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Find similar grantsNSF Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) / Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I is sponsored by National Science Foundation (NSF). Supports small businesses in conducting innovative research and development with potential for commercialization, including projects in generative AI.
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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Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I Programs (SBIR/STTR Phase I) Archived funding opportunity This document has been archived.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. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows up to $200,000. Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
Applications for NSF Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) / Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I are due November 4, 2026. Build your timeline backwards from this date to cover registrations, approvals, and final submission checks.
NSF Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) / Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I is funded by National Science Foundation (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.
On July 22, 2026, NSF announced $83 million in Integrated Data Systems and Services awards and launched a companion program, Unlocking Dataset Value for AI-Enabled Scientific Discovery, offering up to $100 million in $2M-$5M awards. Together they fund the least glamorous and most decisive part of the AI-for-science stack: the data. Here is what each program funds, who won the first round, how the two fit the Genesis Mission, and the concrete strategy for research teams that missed the first cohort.
Read articleNSF's Growing Convergence Research program (NSF 24-527) offers up to $1.2 million in a two-year Phase I and up to $2.4 million more in a three-year Phase II — $3.6 million across five years — with a $16 million pool funding just 6 to 10 projects and a February 8, 2027 deadline. But GCR is not a bigger version of an interdisciplinary grant. It funds a specific team architecture, and the proposals that lose are usually the ones that mistake multidisciplinary collaboration for convergence. Here is what NSF actually means by convergence, how the two-phase gate works, and how to build a team that survives the Phase I review.
Read articleNSF's NAIRR Operations Center solicitation (NSF 25-546) will make a single award of up to $35 million over five years to the organization that will run the National AI Research Resource — the shared computing, data, and model infrastructure that has already connected over 400 U.S. research teams. This is a rare winner-take-all federal competition where the prize is not funding for your own research but the mandate to operate national infrastructure. Here is what the NAIRR is, why its transition from pilot to permanent program matters, and what kind of organization can credibly win it.
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