1,000+ Opportunities
Find the right grant
Search federal, foundation, and corporate grants with AI — or browse by agency, topic, and state.
"Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program" is currently closed and not accepting applications.
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program is sponsored by U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). The USDOT SBIR Program encourages small businesses to develop high-tech, innovative transportation solutions that could be commercialized. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) participates in this program and administers its own SBIR projects.
Small businesses can submit proposals for innovative projects designed to address national transportation challenges, including those related to motor carrier safety. While not exclusively for motorcycle safety apps, the broad scope of transportation challenges could encompass such technology.
Get a weekly digest of new grants like this
A free weekly digest of new foundation and federal funding opportunities as they're added to Granted. Unsubscribe anytime.
Or search similar grants →Extracted from the official opportunity page/RFP to help you evaluate fit faster.
[](https://www. transportation.
gov/osdbu/procurement-assistance/small-business-innovation-research-sbir-program) ## Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program Congress has established the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program to stimulate technological innovation, utilize small business to meet federal research and development needs, encourage participation by minority and disadvantaged businesses in technological innovation, and increase private sector commercialization of innovations derived from federal research and development (R&D) objectives.
In November 1982, the Secretary of Transportation chose the Volpe Center to direct the Department's SBIR Program due to its extensive background in innovative programs such as technology transfer, cooperative R&D agreements, outreach projects involving a cross-section of the transportation community, and technical assistance to state and local governments, as well as private organizations.
The SBIR Program Office, located at the Volpe Center, directs all activities required under the SBIR law and executes the policy established by the Small Business Administration. The Small Business Innovation Development Act of 1982 (P. L.
97-219), reauthorizing legislation (P. L. 99-443) and P.
L. 102-564 (Small Business Research and Development Act), encourages the effective use of small business in meeting federal research and development objectives. To comply with the statutory obligations of the Act, DOT has established a SBIR Program which conforms to guidelines and regulations provided by the Small Business Administration.
Twice annually, small businesses are solicited to submit innovative research proposals that address high priority requirements of the Department and have potential for commercialization. ### The Three-Phase Process of the DOT SBIR Program **Phase I**: The conduct of feasibility-related experimental or theoretical research or Research and Development (R&D) efforts on specified research topics.
The dollar value of selected offers will not exceed $200,000 and is based on the topic's funding level stated in the Solicitation. The period of performance may be up to six months. The primary basis for award will be the scientific and technical merit of the proposal and its relevance to DOT requirements.
(Only Phase I awardees are eligible to participate in Phase II) **Phase II**: This phase is the principal research or R&D effort having a period of performance of approximately two years with a dollar value of up to $1,500,000. DOT will accept Phase II proposals under the SBIR Program only from firms which have previously received a DOT Phase I award.
Awards would be based upon the results achieved in Phase I, the technical merit of the Phase II proposals, potential for commercialization and commitment for follow-on funding from non-federal sources for Phase III. **Phase III**: This phase is to be conducted by the small businesses with non-federal funds to pursue commercial applications of the research or R&D funded in Phases I and II by the Department.
Phase III may also involve follow-on non-SBIR funded contracts with components of DOT for products or processes for use by the Government.
### Eligibility Requirements Small businesses must meet certain eligibility criteria to participate in the SBIR program: * American-owned and independently operated * Principal researcher employed by business * Company site limited to under 500 employees To learn about DOT’s upcoming solicitations or to sign-up to receive updates, please visit the DOT SBIR Program website.
Any questions should be directed to: To better serve you, please be sure to include the following in your email: * Point of Contact (POC) Name * Question or short summary of issue For other DOT small business opportunities see Small Business Specialist list. **Announcement of 2019 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition: This is a Small Business Administration (SBA) only program**. For more information, please follow this link:https://www.
sbir. gov/accelerators _Please keep in mind this is an SBA only program. All subsequent questions should be forwarded to them_
Key questions and narrative sections extracted from the solicitation.
Project description (10–15 pages addressing innovation, technical approach, and R&D plan)
Commercialization strategy
According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Small businesses that submit proposals for innovative projects designed to address national transportation challenges. Each phase must be successful to progress to the next. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows phase I: $150,000 - $200,000. Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
The published deadline was April 1, 2025, which has passed. Check the official notice for any future application windows before investing time in a proposal.
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program is funded by U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). 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.
Past winners and funding trends for this program
House leadership canceled the September 21 and September 28 session weeks on September 3, leaving four legislative days before members leave until after the November 3 midterms. Three separate deadlines — the continuing resolution, the surface transportation extension, and the statutory freeze on OMB's grant-rule rewrite — now expire on the same day, with a lame-duck Congress and a handful of weeks to resolve them. Here is what that means for anyone holding or chasing a federal award.
Read articleInside FEMA's FY2026 Homeland Security Grant Program sit two transportation-specific programs that ferries, transit agencies, and port authorities keep leaving on the table. Here is what the $95M Port Security and $88.4M Transit Security programs actually fund, who is eligible, how the cyber-threat expansion changes the calculus, and how to build a July 24 application that survives risk-based review.
Read articleU.S. DOT's FY26 SBIR Phase I solicitation opens June 3 and closes July 7 with awards in September. Ten topics across FHWA, FRA, FTA, NHTSA, and PHMSA at $200K–$300K each. Why the topic distribution telegraphs DOT's three-year R&D priorities and how niche specialists can win against generalist competitors.
Read article