SBIR/STTR

For more information or assistance with SBIR/STTR processes, please contact Denny Lewis or Bob Burton, with the North Carolina Defense Technology Transition Office.

The US Small Business Administration serves as the coordinating agency for the SBIR program. It directs the agencies’ implementation of SBIR, reviews their progress, and reports annually to Congress on its operation. SBA is also the information link to SBIR program.

SBIR/STTR. The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs are highly competitive programs that encourage domestic small businesses to engage in Federal Research/Research and Development (R/R&D) with the potential for commercialization. Through a competitive awards-based program, SBIR and STTR enable small businesses to explore their technological potential and provide the incentive to profit from its commercialization. By including qualified small businesses in the nation’s R&D arena, high-tech innovation is stimulated, and the United States gains entrepreneurial spirit as it meets its specific research and development needs.

Central to the STTR program is the partnership between small businesses and nonprofit research institutions. The STTR program requires the small business to formally collaborate with a research institution in Phase I and Phase II. STTR’s most important role is to bridge the gap between performance of basic science and commercialization of resulting innovations.

Source: https://www.sbir.gov/

The Three Phases of SBIR/STTR.

Phase I. The objective of Phase I is to establish the technical merit, feasibility, and commercial potential of the proposed R/R&D efforts and to determine the quality of performance of the small business awardee organization prior to providing further Federal support in Phase II. SBIR/STTR Phase I awards are generally $50,000 – $250,000 for 6 months (SBIR) or 1 year (STTR).

Phase II. The objective of Phase II is to continue the R/R&D efforts initiated in Phase I. Funding is based on the results achieved in Phase I and the scientific and technical merit and commercial potential of the project proposed in Phase II. Typically, only Phase I awardees are eligible for a Phase II award. SBIR/STTR Phase II awards are generally $750,000 for 2 years.

Phase III. The objective of Phase III, where appropriate, is for the small business to pursue commercialization objectives resulting from the Phase I/II R/R&D activities. The SBIR/STTR programs do not fund Phase III. At some Federal agencies, Phase III may involve follow-on non-SBIR/STTR funded R&D or production contracts for products, processes or services intended for use by the U.S. Government.

SBIR/STTR Program Overview Presentation.  
Leveraging America’s Seed Fund

For more information on the SBIR Program, contact: technology@sba.gov

US Small Business Administration Office of Innovation and Technology 409 Third Street, SW Washington, DC 20416 (202) 205-6450

Opportunities

Solicitation Topic Areas: 
https://www.sbir.gov/sbirsearch/topic/current

NOTE: The Solicitations and topics listed on this site are copies from the various SBIR agency solicitations and are not necessarily the latest and most up-to-date. For this reason, you should visit the respective agency SBIR sites to read the official version of the solicitations and download the appropriate forms and rules.

Participating Federal Agencies

Department of Defense (DoD) Defense SBIR/STTR: 
https://www.dodsbirsttr.mil/submissions/login

• U.S. Navy:  https://www.navysbir.com/solicitations.htm
• U.S. Air Force:  https://www.afsbirsttr.af.mil/
• U.S. Army:  https://www.armysbir.army.mil
• Joint Program Executive Officer Chemical and Biological Defense Program (JPEO-CBD): http://www.cbdsbir.net/
• Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA):  https://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/for-small-businesses/participate-sbir-sttr-program
• Defense Health Agency (DHA):  http://www.tricare.mil/tma/
• Defense Logistics Agency (DLA): 
• Defense Microelectronics Activity (DMEA):  https://www.dmea.osd.mil/
• Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA):  https://www.dtra.mil/Work-With-Us/Office-of-Small-Business/
• Missile Defense Agency (MDA):  https://www.mda.mil/business/SBIR_STTR_programs.html
• National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA):  https://www.nga.mil/resources/1600716282418_SBIR_STTR_PROGRAM_GUIDANCE.html
• U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM):  https://www.socom.mil/sof-atl/Pages/sbir.aspx

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA): https://nifa.usda.gov/program/small-business-innovation-research-program-sbir

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST): http://www.nist.gov/tpo/sbir/index.cfm

U.S. Department of Education:  https://www2.ed.gov/programs/sbir/index.html

U.S. Department of Energy:  https://science.osti.gov/sbir

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: https://sbir.nih.gov/

U.S. Department of Homeland Security:  https://sbir2.st.dhs.gov/portal/SBIR/

U.S. Department of Transportation:  https://www.volpe.dot.gov/work-with-us/small-business-innovation-research

Environmental Protection Agency:  https://www.epa.gov/sbir

National Aeronautics and Space Administration:  https://sbir.gsfc.nasa.gov/

National Science Foundation:  https://seedfund.nsf.gov/