons to include SBIR Program managers, State support personnel and/or their professional service providers (where known). Where we get no response from firms we judge particular well suited, by-phone contact will be initiated. Why do we need to do this? As a relatively public group, SBIR firms are inundated with offers to sell them something. Countering their first instinct to junk all these type of communications has been a serious challenge. beyond personal name-recognition, as reputation for effectiveness of ASSET system is established, these supplementary measures are becoming less necessary