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Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program (Phase IA and IB) is sponsored by U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences (IES). The ED/IES SBIR program provides funding to for-profit small businesses to develop and evaluate new, research-based education technology products. Phase IA supports novel approaches, while Phase IB strengthens existing prototypes or products.
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The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and the U.S. Department of Education (ED)anticipate the release of a 2026 Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) Phase IA solicitation #91990026R0003, on or about April 30, 2026. The proposal submission date will be in late June 2026, approximately 60 days after the solicitation release.
The program, known as ED/IES SBIR, provides awards to eligible for-profit businesses and partners for the research and development and evaluation of new, commercially viable education technology products (“products”).
The Phase IA program solicitation will invite eligible for-profit small business firms and partners to submit proposals for $250,000 for contracts to develop and evaluate a prototype of an entirely novel education technology product (where no or limited previous development has occurred) over a period of 9 months.
The goal of the Phase IA track is to solicit proposals for ground-breaking high-risk high reward approaches to solve pressing problems in education. Small Business firms and partners who possess strong research and development and evaluation capabilities for education technology products in the below priority area are encouraged to participate.
PRIORITY AREA IA: Prototypes of Novel Education Technology Products for Use by Learners, Educators or Administrators (or Other School Personnel) Successful Phase IA awardees under the solicitation will be eligible to apply for a Phase II award for $1,000,000 in 2027, to fully develop and evaluate the novel education technology product over a period of 2 years and to prepare for commercialization.
The result from Phase IA and the subsequent Phase II funding under this solicitation will be a novel education technology product. Three other 2026 ED/IES SBIR solicitations will be released on the same day as the Phase IA solicitation: * The Phase IB program solicitation 91990026R0004 will request proposals for the development of a new component to be integrated with an existing education technology prototype or product.
The existing prototype or product is required to be research-based. The resulting product from Phase IB and II funding under this solicitation will be a new version of an education technology product.
* The Direct to Phase II program solicitation #91990026R0005 will request proposals for the development of new education technology products to ready existing evidence-based innovations (e.g., products, interventions, tools) for commercial use at scale. Awards will be for $1,000,000 over a period of 2 years.
The existing evidence-based innovation is required to have originally been conceptualized and developed by an academic researcher while at an academic institution or by a researcher at a non-profit education research organization. One or more of the academic researchers that originally created the innovation are required to participate in the project team.
Projects that focus on advancing innovations that are not evidence-based will not be eligible for the Direct to Phase II program. * Offerors will not be permitted to submit the same or similar proposals under the 2026 Phase IA, IB, Direct to Phase II or Phase II solicitations. Any duplicate or similar proposals that are submitted under more than one of these 2026 solicitations will be rejected without review.
* For more information and specifications, please refer to the Phase IA, Phase IB, Direct to Phase II and Phase II solicitations after release.
The purpose of the SBIR program is to stimulate technological innovation in the private sector, strengthen the role of small business in meeting Department research and development needs, increase the commercial potential of Department-supported research results, and improve the return on investment from Federally funded research for economic and social benefits to the Nation.
ED/IES SBIR provides awards to eligible for-profit businesses and partners for the research and development and evaluation of new, commercially viable education technology products (“products”). The ED/IES SBIR portfolio consists of research-based and commercially viable products that are widely deployed to address pressing needs in education.
ED/IES SBIR is a highly competitive program – historically about 5 to 7% of submitted proposals resulted in a Phase I award, about 10% result in a Direct to Phase II award, and about 50% of Phase I awardees have won a Phase II award the following year. For more information about the ED/IES SBIR program, please see: www. ies.
ed. gov/sbir Please note: the primary means of communication with Department personnel is via email. Please review the FAQ page to assist you in the preparation and submission of your proposal.
FAQ page:https://ies. ed. gov/small-business-innovation-research-sbir/edies-sbir-frequently-asked-questions This notice is not a request for proposals at this time.
Interested parties should continue to monitor this posting for updates.
According to the current listing, eligibility includes: For-profit small businesses. Must be registered on SAM. gov and have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) at the time of submission. Primary employment of the principal investigator must be with the small business. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows $250,000 (Phase IA/IB); $1,000,000 (Phase II). Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
The published deadline was June 29, 2026, which has passed. Check the official notice for any future application windows before investing time in a proposal.
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program (Phase IA and IB) is funded by U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences (IES). Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
Start from the official opportunity page linked in this listing — it carries the sponsor's submission instructions.
Educational Technology, Media, and Materials for Individuals with Disabilities Program (Stepping-up Technology Implementation competition) is sponsored by U.S. Department of Education. This program aims to improve results for students with disabilities by promoting the development, demonstration, and use of technology; supporting educational activities of value in the classroom for students with disabilities; providing captioning and video description; and ens…
The Robotics Grant Program is a grant from the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) that funds school-based robotics programs for elementary, middle, and high school students. Awarded through a competitive application process, the program provides up to $3,500 to eligible local education agencies (LEAs) in Alabama. Applicants must be public school systems submitting on behalf of schools with K–12 students. The grant supports the purchase of robotics equipment and program development aligned with AMSTI guidelines. Applications are submitted online through the AMSTI Robotics Grant portal. The Fiscal Year 2026 application deadline was September 30, 2025. Questions should be directed to robotics@amsti.org. The program is managed by the Alabama State Department of Education under State Superintendent Eric G. Mackey.
The Department of Education's IES SBIR program is one of the most overlooked non-dilutive funding sources for education-technology startups. It funds prototypes at $250K and proven products at $1M with no equity taken. Here is how the FY2026 tracks work, what reviewers reward, and why the June 29 deadline is tighter than it looks.
Read articleThe Institute of Education Sciences released its FY26 SBIR solicitations on April 30 with a single hard deadline of June 29. The triple-track structure — Phase IA for novel concepts, Phase IB for new components, and Direct-to-Phase-II for evidence-based scale-up — codifies a sharper theory of how federal dollars should move education technology from research bench to classroom.
Read articleED/IES released its FY2026 SBIR solicitations on April 30, 2026, with Phase IA and Phase IB closing June 29 at 11AM EDT for $250,000 nine-month feasibility awards, and Direct-to-Phase-II closing the same day at 2PM EDT for $1,000,000 two-year commercialization awards. The program funds edtech for special education, general education, and education research tools — a structurally underserved category that most SBIR-active founders never consider. Direct-to-Phase-II requires evidence-based innovations originally developed by universities or non-profit research organizations, which makes it one of the cleanest IP-licensing-to-commercialization paths in the federal portfolio. Here is the eligibility analysis, the phase structure, the question deadline that already closed, and how to position for the June 29 windows.
Read article