Welcome

The National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program solicits from small businesses scientific and engineering related R&D proposals for contracts that respond to specific technical needs described in the annual Solicitation. Only proposals responding to those specific technical needs expressed in the NIST Solicitation will be reviewed and evaluated for possible funding.

The NIST SBIR Program awards contracts as the funding agreement type for its awards. As such, research conducted by small businesses awarded NIST SBIR funds perform R&D in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) rules and under the supervision of a NIST technical representative that monitors the progress of the R&D.

Information regarding NIST SBIR subtopics will be made available only via the Solicitation. See the Schedule for information on the next open period.

At no time will technical point of contact information be released for any given subtopic. An open Q&A space will be available for any technical or administrative questions respondents may have during the open period.

The solicitation is made available via the internet exclusively. NIST does not accept electronic submissions of proposals. Proposal preparation and submission instructions are provided within the Solicitation.

Success Stories

If you are a past NIST SBIR awardee who has transitioned or commercialized your SBIR research, then your company is a candidate for the NIST SBIR Success Stories Program. Success stories are posted to the NIST website and may be used in NIST presentations and brochures. These stories also serve as excellent company marketing material.

Company Success Stories

Submit a Success Story

Program Description

The SBIR program was originally established in 1982 by the Small Business Innovation Development Act (P.L. 97-219). Subsequent legislation has extended the program until September 30, 2017. Eleven federal agencies set aside a portion of their extramural research and development budget each year to fund research proposals from small science and technology-based firms.

The SBIR Program goals are:

SBIR supports creative advanced research in important scientific and engineering areas and is designed to encourage the conversion of government-funded R&D into technological innovation and commercial application. SBIR research can lead to important new technology, major breakthroughs, innovative new products, and next-generation products or processes. The program funds the gap from a research-based idea to a prototype that many industrial and venture capital companies find difficult to support.