1,000+ Opportunities
Find the right grant
Search federal, foundation, and corporate grants with AI — or browse by agency, topic, and state.
This listing may be outdated. Verify details at the official source before applying.
Find similar grantsNanotechnology (N) SBIR/STTR Program is sponsored by NSF. Supports small businesses in the creation and manipulation of functional materials, devices, and systems at the nanoscale, including nanomanufacturing and nanostructures.
Get alerted about grants like this
Get emailed when new opportunities from “NSF” or related funders appear. Free, weekly, unsubscribe anytime.
Or search similar grants →Extracted from the official opportunity page/RFP to help you evaluate fit faster.
NSF Small Business Innovation Research / Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I Programs (SBIR/STTR Phase I) | NSF - U.S. National Science Foundation NSF Small Business Innovation Research / Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I Programs (SBIR/STTR Phase I) Archived funding opportunity This document has been archived. See NSF 26-510 for the latest version.
Important information for proposers and award recipients All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the requirements specified in the funding opportunity and in the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) and its supplements . All NSF grants and cooperative agreements are subject to the applicable set of NSF award terms and conditions . NSF has updated its research security policies for NSF funded projects.
Supports startups and small businesses to transform scientific discovery into products and services with commercial and societal impact. Phase I funding goes to build a proof-of-concept. The NSF SBIR/STTR programs provide non-dilutive funds for use-inspired research and development (R&D) of unproven, leading-edge, technology innovations that address societal challenges.
By investing federal research and development funds into startups and small businesses, NSF helps build a strong national economy and stimulates the creation of novel products, services, and solutions in the private sector; strengthens the role of small business in meeting federal research and development needs; increases the commercial application of federally-supported research results; and develops and increases the U.S. workforce, especially by fostering and encouraging participation by socially and economically-disadvantaged and women-owned small businesses.
NSF seeks unproven, leading-edge technology innovations that demonstrate the following characteristics: The innovations are underpinned and enabled by a new scientific discovery or meaningful engineering innovation. The innovations still require intensive technical research and development to be fully embedded in a reliable product or service.
The innovations have not yet been reduced to practice by anyone and it is not guaranteed, at present, that doing so is technically possible. The innovations provide a strong competitive advantage that are not easily replicable by competitors (even technically proficient ones).
Once reduced to practice, the innovations are expected to result in a product or service that would either be disruptive to existing markets or create new markets/new market segments. The NSF SBIR/STTR programs fund broadly across scientific and engineering disciplines and do not solicit specific technologies or procure goods and services from startups and small businesses. The funding provided is non-dilutive.
Any invention conceived or reduced to practice with the assistance of SBIR/STTR funding is subject to the Bayh-Dole Act. For more information, refer to the SBIR/STTR Frequently Asked Questions, #75 . NSF encourages input and participation from the full spectrum of diverse talent that society has to offer which includes underrepresented and underserved communities.
This program is governed by 15 U.S.C. 638 and the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended ( 42 U.S.C. 1861 et seq.
). The SBIR and STTR programs, initiated at NSF, were established in 1982 as part of the Small Business Innovation Development Act.
The NSF SBIR/STTR programs focus on stimulating technical innovation from diverse entrepreneurs and startups by translating new scientific and engineering discoveries emerging from the private sector, federal labs, and academia into products and services that can be scaled and commercialized into sustainable businesses with significant societal benefits.
The NSF SBIR/STTR programs are now part of the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) , which was recently launched to accelerate innovation and enhance economic competitiveness by catalyzing partnerships and investments that strengthen the links between fundamental research and technology development, deployment, and use.
June 26, 2025 - Office Hours: Preparing your NSF SBIR/STTR Phase I Proposal June 10, 2025 - Office Hours: Preparing your NSF SBIR/STTR Phase I Proposal May 6, 2025 - Office Hours: Intro to America’s Seed Fund at NSF March 18, 2025 - Office Hours: Intro to America’s Seed Fund at NSF February 27, 2025 - Office Hours: Preparing your NSF SBIR/STTR Phase I Proposal February 6, 2025 - Office Hours: Intro to America’s Seed Fund at NSF January 23, 2025 - Office Hours: Preparing your NSF SBIR/STTR Phase I Proposal January 16, 2025 - Office Hours: Intro to America’s Seed Fund at NSF December 5, 2024 - Office Hours: Preparing your Phase I Proposal for America’s… September 27, 2022 - Intro to NSF’s Directorate for Technology, Innovation and… Additional program resources NSF SBIR/STTR Seed Fund Site Awards made through this program Browse projects funded by this program Map of recent awards made through this program Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) Division of Translational Impacts (TIP/TI)
Key questions and narrative sections extracted from the solicitation.
Project description (10–15 pages addressing innovation, technical approach, and R&D plan)
Commercialization strategy
Scoring criteria used to review proposals for this grant.
According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Small businesses with fewer than 500 employees located in the United States. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
Nanotechnology (N) SBIR/STTR Program is funded by NSF. Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
Yes — this listing is flagged as national in scope, so applicants across the U.S. may apply, subject to the sponsor's other eligibility criteria.
Applications go through the funder's official portal — the Apply Now link on this page goes there directly.
The solicitation lists 5 required documents: Project description (10–15 pages), Budget details, Biographical sketches, Commercialization strategy, and Intellectual property agreements (required for STTR; recommended for SBIR with subawards). Check the official notice for formatting and page-limit rules.
International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) is sponsored by National Science Foundation (NSF). The IRES program supports international research and research-related activities for U.S. science and engineering students, contributing to the development of a diverse, globally engaged workforce. It focuses on active research participation by undergraduate and/or graduate students in high-quality international research, education, and professional development experiences. Students do not apply directly to NSF but to NSF-funded investigators who receive IRES awards.
Smart Health and Biomedical Research in the Era of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Data Science (SCH) is sponsored by National Science Foundation (NSF) & National Institutes of Health (NIH). This interagency program supports high-risk, high-reward interdisciplinary projects that leverage AI, machine learning, and advanced data science to address pressing questions in biomedical and public health research. It seeks to advance fundamental scientific and engineering contributions across disciplines to solve key health problems.
Announced August 4, 2026, NSF 26-513 will fund up to 10 State and Regional AI Infrastructure Hubs at $4-12M each over five years. It is a cooperative-agreement, public-private consortium model designed to put frontier compute in the hands of researchers outside the elite institutions. Here is how the program is structured, who can lead, and how to build a competitive consortium before the November 4 deadline.
Read articleThe RFI closed June 22. Now the forum is standing up. AI Forge is a jointly governed, university-led venture funding interpretability, control, and adversarial robustness in one-year Project Ventures — here's how the 15 challenges, the CAISI tie, and the nonprofit administrator reshape who gets funded.
Read articleIn January 2026, DOE Policy Flash PF-2026-30 wiped out every 15% and 10% indirect cost cap the administration had imposed in 2025 — because H.R. 6938 ordered it to. The same law froze indirect policy at NSF, Commerce and NASA. But OMB's sweeping new grants rule quietly reopens the fight through the back door. Here is what changed, what money recipients can claw back, and how to protect your indirect recovery going forward.
Read article