Status: Approved
Project Code: L-SBA-USA-2
| Project Title | What’s Gov Got to Do With It? Connecting the Innovation Ecosystem |
|---|---|
| Project Summary | Jump into the world of organizations that create programs/services to meet the needs of advanced technology entrepreneurs. Help demystify relevant federal programs and highlight gaps in support through dataset analysis and policy development. |
| Country | United States |
| Agency | Small Business Administration |
| DoS Office | N/A |
| Post | N/A |
| Section | N/A |
| Number of Interns | 1 |
The SBA’s Innovation and Technology team is focused on helping diverse, talented entrepreneurs in science, technology, and innovation access seed capital to grow their businesses and the US economy. Our office supports and maintains a network of Innovation Ecosystem Supporters - engaging community-based organizations, business accelerators, state governments and academia to create programs and services that meet the needs of advanced technology entrepreneurs. One problem these entrepreneurs face is how to navigate not only local resources, but federal programs as well.
Interns will have the opportunity to roll up their sleeves and join our small, highly motivated team to get involved with identifying who and how to improve the connectivity of this ecosystem. This is a great opportunity to develop experience in proven approaches to cultivate innovation, influence policy, become knowledgeable about best practices. The ideal candidate will share a sense of mission to positively impact entrepreneurs who are taking big risks and building next generation technologies.
- Research Federal programs that support entrepreneurship
- Develop datasets from public data like USAspending.gov of common organizations for entrepreneurial support across different agencies and programs
- Identify state/local initiatives that make use of Federal resources
- Support policy development based on data analysis
| Skill(s) |
|---|
| Analytical writing |
| Data analysis |
| Data visualization |
| Design thinking |
| Research |
Since 1953, the US Small Business Administration (SBA) has worked to ignite change and spark action so small businesses can confidently start, grow, expand, or recover. The SBA is the only cabinet-level federal agency fully dedicated to small business and provides counseling, capital, and contracting expertise as the nation’s only go-to resource and voice for small businesses.
The SBA Office of Innovation and Technology coordinates the Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) programs, which fund a diverse portfolio of startups and small businesses across technology areas and markets to stimulate technological innovation, meet Federal research and development (R&D) needs, and increase commercialization to transition R&D into impact. We foster and encourage participation in innovation and entrepreneurship by all people, including women, people of color, people with disabilities, and entrepreneurs located in all 50 states and U.S. territories.
We are looking for people with a wide variety of skills, so if this opportunity sparks joy and your expertise differs from the skills above, you should still consider applying. Our team values diversity of backgrounds and experience, so we encourage you to bring your whole self to the role.