April 8, 2024
Office of The Director, National Institutes of Health (OD)
This Notice is to inform eligible United States small business concerns of the reissuance of the Omnibus Solicitations of the NIH, CDC and FDA for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant applications.
When reissued, these notices of funding opportunities (NOFOs) will continue to utilize the R41/R42 and R43/44 grant mechanisms. Modifications to these NOFOs will include new and revised research priorities. This Notice is provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and appropriate projects.
These NOFOs are expected to be published in Late Spring 2024 with an expected first application due date in September 2024.
NIH, CDC, and FDA Institutes and Centers likely to participate in one or more of the NOFOs include the following:
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
The SBIR program, as established by law, is intended to meet the following goals: stimulate technological innovation in the private sector; strengthen the role of small business in meeting federal research or research and development (R/R&D) needs; increase the commercial application of f ederally-supported research results; foster and encourage participation by socially and economically disadvantaged small business concerns and women-owned business concerns in the SBIR program; and improve the return on investment from f ederally-funded research for economic and social benefits to the nation.
The STTR program is intended to stimulate a partnership of ideas and technologies between innovative small business concerns and non-profit research institutions through federally-funded research or research and development (R/R&D). By providing awards to small businesses for cooperative R/R&D efforts with non-profit research institutions, the STTR program assists the small business and research communities by commercializing innovative technologies.
SBIR/STTR are phased programs. The main objective in SBIR/STTR Phase I is to establish the technical merit and feasibility of the proposed research and development efforts, whereas in SBIR/STTR Phase II it is to continue the R&D efforts to advance the technology toward ultimate commercialization.
An objective of the SBIR and STTR programs is to increase private sector commercialization of innovations derived from federally supported research and development. At the conclusion of an SBIR/STTR Phase II, it is expected that the small business will fully commercialize their product or technology using non-SBIR/STTR funds (either federal or non-federal).
NIH is committed to supporting a sustainable and diverse biomedical research workforce (see Notice of NIH's Interest in Diversity, NOT-OD-20-031). Research shows that diverse teams working together and capitalizing on innovative ideas and distinct perspectives outperform homogeneous teams. Scientists and trainees from diverse backgrounds and life experiences bring different perspectives, creativity, and individual enterprise to address complex scientific problems. There are many benefits that flow from a diverse NIH-supported scientific workforce, including: fostering scientific innovation, enhancing global competitiveness, contributing to robust learning environments, improving the quality of research, advancing the likelihood that underserved populations and those that experience health disparities and inequities participate in and benefit from health research, and enhancing public trust. Fostering and encouraging participation by socially and economically disadvantaged and women-owned small businesses in technological innovation is one of the goals of the SBIR and STTR programs. (https://www.sbir.gov/sites/default/files/SBA%20SBIR_STTR_POLICY_DIRECTIVE_May2023.pdf).
NIH anticipates re- issue of the four Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs):
Please direct all inquiries to:
SEED (Small business Education and Entrepreneurial Development)
Office of Extramural Research
301-827-8595
[email protected]