A Quad Chart in its most basic form is a single slide or table that is used to summarize a project or program. For our purposes, a Quad Chart is a graphical and textual summary of an entire SBIR/STTR project on a single slide. Quad Charts are used primarily by the Department of Defense for their applications, but other agencies may ask for them as well at various times in the application or renewal process. As can be inferred from the name, a Quad Chart has four sections (quadrants), with each section containing its own particular piece of information about the project.
When reaching out to a program officer at any agency, sending them a Quad Chart in advance is a good way to provide information about your company and your proposed product before talking to them, and it is a good way to prime the pump for your initial conversation.
A sample SBIR Quad Chart appears below. You can download this template: 2018 Quad Chart Template.pptx (live.com)
SBA Quad Chart Sample:
This sample image shows a common layout for a quad chart (note: your specific BAA instructions may require different information in each quadrant). In this version, there is a header which contains the company name, state, your name, your email, and your phone number. This allows the program officer to contact you later should they decide to do so.
In the Quad Chart proper, information about the current level of your technology appears in the upper left quadrant, oftentimes accompanied by a picture of the innovation and a caption. The research need (and sometimes technical objectives) or an overview of the proposed technical approach appears in the lower left quadrant. Company and personnel information appears in the upper right quadrant. Finally, information about the Opportunity appears in the lower right quadrant. This includes information about the problem you are addressing, the target customer, and the market opportunity.
The purpose of a Quad Chart is to act as a sort of abstract for the project. Like an elevator pitch, it describes the heart of your project in a single slide, allowing a program officer to review your proposal quickly and easily without needing to dig deeper into your application. They can also be used by the program officer to present information to a review committee or to a superior in a fast and readily available fashion.
The Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for a particular set of SBIR or STTR grants may request a Quad Chart as part of the application. In those cases, a sample will generally be provided by the BAA in the Appendix of the information about the topic.
