# NWI EMF Pilot — Anticipated Questions

## Questions Eric Will Likely Ask

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### 1. "What exactly are you asking SBDC to do?"

**Answer:** "We're asking for a letter of support — not funding. The letter endorses this pilot as a fundable economic development initiative for NWI. That letter opens the door to Purdue Research Foundation and positions us for federal SBIR funding."

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### 2. "Why should SBDC care about EMF?"

**Answer:** "Two reasons. First, this is about workforce health in an industrial corridor — that's economic development. Second, if we get SBIR funding, Indiana has a matching program. That's dollars coming into NWI. SBDC gets credit for enabling that."

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### 3. "Is this scientifically credible? I don't want to attach SBDC to pseudoscience."

**Answer:** "Everything in this deck is peer-reviewed. WHO/IARC Group 2B classification — that's established science. PLOS ONE meta-analysis, Jafari systematic review, NIOSH economic benefit study — all cited, all verifiable. We explicitly avoid speculative claims. No medical diagnoses, no product sales, no intervention without data."

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### 4. "What's the business model? How does this become sustainable?"

**Answer:** "Three phases. Phase 1: Assessment fees from participating businesses — minimal, covers equipment. Phase 2: SBIR Phase I funding — up to $323K federal, non-dilutive, plus Indiana matching. Phase 3: State-wide replication program through SBDC network, then commercial employer subscription for ongoing monitoring."

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### 5. "Who else is involved? Do you have partners?"

**Answer:** "Yes. Tuning Element is a Purdue Tech Center tenant — they have ELF monitoring equipment and Dr. Brasovan's research expertise. PNW CIVS has simulation infrastructure to model field propagation across the Hammond corridor. Both are ready to partner once we have the Purdue Research Foundation connection."

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### 6. "What's the timeline? How long until we see results?"

**Answer:** "12 months total. Months 1–3: IRB approval and business recruitment. Months 4–6: 60-day pilot data collection. Months 7–9: analysis and CIVS modeling. Months 10–12: SBIR submission and Rep. Mrvan briefing. First preliminary results within 6 months."

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### 7. "What about Rep. Mrvan? How does this involve him?"

**Answer:** "Hammond is his district. This pilot addresses workforce health in an industrial corridor with new infrastructure — exactly the kind of constituent-facing initiative that matters in an election year. We brief his office on the findings, they get a win for protecting Hammond workers."

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### 8. "What if the data shows nothing? What's the risk?"

**Answer:** "If we find no correlation between ELF/EMF and worker outcomes, that's still valuable data. It establishes a baseline for future infrastructure projects. It's like a Phase I environmental site assessment — you do it to document conditions, not because you expect to find contamination. Either way, NWI has data it didn't have before."

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### 9. "Are you selling a product?"

**Answer:** "No. We're measuring. We test phase-inversion shielding as a hypothesis — that's part of the study design — but we're not selling anything. No medical claims, no therapies, no product pitches. Just data collection and correlation."

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### 10. "What do you need from me today?"

**Answer:** "Two things. One: your feedback on this proposal — am I missing anything that would make this more compelling for SBDC? Two: if you're comfortable, a draft support letter that I can finalize with you after the meeting. That letter goes to Purdue Research Foundation next week."

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## Questions You Should Ask Eric

### 1. "What does a successful pilot look like from SBDC's perspective?"

This helps you align your metrics with his expectations.

### 2. "Are there other SBDCs in Indiana doing similar environmental or occupational health pilots?"

This identifies potential replication partners.

### 3. "What's the best way to frame this for Purdue Research Foundation?"

He knows the landscape — use his expertise.

### 4. "Is there anyone else you recommend I talk to?"

He's an ecosystem navigator — he may connect you to additional resources.

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*Prepared by Zo — 2026-05-25*