Sustainable Materials Recovery and Circularity SBIR

Sustainable Materials Recovery and Circularity SBIR is sponsored by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Supports innovative circular economy solutions for materials recovery, including advanced recycling pilots for PV materials like perovskites. 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 $100,000 - $400,000 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 Sustainable Materials Recovery and Circularity SBIR.

How to Apply for an SBIR Contract | US EPA An official website of the United States government Official websites use . gov A . gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure . gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the . gov website.

Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Chemicals, Toxics, and Pesticide Environmental Information by Location Laws and Executive Orders Our Mission and What We Do Labs and Research Centers Planning, Budget, and Results Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program How to Apply for an SBIR Contract Use this guide to learn more about the program and guide you through the EPA SBIR application process.

Registration Requirements Required Forms for Applicants Develop an Innovative Environmental Technology Idea Have an innovation that can be commercialized? Consider applying for an EPA SBIR contract. Given EPA's modest budget, proposals must be responsive to the specific topics listed in the annual solicitation.

Learn about the eligibility requirements by visiting the Small Business Administration SBIR website. Read through the FAQs on the Small Business Administration SBIR website. Topic areas change from year to year.

The topics for the closed 2024-2025 Phase I solicitation are listed below.

2024-2025 EPA SBIR Topics Nature-based Solutions for Water Reuse Technologies for the Treatment of PFAS in Wastewater Sewage Sludge and Biosolids Treatment for Cyanobacteria and Cyanotoxins in Drinking Water at the Household Scale Technologies and Tools to Monitor and Reduce Air Toxics Exposures Air Pollution Control Technologies for Small Sources Scenario-Based Training for Disaster Response CIRCULAR ECONOMY/SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS Preventing and Recycling Food Waste Source Reduction and Reuse Lowering Embodied Carbon in the Built Environment Rubber Anti-Degradants that are Lower Concern for Human Health and the Environment Next Generation Fertilizers Registration Requirements There are multiple registrations required prior to submitting an EPA SBIR proposal.

The registration process may take 6 – 8 weeks, so it’s important to start early. Employer Identification Number (EIN) – The EPA requires the EIN number prior to the issuance of a funding award. The EIN base for the organization is the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Tax Identification (ID) number, for individuals it is their social security number, both of which are nine-digit numbers.

System for Award Management (SAM) – Applicants must complete and maintain an active SAM registration, which requires renewal at least annually. Please note, the renewal process may require as much time as the initial registration. Note that EPA SBIR awards are made as contracts so please ensure your SAM profile allows for the award of "contracts" or "all awards".

For help, please contact the SAM Help Desk . Unique Entity Identifier Number (UEI) – As of April 4, 2022, the federal government has stopped using DUNS numbers to identify entities. All small businesses are now required to use the UEI assigned by the System for Award Management (SAM.

gov). All current SAM. gov registrants have been assigned their UEI and can view them on SAM.

gov. Click SAM. gov for more information.

FedConnect. net EXIT – FedConnect is the web portal that EPA uses for proposal submission and companies must be registered with FedConnect to submit a proposal. SBA Company Registry – All applicants are required to register at the SBA Company Registry prior to proposal submission and include their SBC Control ID with their proposal.

Submit to FedConnect EXIT Proposals must be received via FedConnect through the response function by the required deadline. Registration and proposal instructions are found in the SBIR Phase I Solicitation . Also, check out the FedConnect Ready, Set, Go!

EXIT to guide you through the registration process. Please contact FedConnect support EXIT if you have problems: Toll-free: (800) 899-6665 Email: support@fedconnect. net Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.

m. to 8:00 p. m.

Eastern time (except for federal holidays) Required Forms for Applicants Most forms for applicants can be found on the Required Forms Page .

Internal and External Reviewers will Evaluate Your Proposal based on the following criteria: Technical review criteria (1/3 of overall score): Relevancy review criteria (1/3 of overall score): Impact/Relevance to topic Commercial review criteria (1/3 of overall score): Innovation/Intellectual property Company/Team (Commercial) Commercialization approach Proposals are ranked based on these escores.

Programmatic balance, Agency priorities, and available funding may also be used in the selection process. Research that involves human subjects may be subject to additional regulations found in 40 CFR 26 as well as other applicable federal and state laws and regulations.

Research will be considered to involve human subjects under 40 CFR 26 if the research obtains information or biospecimens (1) through intervention or interaction with human subject(s), and/or obtains data (2) through using, studying, analyzing, or generating identifiable private information. Note that survey research can constitute one category of human subjects research.

Any time researchers administer a survey, questionnaire, or other data collection instrument, they are interacting with human subjects. Unless exempt under 40 CFR 26. 104, human subject research must adhere to the regulations of 40 CFR 26, which includes review and approval of the research by a federally approved Institutional Review Board (IRB).

Due to the short timeframe associated with Phase I of the SBIR process, EPA does not recommend the submission of Phase I offers that require the use of human subjects research. For example, the ability to obtain IRB approval for offers that involve human subjects can take 6-12 months, and that lengthy process can be at odds with the Phase I six-month period of performance.

Small businesses will be notified via FedConnect once funding decisions have been made. If a proposal is not funded, the applicant can request feedback on their proposal. Proof of Concept for 6 Months - $100,000 (Phase I) The objective of Phase I is to establish the technical merit, feasibility and commercial potential of the proposed technology prior to further federal support in Phase II.

Typically start early December. Development & Commercialization for 2 Years - $400,000 (Phase II) Funding is based on the results achieved in Phase I, the technical merit, and commercial potential and impact of the technology. Typically start in mid October.

Further Funding - $100,000 To accelerate commercialization, EPA offers a “commercialization option” of up to $100,000 in Phase II for companies that secure third-party investment.

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program SBIR Funding Opportunities How to Apply for an SBIR Contract Contact Us About the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program Contact Us About the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem. Last updated on February 27, 2025 Privacy and Security Notice