December 1, 2010

If a submission date falls on a weekend, it is extended to the following Monday. SBIR and STTR applications submitted to the December 5 submission date will be considered on time if successfully submitted to Grants.gov on or before December 6 and no later than 5:00 p.m. local time of the applicant organization.

November 19, 2010

Nomination period open until December 15th for Small Business Administration’s Tibbetts Awards and new SBIR Hall of Fame.

October 7, 2010

Congress has extended the SBIR and STTR programs through January 31, 2011 (P.L. 111.251). The programs were set to expire on September 30, 2010.

September 27, 2010

Five agencies (NIH, DARPA, NSF, USDA, and DHS) have teamed up and issued a joint funding opportunity announcement for Robotics Technology Development and Deployment (RTD2). Eligible small businesses can apply for research funding for a wide range of topics including robot-assisted rehabilitation, robotics for drug discovery, automated systems for harvesting, inspection, sorting, and handling of animal products and crops, and robots that can disarm explosive devices.

September 20, 2010

The submission date for applications to participate in the NIH SBIR Commercialization Assistance Program has been extended to September 24, 2010. Selected participants are expected to be notified by September 30, 2010. The CAP offers assistance with business and strategic planning and helps to connect SBIR Phase II awardees with partners, licensees, and/or investors to help move SBIR-developed products into the marketplace. A full description of the program (including eligibility requirements) and application are available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/cap/index.htm.

August 26, 2010

NIH announces the availability of a Commercialization Assistance Program (CAP) for its SBIR Phase II awardees from the past six years. Now in its seventh year, this program is designed to help NIH SBIR Phase II awardees transition their SBIR-developed products into the marketplace. The program includes two distinctive tracks that offer customized assistance for both early stage and seasoned companies: Commercialization Training Track and Accelerator Commercialization Track. For details, check the NIH Guide Notice NOT-OD-10-125 and also review the full program description at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/cap/more_on_cap.htm.

August 20, 2010

The PHS 2011-1 SBIR Contract Solicitation is now open. (Receipt date: November 8, 2010. For additional information, see the 08/18/2010 NIH Guide Notice.

August 9, 2010

Congress has again extended the SBIR and STTR programs “as is” through September 30, 2010 (P.L. 111-214)

July 13, 2010

NIH has contracted with Foresight Science and Technology to perform Technology Niche Analyses (TNA™) for 100 NIH SBIR Phase I awardees funded in fiscal years 2010 and 2011. (NOTE: This program is not available to STTR awardees.) For each eligible SBIR Phase I project, the TNA™ will assess potential uses of the technology and then provide a report that addresses the end-user needs, current and emerging competing technologies, the market dynamics, and the technology’s competitive advantage. For a full description of the program, check the NIH Guide Notice NOT-OD-10-112 (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-10-112.html)

June 18, 2010

The Internal Revenue Service today announced that small firms may now begin applying for certification for tax credits or grants available under the Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project Program, created by the Affordable Care Act. Additional information is available at http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=224513,00.html.

June 7, 2010

The 2010 SBIR/STTR National Conference will be held in Oklahoma City, OK, on November 8 – 10. Whether you are responsible for doing research or making the sale, innovation depends on recognizing opportunities and making connections thus the theme of this conference is “Making Connections.”  Additional information is available at http://www.sbirok.org/ .

May 7, 2010

The i6 Challenge is a new $12 million innovation competition administered by the Economic Development Administration (EDA), in partnership with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF).. More...

April 26, 2010

Congress has again extended the SBIR and STTR programs “as is” through July 31, 2010. This extension affects ten of the eleven agencies (including NIH) that participate in SBIR. DoD’s programs were previously extended through September 30, 2010, as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 and are not affected by this recent extension.

March 30, 2010

The Small Business Administration (SBA) announced today, through the Federal Register,  a final amendment to the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program Policy Directive. This Amendment adjusts SBIR Phase I award levels from $100,000 to $150,000, and Phase II award levels from $750,000 to $1,000,000. The amendment also continues to provide participating agencies with an appropriate degree of flexibility in award size. Applicants submitting NIH SBIR Phase I or Phase II applications (new or resubmissions) targeting due dates on or after April 5, 2010, may base budget requests on these adjusted amounts. Note: This amendment only applies to SBIR, not to the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program. However, for both programs, the award levels are statutory guidelines, not ceilings. Therefore, applicants are encouraged to propose a budget that is justified, reasonable and appropriate for completion of the research project. A desire to have more time to change the budget request will not be allowed as a valid reason for a late submission.  Also, it will not be possible to increase the budget request after the submission.  As always, applicants are encouraged to contact NIH program staff listed in the Funding Opportunity Announcement to discuss their scientific project and budget plans.

March 16, 2010

On March 15th, the NIH SBIR/STTR Office held a webinar on “Enhancing Peer Review: What's An Applicant to Do?” Slides and recording of the webinar are now available. Answers to forum questions as soon as possible. The webinar had a record 1000 participants.

March 4, 2010

On March 15, 2:00 – 4:00, NIH will participate in a webinar to help small business concerns prepare for the April 5 submission deadline. Those submitting for the first time may be feeling overwhelmed. Experienced applicants may also find it a daunting task given the recent Enhancing Peer Review changes that are now in effect. Registration is free but mandatory and may be completed at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/735602218. Additional information is available at April 5_Submission_Email. (PDF - 30 KB)

February 4, 2010

Congress has not yet completed the SBIR and STTR reauthorizations so have again extended the SBIR and STTR programs “as is” through April 30, 2010. This extension affects ten of the eleven agencies (including NIH) that participate in SBIR. DoD’s programs were previously extended through September 30, 2010, as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 and are not affected by this recent extension.

January 15, 2010

The PHS 2010-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC, FDA, and ACF for SBIR/STTR Grant Applications and SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide for SBIR/STTR Grant Applications are now available. The solicitation consists of: (1) parent funding opportunity announcement (FOA) for SBIR, (2) a parent FOA for STTR, and (3) narrative descriptions of the programs and research topics (in PDF - 1.60 MB and MS Word - 1.4 MB formats). The due dates for CY 2010 are April 5, August 5, and December 5. AIDS and AIDS-related applications are due May 7, September 7, 2010, and January 7, 2011.