Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program is sponsored by Various Federal Agencies (e.g., SBA, NSF, DOE, NIH, USDA). The SBIR program provides competitively awarded grants to small businesses to support scientific excellence and technological innovation with strong potential for commercialization.

Topics and solicitations are known by many names including Request for Proposals (RFP), Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), or simply Topic/Solicitation. No matter what it's called, they outline specific rules and guidance on how to prepare a response, also called an application or a proposal. Participating Agencies post SBIR/STTR funding opportunities on a regular periodic basis throughout the year.

Some agencies have multiple solicitations throughout the year, while others may only have one solicitation release each year. Once you identify a relevant agency to target, learn more about that specific Funding planner with estimated dates. All agencies have a 45 day lead in period.

DHS is from September to October 2025, DoD has multiple dates, DOE is from May to August, and September to January, DOT is February to April, ED is November to January 2026, EPA is April to June, HHS is April to May, June to August, and September to November, NASA is February to April, May to June, and August to October, NOAA is November to February 2026, NSF is January to April, June to August, and USDA is June to August.

of Defense releases are the first Wednesday of each month, and closes the last Wednesday of the following month (e.g., opens 03/26/2025, closes 04/23/25) Select a Solicitation Status Department Of Agriculture ⮡ National Institute of Food and Agriculture ⮡ National Institute of Standards and Technology ⮡ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Department of Defense (42) ⮡ Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (6) ⮡ Defense Logistics Agency (10) ⮡ Defense Microelectronics Activity ⮡ Defense Threat Reduction Agency ⮡ National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency ⮡ Office for Chemical and Biological Defense ⮡ Office of the Secretary of Defense ⮡ Space Development Agency ⮡ Special Operations Command (1) ⮡ Strategic Capabilities Office (2) ⮡ Institute of Education Sciences ⮡ Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services / National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research Department of Health and Human Services (4) ⮡ Administration for Community Living ⮡ Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health ⮡ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ⮡ Food and Drug Administration ⮡ National Institutes of Health (1) Department of Homeland Security ⮡ Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction ⮡ Domestic Nuclear Detection Office ⮡ Domestic Nuclear Detection Office SBIR Program ⮡ Science and Technology Directorate Department of the Interior Department of Transportation Environmental Protection Agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration National Science Foundation Nuclear Regulatory Commission Small Business Administration Showing 1-10 of 46 results NIH, CDC and FDA Small Business Innovation Research Grant (Parent SBIR [R43/R44] Clinical Trial Optional) Open Release Date: May 28, 2026 Open Date: August 5, 2026 Close Date: April 6, 2027 NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase IIB Strategic Breakthrough Award (Parent [R44] Clinical Trial Optional) Open Release Date: May 28, 2026 Open Date: August 5, 2026 Close Date: April 6, 2027 NIH Small Business Technology Transfer Grant (Parent STTR [R41/R42] Clinical Trial Optional) Open Release Date: May 28, 2026 Open Date: August 5, 2026 Close Date: April 6, 2027 SBIR/STTR Commercialization Readiness Pilot (CRP) Program (Parent SB1 Clinical Trial Optional) Open Release Date: May 28, 2026 Open Date: August 5, 2026 Close Date: April 6, 2027 The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs (also known as America's Seed Fund) are major sources of early-stage funding for U.S. technology development and commercialization.

NIH SBIR and STTR awards... Advanced Techniques for Enhanced Deep-Sea Object Detection and Localization for Towed Mine Countermeasures (MCM) Sonar Open Release Date: April 13, 2026 Open Date: May 27, 2026 Close Date: June 24, 2026 The Navy’s existing minehunting systems primarily use side-scan sensors to detect, classify, and localize mines resting on the sea floor.

Volume search sonars are used to detect and localize mines, tethers, and anchors for moored mines tethered to the sea...

Low-Cost Bottoming Seabed Nodes for Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) Support Open Release Date: April 13, 2026 Open Date: May 27, 2026 Close Date: June 24, 2026 The Navy is seeking low-cost, modular seabed nodes with standardized mechanical, electrical, and data interfaces to accommodate diverse payload options, including acoustic communications modems, undersea sensors, navigation, and data transfer and storage. The...

DIRECT TO PHASE II: Resonant Cavity Infrared Detector Incorporating an Avalanche Photodiode Active Region Open Release Date: April 13, 2026 Open Date: May 27, 2026 Close Date: June 24, 2026 The Navy is developing and deploying a suite of imaging sensors (cameras) operating across both visible and infrared (IR) wavelengths.

This includes wide field of view (WFOV) cameras that provide panoramic surveillance, situational awareness and, due to their...

Creating a Mobile L-Band Linear Accelerator (LINAC) Open Release Date: April 13, 2026 Open Date: May 27, 2026 Close Date: June 24, 2026 White Sands Missile Range's (WSMR's) Survivability, Vulnerability and Assessment Directorate (SVAD) received major components of a Linear Accelerator (LINAC) from Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center with the intention of rebuilding it to be a smaller LINAC with...

Nanopore Bioelectronics for Next Generation Proteomics Open Release Date: April 13, 2026 Open Date: May 27, 2026 Close Date: June 24, 2026 Proteomics has emerged as a crucial field for understanding diseases, developing diagnostics, and designing effective therapeutics. Rapid, agnostic detection of future unknown protein-based biological threats necessitates the development of single-molecule...

Domestic Production of Refractory Powders for Ultra-High Temperature Ceramics and Aerospace Alloys Open Release Date: April 13, 2026 Open Date: May 27, 2026 Close Date: June 24, 2026 Refractory powders are a critical feedstock for many high-temperature defense applications, and the US is strongly reliant on imported materials to meet production needs. Varying powder qualities and increasing procurement costs/lead times upstream limit...