Federal research funding guide: SBIR, STTR and agency grants

SBIR and STTR basics

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs are federal programs that fund early-stage research and development at small businesses. Participating agencies include the National Science Foundation, NASA, the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Health and Human Services. Each agency runs its own topics, schedule, and review process.

The two programs differ in one structural way. SBIR does not require a research partner. STTR does: the small business must partner formally with a United States research institution, such as a university, a federally funded research and development center, or a domestic nonprofit research organization.

• Phase I A short feasibility effort that tests whether the technical idea is worth developing. Award size and length are set by each agency and solicitation.
• Phase II A larger development effort, usually open to Phase I performers. Again, amounts and rules come from the agency.
• STTR work split The small business performs at least 40 percent of the work and the research institution at least 30 percent. The partner is named in the proposal and shares in the funded work.
• What a proposal is judged on Technical merit, commercial potential, the team, and for STTR a credible, specific role for the research institution.

Where to find current agency windows

Deadlines, topics, award sizes, and even program authority change. This guide therefore keeps dates to one dated summary of the NSF process below. Use the agency pages below, which are the primary sources, and check the solicitation itself before relying on anything, including anything written here.

Several agencies, the National Science Foundation among them, ask for a short project summary or pitch first and invite a full proposal only after it is reviewed. Read the current instructions for that step on the agency site.

• SBIR.gov The government-wide portal listing open solicitations across agencies.
• NSF America’s Seed Fund National Science Foundation SBIR and STTR instructions and current windows.
• NASA SBIR and STTR NASA topics and schedule.
• DoD SBIR and STTR Department of Defense topics, releases, and submission system.
• DOE SBIR and STTR Department of Energy Office of Science and program offices.
• NIH SBIR and STTR National Institutes of Health small business funding.

NSF Project Pitch, in short

As of 4 October 2026, the National Science Foundation SBIR and STTR solicitation is NSF 26-510. For Phase I and Fast-Track, the company first submits a short NSF Project Pitch and needs an official invitation before it may submit a full proposal. This summary was read from NSF pages on 4 October 2026 and is not NSF guidance; confirm every point on the NSF pages linked below.

• Pitch first The invitation stays valid for the next two full-proposal deadlines after NSF responds. NSF typically answers a pitch in one to two months.
• Limits per company NSF limits pitches per company: one per submission window, two per 12 months, and three in total for the same project.
• Full-proposal deadlines NSF 26-510 lists 4 November 2026 and 4 March 2027, then the first Wednesday in November and the first Thursday in March each year. A new partnership starting now would realistically aim for March 2027, because the November 2026 deadline needs a pitch that has already been invited.
• Pitch cutoff dates Unverified. We did not find an official pitch cutoff for each deadline. Plan for NSF’s one to two month response time, and check the Project Pitch page for the current window.
• STTR needs a research institution An STTR proposal needs a partner research institution, and the co-principal investigator must be at that institution. Whether a particular organization qualifies is for NSF to decide.

If you are a federal contractor or small business

Many small businesses that already work with agencies have the product idea and the contracting experience but not a research partner with the right laboratory depth. Before you contact any institution, assemble a short brief so the conversation can be specific.

• The topic The solicitation or topic number, the agency, and the deadline you are aiming at.
• The technical question What must be learned or proven in the research, in two or three sentences.
• The proposed split Which work the company will do, which work you need a research institution to do, and how that meets the work-share rule.
• Data and intellectual property How data rights and inventions would be handled, expressed in the agency’s terms.
• Timeline When you need a draft statement of work and a signed letter of commitment.

See how INSTAR Lab works as an STTR partner

Registrations and look-alike offers

Federal awards generally require an active registration at SAM.gov, and agencies use their own submission systems. Registering at SAM.gov is done only on that government site and carries no fee. Offers by private companies to “register,” “renew,” or “look up” your entity for a payment are not the government. INSTAR Lab does not sell registration, renewal, or proposal-writing services.

Federal registration details for INSTAR Lab are shared with prospective partners during due diligence rather than published on this page.

What INSTAR Lab does and does not do

• Does Participate as a nonprofit research institution partner when the scientific fit, the work split, and the agreement terms are right for both parties.
• Does not Guarantee that any proposal will be funded, promise a partnership before a written agreement exists, accept classified, export-controlled, or proprietary information by email, or charge a fee to discuss fit.
• Independent INSTAR Lab is not part of, endorsed by, or acting for any federal agency. Agency names on this page identify the programs that publish the solicitations.