Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - IIP Topic: Advanced Drug Delivery

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - IIP Topic: Advanced Drug Delivery is sponsored by National Science Foundation (NSF). Funds small businesses innovating in advanced manufacturing for implantable drug delivery systems, emphasizing novel materials and controlled release mechanisms. This program should be reviewed carefully against your organization's mission, staffing capacity, timeline, and compliance readiness before you commit resources to a full application. Strong submissions usually translate sponsor priorities into concrete objectives, clear implementation milestones, and measurable public benefit.

For planning purposes, treat rolling deadlines or periodic funding windows as your working submission target unless the sponsor publishes an updated notice. A competitive project plan should include a documented need statement, implementation approach, evaluation framework, risk controls, and a realistic budget narrative. Even when a grant allows broad program design, reviewers still expect credible evidence that the proposed work can be executed within the grant period and with appropriate accountability.

Current published award information indicates $275,000 (Phase I) Organizations should verify the final funding range, matching requirements, and allowability rules directly in the official opportunity materials before preparing a budget. Finance and program teams should align early so direct costs, indirect costs, staffing assumptions, procurement timelines, and reporting obligations all remain consistent throughout drafting and post-award administration.

Eligibility guidance for this opportunity is: U.S. small businesses If your organization has partnerships, subrecipients, or collaborators, define responsibilities and compliance ownership before submission. Reviewers often look for implementation credibility, so letters of commitment, prior performance evidence, and a clear governance model can materially strengthen the application narrative and reduce concerns about delivery risk.

A practical approach is to begin with a focused readiness review, then build a workback schedule from the sponsor deadline. Confirm required attachments, registration dependencies, and internal approval checkpoints early. This reduces last-minute issues and improves submission quality. For the most accurate requirements, always rely on the official notice and primary source links associated with Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - IIP Topic: Advanced Drug Delivery.

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These terms and conditions are consistent with the revised guidance specified in the OMB Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance published in the Federal Register on April 22, 2024.

Important information for proposers All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the requirements specified in this funding opportunity and in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) that is in effect for the relevant due date to which the proposal is being submitted. It is the responsibility of the proposer to ensure that the proposal meets these requirements.

Submitting a proposal prior to a specified deadline does not negate this requirement.

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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. 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) Approximately $70,000,000-$72,000,000 for SBIR Phase I Approximately $13,000,000-$15,000,000 for STTR Phase I Estimated program budget, number of awards and average award size/duration are subject to the availability of funds.

Estimated number of awards Estimated number of awards description approximately 230-235 awards for SBIR Phase I per year, pending the availability of funds approximately 45-50 awards for STTR Phase I per year, pending the availability of funds Proposals may only be submitted by certain types of organizations. Please see solicitation for details.

Limit on number of proposals per organization Limit on number of proposals per organization description An organization may submit only one NSF SBIR/STTR Phase I Project Pitch and/or proposal per submission deadline. The organization must wait for a determination from NSF (e. g.

, invite/not invite for a Project Pitch or award, decline, or return without review for a proposal) before submitting a new Project Pitch or proposal. This eligibility constraint is strictly enforced. If an organization exceeds this limit, the first Project Pitch/proposal that is received will be reviewed and any additional Project Pitches/proposals will be Returned Without Review.

Previously declined proposals require a new Project Pitch be submitted and invited. If invited, these proposals must represent a significant revision to the previously submitted SBIR/STTR Phase I proposal and must include a Resubmission Change Description describing these revisions, in the Other Supplementary Documents section.

Proposals that have been Returned Without Review may be submitted using the same Project Pitch invitation (assuming that the proposal is received within two (2) deadlines of the initial Project Pitch invitation from NSF). Proposals may only be submitted by certain types of PIs. Please see solicitation for details.

Limit on number of proposals per PI or Co-PI Limit on number of proposals per PI or co-PI description For NSF SBIR – 1 PI, co-PIs are not allowed. For NSF STTR - 1 PI and 1 co-PI are required (the PI must be an employee of the proposing small business and the co-PI must be part of the STTR partner research institution). An individual may act as the co-PI on an unlimited number of proposals.

An individual may be listed as the PI for only one proposal submitted at a time to this NSF SBIR/STTR Phase I solicitation. There is additional eligibility information. Please see solicitation for details.

Review full program guidelines and learn how to submit a proposal in the latest solicitation. Share on X (formerly known as Twitter) Our Directorates & Offices Budget, Performance & Financial Reporting