Browse SBIR Awards

Browse SBIR Awards is sponsored by Department of Education. Innovation/small business research opportunity from Department of Education: Browse SBIR Awards. This opportunity supports small business innovation and technology development.

Visit the agency page for full solicitation details and application instructions.

At least 3. 6 million students in the U.S. lack access to music education. MusiQuest is an online learning platform designed to address this inequity.

MusiQuest modules for 3rd-5th grade students have previously produced statistically significant outcomes in studies by WestEd in schools without music programs.

This SBIR project will produce Kindergarten - 2nd grade modules that offer schools a convenient and radically affordable way to integrate music education into their existing practice **Federal Funding Program:** Small Business Innovation Research Special education case managers spend 3 to 10 hours creating each Individualized Education Program (IEP), with time requirements varying significantly by IEP type.

Annual reviews require 3 to 4 hours while initial IEPs can demand 6 to 10 hours. Administrative tasks consume substantial portions of educators' workweeks, contributing to 38% of special educators reporting clinical anxiety or depression and annual attrition rates of 13. 2%.

**Federal Funding Program:** Small Business Innovation Research This project will design and test an innovative education technology prototype to strengthen early numeracy skills in children ages 5–7. The platform combines digital read-aloud stories with an interactive abacus, weaving literacy and mathematics into engaging narratives.

Powered by artificial intelligence and gesture recognition, the system adapts learning experiences to each child’s pace and cognitive patterns, offering real-time feedback and visual supports for mental math development.

**Federal Funding Program:** Small Business Innovation Research Two-thirds of U.S. students in grades 3–12 read below proficiency, yet most existing reading assessments lack the depth needed to identify specific areas of difficulty. ReadBasix, developed by ETS, is a validated diagnostic reading assessment that measures six foundational reading skills.

Charmtech Labs created Capti, a platform designed to develop, deliver, and manage assessments. **Federal Funding Program:** Small Business Innovation Research Traditional reading assessments have relied on a passage-and-question format that primarily measures low-level recall rather than deeper comprehension and critical thinking. These assessments are often disconnected from classroom instruction, leaving many students disengaged.

This project aims to transform reading assessment by creating Capti SBA, a platform that empowers educators to generate scenario-based assessments (SBAs) that are aligned to local curricula. **Federal Funding Program:** Small Business Innovation Research By eighth grade, many students—especially girls and historically underrepresented learners—disengage from computer science.

iLumaCap Coder addresses this gap by merging movement, culture, and coding in a low-lift classroom format. Students wear a comfortable LED cap with a motion sensor while learning loops, conditionals, and functions through short dance routines.

**Federal Funding Program:** Small Business Innovation Research The purpose of this project is to develop a microalgae bioprospecting material and curriculum kit for grades 7-12 to enhance STEM education through hands-on, inquiry-based learning. Algae are critical photosynthesizers that provide a gateway for teaching microbiology and experimental design, yet algae is often absent from formal education settings.

This project addresses barriers by creating an accessible, low-cost kit with curriculum aligned to NGSS standards. **Federal Funding Program:** Small Business Innovation Research To become a licensed teacher in the U.S., individuals are generally required to graduate from an accredited teacher education program.

A key component of most programs is the clinical practice in which candidates gain experience managing a classroom under the guidance of a mentor. This experience is seen as foundational to the development of high-quality teachers.

**Federal Funding Program:** Small Business Innovation Research Even as American students’ reading scores continue to decline, the positive impact of media on learning has been consistently supported by research.

**Federal Funding Program:** Small Business Innovation Research School mental health screenings are considered a best practice and a key part of youth mental health to identify all students with needs and tailor services to them. **Federal Funding Program:** Small Business Innovation Research The counseling infrastructure in American high schools is in crisis.

With their average caseloads exceeding 350, it is practically impossible for school counselors to provide personalized guidance to every student. The lack of such guidance results in student disengagement and poor outcomes across many metrics.

**Federal Funding Program:** Small Business Innovation Research A persistent challenge in higher education is ensuring students graduate with career-ready skills for rapidly evolving workplaces (Abel & Deitz, 2016; Ryan, 2022).

Although institutions offer career centers, workshops, and internships, only 41% of graduating seniors felt "career ready" (Cengage Group, 2022), and employers highlight gaps in communication, problem-solving, and teamwork.

**Federal Funding Program:** Small Business Innovation Research The purpose of this project is to develop and test BuddyBooks-LD, an enhanced version of the existing BuddyBooks literacy platform designed specifically for students with learning disabilities in grades 2–8.

While BuddyBooks has demonstrated significant gains in fluency and comprehension for struggling readers, BuddyBooks-LD will integrate new features to address decoding, vocabulary, and engagement challenges that are particularly persistent for students with learning disabilities.

**Federal Funding Program:** Small Business Innovation Research The CGScholar AI Helper is an innovative generative AI-powered writing and learning assistant developed by Common Ground Publishing. Building on successful Phase I pilots in four schools, the tool integrates into the CGScholar platform to provide rubric-based, teacher-customized feedback that helps students improve writing through immediate, targeted guidance.

**Federal Funding Program:** Small Business Innovation Research The purpose of this project is to develop and evaluate a prototype of Sci-Quest, an AI-enhanced, gamified science learning platform designed to support high school students in communities with economic challenges and limited exposure to biotechnology careers.

The goal is to increase science engagement, strengthen literacy and comprehension, and build awareness of high-wage STEM opportunities. **Federal Funding Program:** Small Business Innovation Research