All USA USA Territories: American Samoa (USA); Guam (USA); Puerto Rico (USA); Virgin Islands (USA); Northern Mariana Islands (USA); USA Compact Free Associations:The Federated States of Micronesia (USA) Marshall Islands (USA) Republic of Palau (USA)
Important Dates
Deadline: 07/02/25 5:00 PM Submitter's Local Time
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Grant Description
Grants to USA and territories businesses for collaborative research to establish the feasibility of commercializing technologies. Applicants must submit a letter of intent and complete required registrations prior to submitting an application. Applicants must work collaboratively with an eligible research institution.
The NSF SBIR/STTR programs provide non-dilutive funds for use-inspired research and development (R&D) of unproven, leading-edge, technology innovations that address societal challenges. By investing federal research and development funds into startups and small businesses, NSF helps build a strong national economy and stimulates the creation of novel products, services, and solutions in the private sector; strengthens the role of small business in meeting federal research and development needs; increases the commercial application of federally-supported research results; and develops and increases the U.S. workforce, especially by fostering and encouraging participation by socially and economically-disadvantaged and women-owned small businesses.
NSF seeks unproven, leading-edge technology innovations that demonstrate the following characteristics:
The innovations are underpinned and enabled by a new scientific discovery or meaningful engineering innovation.
The innovations still require intensive technical research and development to be fully embedded in a reliable product or service.
The innovations have not yet been reduced to practice by anyone and it is not guaranteed, at present, that doing so is technically possible.
The innovations provide a strong competitive advantage that are not easily replicable by competitors (even technically proficient ones).
Once reduced to practice, the innovations are expected to result in a product or service that would either be disruptive to existing markets or create new markets/new market segments.
Others (see text field entitled "Additional Eligibility Criteria" for clarification)
Additional Eligibility Criteria
• An SBIR/STTR small business awardee must be a business concern – it must be organized as a for‐profit concern and meet all of the other requirements for a “business concern” in 13 C.F.R. § 121.105. Non‐profit entities are not eligible (except as research institutions under the STTR Program).
• If an awardee is a joint venture, each party to the joint venture must be a concern that satisfies all program eligibility requirements.
A small business does not need to be legally incorporated to submit a Project Pitch. However, the proposing small business must be a legal entity at the time of full proposal submission.
SBIR/STTR eligibility guidelines state that the majority (more than 50%) of a small business' equity must be directly owned and controlled by individuals (one or more) who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the United States. Additionally, the NSF SBIR/STTR programs only support work that is performed in the U.S. (including work performed by subawardees and consultants).
"United States" means the 50 states, the territories and possessions of the U.S. Federal Government, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau.
Startups and small businesses that have a social mission in their charter are encouraged to apply.
Socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses and women-owned small businesses are also encouraged to apply.
The primary employment of the Principal Investigator (PI) must be with the small business at the time of award and for the duration of the award, unless a new PI is named. Primary employment is defined as at least 51 percent employed by the small business. The PI does not need to be associated with an academic institution. There are no PI degree requirements (i.e., the PI is not required to hold a Ph.D. or any other degree). A PI must devote a minimum of one calendar month of effort per six months of performance to an NSF SBIR/STTR Phase I project.
The following types of institutions are eligible to serve as minority investors or subcontractors or sub-grantees on an NSF STTR Project:
- Non-profit college or university,
- Domestic nonprofit scientific /research organization, and/or
- Federally Funded R&D Center (FFRDC).
Ineligible
NSF does not fund proposals from companies that are majority-owned by one or more venture capital operating companies (VCOCs), hedge funds, or private equity firms.
The NSF SBIR/STTR programs do not support clinical trials or proposals from companies whose commercialization pathway involves the production, distribution, or sale by the company of chemical components, natural or synthetic variations thereof, or other derivatives related to Schedule I controlled substances.
Project Activities Not Responsive to the Solicitation:
• Evolutionary development or incremental modification of established products or proven concepts;
• Straightforward engineering or test and optimization efforts that are not hypothesis driven;
• Evaluation or testing of existing products;
• Basic scientific research or research not connected to any specific market opportunity or potential new product;
• Business development, market research, and sales and marketing;
• Clinical trials;
• Research or commercialization pathways involving chemical components, natural or synthetic variations thereof, or other derivatives related to Schedule I controlled substances; or
• Non-profit business concerns.
Pre-Application Information
Upcoming due dates (due by 5 p.m. submitting organization's local time):
- September 18, 2024
- November 6, 2024
- March 5, 2025
- July 2, 2025
- November 5, 2025
Proposers must obtain an official invitation to submit a proposal. To receive the invitation, potential proposers must submit a Project Pitch and receive an official response (via email) from the cognizant Program Officer. Project Pitch invitations are valid for two deadlines after the date of the initial official invitation from NSF; for example, if an official invitation is received on May 30, 2024, the proposer may submit for either the September 18, 2024, or November 6 deadline. In this example, submissions after November 6, 2024 will require a new Project Pitch invitation.
All proposals must be submitted through Research.gov.
Small businesses applying for NSF SBIR/STTR Phase I funding must be registered in the following systems to submit a proposal to NSF. The registrations below can take several weeks or even months to process, so please start early:
- System for Award Management (SAM) Registration
- Small Business Administration (SBA) Company Registration
- Research.gov
An organization may submit only one NSF SBIR/STTR Phase I Project Pitch and/or proposal per submission deadline. The organization must wait for a determination from NSF (e.g., invite/not invite for a Project Pitch or award, decline, or return without review for a proposal) before submitting a new Project Pitch or proposal.
An individual may be listed as the PI for only one proposal submitted at a time to this NSF SBIR/STTR Phase I solicitation. An individual may act as the co-PI on an unlimited number of proposals.
Approximately 230-235 awards for SBIR Phase I per year. Approximately 45-50 awards for STTR Phase I per year.
Estimated Size of Grant
The maximum total Phase I award amount has been increased from $275,000 to $305,000. This amount is inclusive of all direct and indirect costs as well as the small business fee.
Before starting your grant application, please review
the funding source's website listed below for updates / changes / addendums /
conferences / LOIs.
