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Find similar grantsSmall Business Innovation Research (SBIR) / Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program is sponsored by National Science Foundation. Funds early-stage R&D by small businesses in areas including advanced materials, manufacturing, and energy technologies that can encompass critical minerals and rare earth metals.
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SBIR provides equity free funding through federal agencies to American small businesses Through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, America’s Seed Fund awards non-dilutive funding to develop your technology and chart a path toward commercialization Small Business Administration America's Seed Fund is coordinated by the Small Business Administration and funded through 11 participating federal agencies that fund innovations through the SBIR/STTR programs Accelerators, technical assistance centers, and other support organizations around the country help startups identify and apply for awards.
Participating agencies' SBIR/STTR programs select and fund qualified proposals. Explore Participating Agencies Entrepreneurs apply for awards and develop their ideas hands-on with agencies. America's Seed Fund provides funding that advances high-impact, disruptive innovations.
Since 1982, SBIR funding has moved countless ideas from tiny sparks into transformative technologies. Learn more by exploring our success story database or reviewing previous winners of the prestigious Tibbetts Awards Program. The SBIR/STTR programs are an important source of early-stage technology funding for small businesses.
Learn how the SBIR/STTR programs have helped R&D-focused entrepreneurs, and advanced research and development in a wide variety of technology areas. Read our annual report or search award data for more information. America's Seed Fund provides technology-focused entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses with funding to develop their ideas and a pathway to commercialization.
Powered by a network of federal agencies, entrepreneur support organizations, and the Small Business Administration (SBA), America's Seed Fund advances federal missions and fosters a culture of innovation in the United States.
As the sponsoring agency for America's Seed Fund, SBA guides the participating agency's implementation of their SBIR/STTR programs, monitors and reports on program progress to Congress, and aggregates agency solicitation information. The SBA's expert staff supports the program by administering the Policy Directive and liaising with participating federal agencies and technology entrepreneurs.
Each participating federal agency administers its own SBIR/STTR program within guidelines established by Congress. As of October 2024, agencies may issue a Phase I award (including modifications) up to $ 323,090 and a Phase II award (including modifications) up to $2,153,927 without seeking SBA approval. Any award above those levels will require a waiver.
Agencies considering this authority should review SBIR/STTR Policy Directive §7(i)(4) for additional information. Read the Policy Directive
According to the current listing, eligibility includes: U. S. small businesses meeting SBA size standards. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) / Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program is funded by National Science Foundation. 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.
Start from the official opportunity page linked in this listing — it carries the sponsor's submission instructions.
SBIR/STTR Phase I Programs is sponsored by National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSF SBIR/STTR programs provide non-dilutive funding for cutting-edge technology innovations that address societal challenges. The Space (SP) topic seeks transformative technologies for sustainable space exploration, habitation, or industrialization, which could include in-space research or manufacturing systems, microgravity applications, and photonic devices and materials.
Smart Health and Biomedical Research in the Era of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Data Science (SCH) is sponsored by National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institutes of Health (NIH). This interagency program supports transformative, high-risk/high-reward advances in computer and information science, engineering, mathematics, statistics, behavioral, and/or cognitive research to address pressing questions in biomedical and public health. It encourages scientific and engineering innovations by interdisciplinary teams to develop novel methods to collect, sense, connect, analyze, and interpret data from individuals, devices, and systems, enabling discovery and optimizing health. This includes applying AI in healthcare.
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) / Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs (Phase I) is sponsored by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The USDA SBIR/STTR programs focus on transforming scientific discovery into products and services with commercial potential and/or societal benefit in agriculturally-related areas. This can include app development for agricultural technology, rural development, and smart farming. Phase I aims to demonstrate technical feasibility.
SBIR/STTR Phase I Programs is sponsored by National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSF SBIR/STTR programs provide non-dilutive funding for cutting-edge technology innovations that address societal challenges. The Space (SP) topic seeks transformative technologies for sustainable space exploration, habitation, or industrialization, which could include in-space research or manufacturing systems, microgravity applications, and photonic devices and materials.
NSF restarted its SBIR/STTR programs on May 31, 2026 after a multi-month hiatus, with a $250 million FY26 allocation, a Project Pitch portal reopen on June 2, and a first full-proposal deadline of July 27, 2026. The big structural changes: a new Strategic Breakthrough tier that extends invited Phase II companies up to $30 million, and a $40 million pilot for next-generation scientific instrumentation. Phase I tops out at $305K, Phase II at $1.25M, with November 4 and March 4, 2027 windows behind the July 27 first deadline. For deep-tech startups that watched the NIH SBIR omnibus go dark and DARPA pull back on conventional Phase II slots, this is the most consequential reopening of the year — and the Strategic Breakthrough tier is the first time NSF has competed directly with venture capital at growth-stage check sizes.
Read articleThe NSF FY 2026-2030 Strategic Plan reorganizes the agency around three goals, names AI, quantum, and biotech as the critical technologies, codifies Gold Standard Science, and explicitly targets applicant burden. The implications for proposal strategy are bigger than they look.
Read articleCongress appropriated \$8.75 billion for NSF in FY2026, rejecting the administration's proposed 55% cut to \$3.9 billion. But between April and May 2025, DOGE terminated 1,752 grants worth \$1.4 billion, hitting STEM Education (\$888M, 839 grants) and Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences hardest. Director Panchanathan resigned April 24, 2025; no permanent replacement has been named. Effective December 15, 2025, NSF cut minimum external reviews from three to two, made one internal review allowable, made panel discussions optional, and shrank panel summaries to three to five sentences. Here is what the new NSF actually looks like as a funder, who is being selected against, and how to position a 2026 proposal against the new merit review.
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