Small Business Innovation Research Program--- for copying (SBIR)

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, 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

Certain innovative technologies with high commercial potential may not appear to fit under any of the nine current solicitation topics or their associated subtopics. In this case, you may seek advice from the relevant Program Director (as detailed on the topic pages), or you may submit the proposal under the topic and subtopic that is the closest match. The SBIR/STTR Program Directors ensure that proposals are appropriately grouped into panels for review by experts in the field, and the review process is facilitated by a Program Director. The topics and subtopics guide the merit review process but are not used as a consideration in making award decisions.

Note: The submission of the same project idea to both this SBIR Phase I solicitation and the concurrent STTR Phase I solicitation is strongly discouraged.