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Biological Technologies (BT) (SBIR/STTR) is sponsored by National Science Foundation (NSF). This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) topic covers a wide range of technology areas to advance engineering and science innovation across the biological spectrum.
It focuses on using or modifying living organisms, systems, or biological processes to develop new technologies for biochemicals, and medical and agricultural products, contributing to a new bioeconomy and environmental sustainability.
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Biological Technologies Grant – Apply Today | NSF SBIR Check recent critical alerts! (Last updated 12/22/2025) NSF has temporarily paused the submission of new Project Pitches to the SBIR/STTR programs due to the lapse in congressional authorization. Program Directors will continue to process Project Pitches that were previously received.
Please direct any questions to sbir@nsf. gov . Biological Technologies (BT) Miromatrix Medical Inc’s unique technology allows scientists to create human organs, offsetting shortages of transplantable organs.
Biological Technologies (BT) The Biological Technologies topic covers a wide range of technology areas to advance engineering and science innovation across the biological spectrum. Biological technologies have disrupted decades-old chemical, agricultural and medical products and services, producing a new bioeconomy.
Potential breakthroughs in this space are on course to make major socioeconomic contributions by boosting productivity in industrial and agricultural processes, improving human health, and making advances toward environmental sustainability. Proposed projects should be focused on using or modifying living organisms, systems or biological processes to develop new technologies to produce biochemicals and medical and agricultural products.
They may involve bioengineering to improve function in molecules, cells and tissues in humans, plants, animals and microbes.
NSF also encourages proposals for enabling new technologies, such as new tools for genomics, proteomics and drug discovery; instruments for biological applications; computational and bioinformatic tools; and new manufacturing technologies for cells, tissues, organs and biologics (with the exception of clinical trials and schedule I substances).
Subtopics are not aimed at supporting or conducting clinical trials, clinical efficacy or safety studies, the development pre-clinical or clinical-stage drug candidates or medical devices, or work performed primarily for regulatory purposes. Limited studies with human subjects may be acceptable to the extent that they are performed in support of feasibility, such as proof-of-concept studies of early-stage technologies.
Proposals that request support for clinical studies will be deemed noncompliant with the SBIR/STTR solicitations and returned without review. BT1. Animal Biotechnology BT3.
Bio-Inspired Technologies BT4. Bioinstruments and Biosensors BT5. Cell and Tissue Engineering BT7.
Life Science Research Tools BT8. Microbiome and Microbial Diversity BT10. Synthetic Biology and Metabolic Engineering BT11.
Other Biological Technologies Application process for Biological Technologies (BT) funding Eligibility for Biological Technologies (BT) funding + Your company must be a small business (fewer than 500 employees) located in the United States. At least 50% of your company’s equity must be owned by U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
NSF does not fund companies that are majority-owned by multiple venture capital firms, private equity firms, or hedge funds, to participate in SBIR and STTR. All funded work, including work done by consultants and contractors, needs to take place in the United States. The project’s principal investigator (tech lead) must be legally employed at least 20 hours a week by the company seeking funding.
The principal investigator doesn’t need any advanced degrees. The principal investigator needs to commit to at least one month (173 hours) of work on a funded project per six months of project duration. Evaluation Criteria: What We Look for When Evaluating Biological Technologies (BT) proposals + Take our project assessment to see if your work might be a good fit for NSF funding.
Sustainable ink from algae Living Ink Technologies, a small business funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), is developing ink from algae cells. The Colorado-based biomaterials company is “changing the way pigments are made” to use algae as a colorant. Its sustainable algae products could replace ink made from petroleum.
To learn more visit: https://livingink. co/ Technology helps create bio-engineered organs for human transplant More than 120,000 people are on the national organ transplant waiting list, and the list continues to grow. To meet this need, Miromatrix Medical, a small business funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), is developing a technology to create bio-engineered organs for human transplant.
To learn more visit: www. miromatrix. com/ Living Ink Technologies, LLC APPLIED LIFESCIENCES & SYSTEMS POULTRY, INC. We invest up to $2 million in seed funding and take zero equity.
We’re looking for companies that are transformative, high-risk, have a market pull, and are scaleable.
Based on current listing details, eligibility includes: Small businesses with strong scientific and technical merit. Applicants should confirm final requirements in the official notice before submission.
Current published award information indicates Varies by phase (Phase I can be up to $275,000, Phase II up to $1,000,000). Always verify allowable costs, matching requirements, and funding caps directly in the sponsor documentation.
The current target date is April 16, 2026. Build your timeline backwards from this date to cover registrations, approvals, attachments, and final submission checks.
Federal grant success rates typically range from 10-30%, varying by agency and program. Build a strong proposal with clear objectives, measurable outcomes, and a well-justified budget to improve your chances.
Requirements vary by sponsor, but typically include a project narrative, budget justification, organizational capability statement, and key personnel CVs. Check the official notice for the complete list of required attachments.
Yes — AI tools like Granted can help research funders, draft proposal sections, and check compliance. However, always review and customize AI-generated content to reflect your organization's unique strengths and the specific requirements of the solicitation.
Review timelines vary by funder. Federal agencies typically take 3-6 months from submission to award notification. Foundation grants may be faster, often 1-3 months. Check the program's timeline in the official solicitation for specific dates.
Many federal programs offer multi-year funding or allow competitive renewals. Check the official solicitation for continuation and renewal policies. Non-competing continuation applications are common for multi-year awards.
Past winners and funding trends for this program
Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Education & Human Resources (IUSE: EHR) Program is sponsored by National Science Foundation (NSF). This program promotes novel, creative, and transformative approaches to generating and using new knowledge about STEM teaching and learning to improve STEM education for undergraduate students. It supports projects that bring recent advances in STEM knowledge into undergraduate education, adapt, improve, and incorporate evidence-based practices, and lay the groundwork for institutional improvement in STEM education. Professional development for instructors to ensure adoption of new and effective pedagogical techniques is a potential topic of interest.
Experiential Learning for Emerging and Novel Technologies (ExLENT) is sponsored by National Science Foundation (NSF). The ExLENT program supports experiential learning opportunities that provide individuals, including adult learners interested in re-skilling and/or upskilling, with crucial skills for emerging technology fields. It promotes cross-sector partnerships and aims to develop a workforce aligned with regional economies based on emerging technologies.
Fire Science Innovations through Research and Education (FIRE) program is sponsored by National Science Foundation (NSF). This program invites innovative multidisciplinary and multisector investigations focused on convergent research and education activities in wildland fire. It supports research that can inform risk management and response, adaptation, and resilience across infrastructures, communities, cultures, and natural environments. Relevant topics include developing novel materials and methods for retrofitting existing buildings and remediating buildings following wildfire and smoke events.
Academic Grant Program is sponsored by NVIDIA. NVIDIA's Academic Grant Program seeks proposals from full-time faculty members at accredited academic institutions using NVIDIA technology to advance work in Simulation and Modeling, Data Science, and Robotics and Edge AI. Proposals for the NVIDIA Graduate Fellowship Program are also invited, focusing on AI, robotics, and autonomous vehicles.
Manufacturing USA Institute – AI for Resilient Manufacturing is sponsored by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). NIST is seeking applications to establish and operate a Manufacturing USA institute focused on leveraging artificial intelligence to strengthen the resilience of U.S. manufacturers, particularly concerning supply chain networks. The institute will conduct applied R&D projects and cultivate a skilled workforce.
America's Seed Fund (SBIR/STTR) - Cybersecurity and Authentication is sponsored by U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). Supports startups and small businesses to translate research into products and services, including cybersecurity and authentication, to secure national defense and protect the public. Includes research requiring privacy and security-preserving resources for artificial intelligence.