INSTAR Lab
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Funders, donors and research partners

Fund and partner with INSTAR Lab

INSTAR Lab Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research institute. This page walks you through four steps in order: check that we are who we say we are, see what we research, choose a way to support or partner, and know what happens next. Where something is not open yet, it says so.

Step 1

Check who we are before you decide anything

INSTAR Lab Inc. holds EIN 85-0845517 and is a 501(c)(3) public charity under IRC §170(b)(1)(A)(vi), with an IRS ruling effective 27 April 2020. Do not take our word for it. These are independent places to check.

  • IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search

    The IRS tool is named in Publication 526 as the way to check whether an organization can receive deductible contributions. Search by the EIN shown above rather than by name.

  • ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer

    Confirms the legal name, EIN, 501(c)(3) status, and 2020-05 ruling date. It shows no financial data because it excludes 990-N (e-Postcard) filers — that is expected for an organization of this size, not a gap in standing.

  • Ohio charity registration

    The state record behind the registration. Its figures and compliance status are the publisher’s statements, not this site’s.

  • IRS determination letter (PDF)

    The IRS letter itself, served from this site. It confirms EIN 85-0845517, exemption under IRC §501(c)(3), public charity classification under §170(b)(1)(A)(vi), and the 27 April 2020 ruling effective date.

  • Capability statement

    A one-page summary for partners and sponsored-programs offices, with each fact linked to its source.

  • Legal status in the public record

    What the institution has and has not disclosed about its filings, with the limits of each source.

Step 2

The research interests behind the work

These are research interests, the areas INSTAR Lab works in and writes about. They are not a list of results. For what has and has not been awarded or published, read the record linked below.

Step 3

Four ways to support or partner, with their honest status

  • Make a gift

    Online giving is not open yet

    Gifts are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Until online giving opens, email or use the contact page and the gift will be routed by a person, not dropped.

  • Sponsor research or start a collaboration conversation

    Open: start with a conversation

    Bring a solicitation, contract requirement, research question or partnership proposal. No agreement is implied until one is signed.

  • Partner on an STTR as the research institution

    Open: send a brief; eligibility is set per solicitation

    INSTAR Lab participates as a nonprofit research institution partner. Whether a given project fits depends on the solicitation and on scientific fit, and no award can be promised.

  • Fellowship

    Open through US Fellows

    INSTAR Lab provides the research orientation and US Fellows provides the application and review path for the R&D Scholar pathways.

On deductibility: IRS Publication 526 says you can deduct contributions only if you make them to a qualified organization, and a gift of $250 or more needs a written acknowledgment. Whether a gift is deductible for you depends on your own tax situation. Source: IRS Publication 526, Charitable Contributions (2025).

Explainer

How an STTR collaboration works

STTR is the Small Business Technology Transfer program. This is the general pattern from the SBA policy directive; each agency’s solicitation sets the rules for a given award. Numbers in brackets point to the sources below.

STTR collaboration diagramA small business submits a proposal to a federal agency and signs a written agreement with a research institution. Work is split with at least 40 percent by the small business and at least 30 percent by the research institution. Funding runs through Phase I, Phase II and Phase III.Phase I: feasibilityPhase II: continues Phase IPhase III: other fundingFederal agencySmall businessappliesproposalResearch institutionpartnerswritten agreementat least 40%at least 30%not assignedsmall businessresearch institution

  1. The small business applies

    STTR awards go to a small business that carries out cooperative research with a research institution. The research institution is a partner, not the applicant.

    Purpose
    The program’s statutory purpose is “to stimulate a partnership of ideas and technologies between innovative SBCs and non-profit Research Institutions”, by awarding SBCs for cooperative R/R&D with Research Institutions. (SBC means small business concern.) [1]
    Who must qualify
    Each Phase I and Phase II awardee must qualify as a small business concern at the time of award. [2]
    Principal investigator
    The principal investigator’s primary employment must be with the small business or, for STTR only, the research institution, meaning more than one-half of their employment time. [3]

  2. The research institution partners

    The directive defines which organizations count as a research institution, and requires a written agreement between the small business and the institution before the award.

    Definition (nonprofit route)
    A research institution has a U.S. place of business and is a non-profit institution as defined in section 4(3) of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980, that is, “an organization that is owned and operated exclusively for scientific or educational purposes”, with no part of its net earnings benefiting a private shareholder or individual. A federally funded R/R&D center identified by NSF also qualifies. [4]
    Agreement before award
    Before receiving an STTR award, the small business must negotiate a written agreement with the research institution that allocates intellectual property rights and any rights to carry out follow-on research, and submit it to the agency with the proposal. [5]
    Who decides eligibility
    Eligibility is determined per solicitation. This page does not say that any particular organization qualifies. [4][6]

  3. The work is split by a minimum share

    Statute sets minimums for each side. The minimums leave part of the work unassigned, and the agency states in its solicitation how the shares are measured.

    Small business
    Not less than 40 percent of the R/R&D work. [7][8]
    Research institution
    Not less than 30 percent of the R/R&D work, performed by a partnering research institution. [7][8]
    How it is measured
    An agency can measure the effort using total award dollars or labor hours, and must explain in the solicitation how it will be measured. Deviations from the STTR requirements are not allowed, because they are specified in statute (15 USC 638(e)). [7]

  4. Three phases, two of them funded by STTR

    The programs follow a uniform competitive process of three phases.

    Phase I
    Feasibility-related experimental or theoretical R/R&D, to determine the scientific and technical merit and feasibility of the proposed effort. Period of performance normally should not exceed 1 year for STTR, though agencies may allow longer. [9][10]
    Phase II
    Continues the R/R&D effort from the completed Phase I. Its duration normally should not exceed 2 years, though agencies may allow longer. [11][12]
    Phase III
    Work that derives from, extends, or completes an effort made under prior SBIR/STTR funding agreements, but is funded by sources other than the SBIR/STTR programs. [13]

  5. Federal agencies run it

    Each participating agency runs its own program and publishes its own solicitations. Award amounts and deadlines are in those solicitations, not here.

    Agencies listing SBIR/STTR
    Department of Agriculture, Department of War (listed as DOW), Department of Energy, Health and Human Services (including NIH), NASA, and the National Science Foundation. [14]
    Agencies listing SBIR only
    Department of Commerce, Department of Education, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency. [14]
    Program authority
    The enrolled S. 3971 extends the SBIR and STTR programs to September 30, 2031. [15]

Sources

  1. SBIR and STTR Policy Directive (SBA, May 2023 edition), §1(d).
  2. SBIR and STTR Policy Directive (SBA, May 2023 edition), §6(a)(1).
  3. SBIR and STTR Policy Directive (SBA, May 2023 edition), §6(a)(3).
  4. SBIR and STTR Policy Directive (SBA, May 2023 edition), §3(cc).
  5. SBIR and STTR Policy Directive (SBA, May 2023 edition), §8(d)(1).
  6. S. 3971, Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act (enrolled bill), S. 3971 extends program authority.
  7. SBIR and STTR Policy Directive (SBA, May 2023 edition), §6(a)(2).
  8. NSF America’s Seed Fund: definitions, Cooperative research and development.
  9. SBIR and STTR Policy Directive (SBA, May 2023 edition), §4(a).
  10. SBIR and STTR Policy Directive (SBA, May 2023 edition), §7(h)(2).
  11. SBIR and STTR Policy Directive (SBA, May 2023 edition), §4(b)(1).
  12. SBIR and STTR Policy Directive (SBA, May 2023 edition), §7(h)(3).
  13. SBIR and STTR Policy Directive (SBA, May 2023 edition), §4(c).
  14. Participating agencies (sbir.gov), Current Agencies list.
  15. S. 3971, Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act (enrolled bill), Sections 9 and 10.

See STTR in practice: public award records from other organisations that show how these collaborations are set out. INSTAR Lab was not involved in any of them. For the programme's scale, see STTR by the numbers, public NIH and NSF award counts. For how the law developed since 1992, see the STTR legislative history.

Checked 2026-10-23. The directive is the May 2023 edition listed on sbir.gov; Congress extended the programs afterwards, so confirm any figure in the current agency solicitation. INSTAR Lab is not a government agency and nothing here implies an award or eligibility.

Step 4

What happens after you get in touch

These are the channels and expectations the contact page already states. They are not service-level promises.

Where your message goes
We route it to the appropriate research or administrative conversation.
What to include
The technical question, scope, timeline, data or facility constraints, and the decision the work must support. For federal questions, add the program, solicitation, technical area and desired outcome when available.
What to leave out
Never send classified, export-controlled, proprietary, unpublished sensitive, clearance-identifying, or protected personal information through a public form or email.
How long it takes
No response time has been confirmed, so none is promised here. If a call does not connect, use email.

Open the contact pageEmail info@instarlab.orgFunder and partner FAQ