Instrumentation and Hardware Systems (IH) Topic

Instrumentation and Hardware Systems (IH) Topic is sponsored by National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. This topic addresses the research and development of new and improved instrumentation and related systems for a wide variety of commercial and industrial applications.

Proposals may deal with new instruments for use in scientific, industrial, engineering, or manufacturing environments, among others. Systems and tools designed for detection, manipulation, characterization, measurement, processing, control, or monitoring will be considered.

Instrumentation and Hardware Systems Grant – Apply Today | NSF SBIR Check recent critical alerts! (Last updated 4/16/2026) NSF will resume the submission of new Project Pitches to the SBIR/STTR programs in the coming weeks. Program Directors will continue to process Project Pitches that were previously received.

Please direct any questions to sbir@nsf. gov .

Instrumentation and Hardware Systems (IH) bioMASON Inc interior and exterior façade tile made with biocement, which is less costly and more sustainable than its traditional counterpart Instrumentation and Hardware Systems (IH) The Instrumentation and Hardware Systems topic addresses the research and development of new and improved instrumentation and related systems for a wide variety of commercial and industrial applications.

Proposals in this topic may deal with new instruments for use in scientific, industrial, engineering or manufacturing environments, among others. Systems and tools designed for the purposes of detection, manipulation, characterization, measurement, processing, control or monitoring will be considered. A wide variety of applications areas will be considered as part of this topic.

IH1. Instrumentation or Hardware Systems for Actuation, Control, and Manipulation IH2. Instrumentation or Hardware Systems for Detection and Characterization IH3.

Instrumentation or Hardware Systems for Imaging IH4. Other Instrumentation or Hardware Systems Technologies Application process for Instrumentation and Hardware Systems (IH) funding Eligibility for Instrumentation and Hardware Systems (IH) 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 Instrumentation and Hardware Systems (IH) proposals + Take our project assessment to see if your work might be a good fit for NSF funding.

Sensatek Propulsion Technology, Inc. Sensatek Propulsion Technology develops ceramic materials derived from fused polymers for wireless sensors on the most extreme parts of an engine. This technology, led by a Marine Corps veteran, may be used for aircraft such as F-18s or Air Force One.

These passive resonant frequency antennas create a wireless sensor that does not need cables or batteries to be “the eyes” on the costliest parts of gas turbine engines. The wireless sensors are sprayed directly on blades to provide temperature data that feeds into remaining useful life models to further predict outages.

The sensors can withstand temperatures up to 800°C and speeds up to 126,000 revolutions per minute (rpm) to increase the efficiency of engines and determine how long the parts will last, allowing manufacturers to schedule maintenance, and saving money. "The NSF helped me develop our technology with the early-adopting customer in mind.

The SBIR funding helped us overcome the highest technical risk based on feedback from customers and establish a proof of concept around our innovation. Without the support of the National Science Foundation, I would have not been able to start the company and commence demonstrating the technical merits of the innovation to customers."

Reamonn Soto, Founder of Sensatek Propulsion Technology, Inc Massachusetts Materials Technologies LLC 4 D Technology Corporation 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.