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Technology transfer / STTR partner

Partner with a nonprofit research institution for STTR

If your company is preparing an STTR proposal and needs a research institution partner, start here. INSTAR Lab participates as a nonprofit research institution partner. Send a short brief and we will say plainly whether it is a fit.

Email a partner briefRead how STTR works
Research collaboration imagery for the INSTAR Lab STTR partner page.
INSTAR Lab / Technology transfer / STTR partner

The work-share rule and the research institution role

Under the STTR statute (15 U.S.C. 638), the small business performs at least 40 percent of the work and the research institution at least 30 percent. The research institution must be a United States college or university, a federally funded research and development center, or a domestic nonprofit research organization, and the project is a formal collaboration between the two.

Eligibility is decided by the agency from your solicitation and your documents. INSTAR Lab will share the institutional facts a proposal needs, and you should confirm every requirement against the current solicitation.

Agencies and topics

We can discuss topics from any agency that runs STTR, including the National Science Foundation, NASA, the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Health and Human Services. Topics in artificial intelligence, quantum science, high-performance computing, health, energy, space, and materials are the closest match to our research. Agency names identify programs only; INSTAR Lab is not affiliated with or endorsed by any agency.

What to send in a first brief

  • Company and topic Company name and website, the agency, the solicitation or topic number, and the deadline.
  • Technical question What must be learned or proven, in two or three sentences.
  • Proposed split The work your company will perform and the work you need from a research institution, so the 40 and 30 percent shares can be checked.
  • Data and inventions Your expectations for data rights and intellectual property.
  • Dates When you need a draft scope and a letter of commitment.

Email a partner brief to info@instarlab.org

Ground rules

  • No sensitive details by email Do not send classified, export-controlled, proprietary, or personal information in a first message. We will agree on a secure channel if the work proceeds.
  • No guarantee A conversation does not create a partnership, and no one can promise that an agency will fund a proposal. A written agreement signed by both parties is what creates a commitment.
  • No fee to discuss fit INSTAR Lab does not charge to review a brief or tell you that it is not a fit.
  • Federal registration details Registration identifiers are shared during due diligence once a fit is established, not published here.