NM FAST opens statewide commercialization program for SBIR/STTR Phase II awardees

WRITER: Alejandro Najera-Acosta, a_najera@nmsu.edu  
SOURCE: Carlos Murguia, cmurguia@nmsu.edu 

NM FAST at New Mexico State University's Arrowhead Center is accepting applications for the SBIR/STTR Commercialization Bridge Pilot, a new program designed to support New Mexico companies transitioning from federal Phase II research and development into Phase III commercialization, procurement, and revenue generation. The high-touch, small-cohort program is delivered in partnership with the Santa Fe Business Incubator. Applications are due Monday, May 25. 

The pilot extends New Mexico’s SBIR/STTR support pipeline beyond early-stage proposal development into the operational realities of federal procurement, customer acquisition, and capital strategy. Six to 10 companies will be selected to participate in the cohort, which runs from June 10 through July 8. Weekly sessions will cover Phase III reality and positioning, funding gap and capital strategy, federal procurement pathways, and execution planning. Selected companies will receive a minimum of 20 hours of one-on-one advising and finish the program with a Phase III Readiness Snapshot and a Federal Procurement Strategy Plan. 

“New Mexico founders working at the leading edge of deep tech have done the hard work of winning Phase II awards, and the next challenge is turning that research into contracts, customers, and revenue,” said Carlos Murguia, director of the Technology and Innovation Gateway at Arrowhead Center. “This pilot fills a real gap in the state pipeline, giving companies in Las Cruces, Albuquerque, Los Alamos, Santa Fe, and rural communities across New Mexico the procurement guidance and commercialization support they need to compete for Phase III contracts.” 

The program is open to New Mexico companies that are active SBIR/STTR Phase II awardees, that recently completed Phase II within the past two years, or that have completed Phase II and are working toward a first Phase III contract. Eligible sectors include defense and national security, energy and clean tech, space and aerospace, health and biotech, advanced manufacturing, and cybersecurity. 

Programming includes targeted guidance on SBIR Phase III sole-source contracts, Other Transaction Authority agreements, and Broad Agency Announcements, alongside connections to national laboratories such as Los Alamos and Sandia, industry partners, and capital providers. The Santa Fe Business Incubator serves as the pilot’s delivery partner, bringing dedicated commercialization and procurement advising to participating companies. 

NM FAST is administered by Arrowhead Center at New Mexico State University and operates statewide, serving founders in Las Cruces, Albuquerque, Los Alamos, and rural communities across New Mexico. Over more than a decade of programming, NM FAST has supported more than 470 New Mexico startups and helped companies secure nearly $28 million in federal SBIR awards. Targeted outreach is directed to rural, women, veteran, and minority entrepreneurs. 

The pilot is sponsored by the New Mexico Economic Development Department’s Technology and Innovation Office, which supports continued statewide programming for SBIR/STTR-eligible companies in the priority sectors of advanced computing, bioscience, advanced energy, and aerospace.

Interested companies can apply at https://startupspace.app/dynamic-survey/NDgxOQ==.