SBIR grants only cover salaries you can justify with data, not what you hope to earn. The grant's salary cap applies only to the portion it directly pays, so you can fund the rest elsewhere. Base your request on what you can actually prove.
Because in the world of federal grants and contracts like SBIRs, you don't get paid for what you want. You get paid for what you can justify with the data. And by the way, for these SBIR grants, these grant salary caps only limit what the grant can pay you. And this is not including your entire compensation that can come from additional sources. So the next time you go after an SBIR grant and you're figuring out how do I get myself a salary, make sure you can back your salary numbers based on the reality, not just wishful thinking.
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How to Get Invited to Apply for $305K in NSF SBIR Funding || Step-by-Step Guide
