The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program stimulates technological innovation in the private sector by strengthening the role of small business concerns in meeting Federal research and development needs, increasing the commercial application of federally supported research results, and fostering and encouraging participation by socially and economically disadvantaged and women-owned small businesses.
The SBIR program solicits proposals from the small business sector consistent with NSF's mission. The program is governed by Public Law 112-81 (SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2011). A main purpose of the legislation is to stimulate technological innovation and increase private sector commercialization. The NSF SBIR program is therefore in a unique position to meet both the goals of NSF and the purpose of the SBIR legislation by transforming scientific discovery into both social and economic benefit, and by emphasizing private sector commercialization. Accordingly, NSF has formulated broad solicitation topics for SBIR that conform to the high-technology investment sector's interests.
The topics are:
Biological and Chemical Technologies (BC)
Education Applications (EA)
Electronics, Information and Communication Technologies (EI)
Nanotechnology, Advanced Materials, and Manufacturing (NM)
To continue to strengthen the innovation ecosystem, NSF is revising NSF 12-511 to promote two choices under the Partnerships for Innovation (PFI): Accelerating Innovation Research (AIR) subprogram. The first choice, Technology Translation, encourages the translation of technologically-promising research discoveries made by prior and/or current NSF-funded investigators toward a path of commercialization; while the second choice, Research Alliance, promotes synergistic collaborations between an existing NSF-funded research alliance (including consortia such as Engineering Research Centers, Industry University Cooperative Research Centers, Science and Technology Centers, Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centers, Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers, Centers for Chemical Innovation, and Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation grantees) and other public and private entities to motivate the translation and transfer of research discoveries into innovative technologies and commercial reality. Both of these choices are designed to accelerate innovation that results in the creation of new wealth and the building of strong local, regional, and national economies.
This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant applications from small business concerns (SBCs) to address problems associated with the methods of collection, bioassay, isolation, purification, de-replication, yield, and supply that hamper the full utilization of natural products.
This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant applications from small business concerns (SBCs) to address problems associated with the methods of collection, bioassay, isolation, purification, de-replication, yield, and supply that hamper the full utilization of natural products.
This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant applications from small business concerns (SBCs) to address problems associated with the methods of collection, bioassay, isolation, purification, de-replication, yield, and supply that hamper the full utilization of natural products.
The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program stimulates technological innovation in the private sector by strengthening the role of small business concerns in meeting Federal research and development needs, increasing the commercial application of federally supported research results, and fostering and encouraging participation by socially and economically disadvantaged and women-owned small businesses.
The topics, listed below, are detailed on the SBIR/STTR topics homepage:
Educational Technologies and Applications (EA)
Information and Communication Technologies (IC)
Semiconductors (S) and Photonic (PH) Devices and Materials
Electronic Hardware, Robotics and Wireless Technologies (EW)
Advanced Manufacturing and Nanotechnology (MN)
Advanced Materials and Instrumentation (MI)
Chemical and Environmental Technologies (CT)
Biological Technologies (BT)
Smart Health (SH) and Biomedical (BM) Technologies
The SBIR program is congressionally mandated and intended to support scientific excellence and technological innovation through the investment of federal research funds to build a strong national economy by: stimulating technological innovation in the private sector; strengthening the role of small business in meeting federal research and development needs; increasing the commercial application of federally supported research results; and fostering and encouraging participation by socially and economically disadvantaged and women-owned small businesses.