Phase I reviewers score feasibility, and nothing argues feasibility like data. But a pre-funding hardware team can't afford a test campaign — that's why they're applying. The escape from this loop is analysis: a competently built simulation shows the physics closes, quantifies the risk you're proposing to retire, and demonstrates that your team can actually execute the work plan you're proposing. Reviewer guidance across agencies explicitly treats computational results as acceptable preliminary evidence.
One figure from a study like this, with honest assumptions stated, is worth pages of adjectives in a proposal.
| Path | Good for | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Student licenses (e.g. Ansys Student) | Learning, coursework | Non-commercial use only, model-size caps — not for company R&D or proposals |
| University lab access | Thesis work | Academic-use restrictions; IP contamination risk; disappears at graduation |
| Open source (OpenFOAM, CalculiX) | $0 licenses, unlimited cores | Steep learning curve; your scarce weeks become the cost; harder V&V story |
| Cloud pay-per-use | Quick single studies | Costs scale with iteration; solver depth varies |
| Commercial evaluation licenses | Real tools on your real problem | Granted at the vendor's/partner's discretion — you have to ask |
This is the one article where we'll be direct: this is what we do. We help early teams request Ansys evaluation licenses and pair them with an application engineer so the study is built right the first time. It costs nothing to ask, granted at Ansys's and its partners' discretion, and you're free to work with anyone.
See if you qualify for an Ansys eval + engineering support at no cost How access works →Phase I feasibility studies, Phase II design iteration, and — in regulated markets — formal V&V: FDA accepts credible computational modeling as evidence in device submissions, and defense programs expect analysis behind every qualification claim. For long-term affordability, eligible early-stage companies can also pursue the Ansys Startup Program (privately held, under 10 years old, under $5M revenue — verified case-by-case by Ansys and its partners). Details on all the access paths: Ansys & support.
Official sources for this guide: SBIR.gov — proposal preparation · Ansys Startup Program · FDA — CM&S guidance. Figures change; always confirm on the official page before relying on them.
