After more than 5 months, Congress has reauthorized the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program for the next 5 years. The SBIR/STTR program lapsed Oct. 1, 2025 and arguments in Congress regarding “SBIR mills” has prevented reauthorization until this time. Reauthorization signifies a major “win” for small businesses! Federal […]
2026 Reauthorization of the SBIR/STTR Program Read More »
The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program and its companion, the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program, provide non-dilutive funding exclusively to U.S.-based small businesses. These programs support early-stage research and development of innovative products, services, and methods that advance public needs while offering the potential for commercial success. The SBIR/STTR programs lapsed on September
The Fight for the SBIR/STTR Program Read More »
There is no doubt that 2025 brought immense changes to the federal R&D funding landscape. For decades, federal support for science and technology R&D has promoted U.S. leadership in innovation. Federal support coupled to an entrepreneurial environment created an ecosystem for rapid transfer of technology from the lab to the marketplace. This past year has
2025: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: What does it mean for the Future of R&D funding? Read More »
The push to onshore American manufacturing activities is growing and there is a wealth of government support behind the effort. If you are a U.S.-based manufacturer, there are numerous opportunities for funding, technical assistance, and collaborative development available to you. There are several Manufacturing Institutes located around the country that provide support for manufacturers in
American Manufacturing Institutes Read More »
Federal research and development assistance can take several forms. Several agencies possess Other Transactions Authority (OTA) including the Department of Commerce (NOAA), the Department of Energy (ARPA-E), HHS (CDC, NIH, ARPA-H), DOT (FAA), NASA, NSF, and DoD. The DoD especially utilizes OTA for R&D/D work as the DoD has their own stringent version of FAR
Other Transactions: A Different Type of Federal R&D Award Read More »
The U.S.’s transportation systems move $49 billion worth of goods each year and represents critical infrastructure for the U.S. economy and well-being of its citizens. However, it is also responsible for approximately one-third of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants that reduce human and ecological health outcomes. Our transportation infrastructure needs to continuously
The U.S. National Blueprint for Energy and Emissions Innovation in Transportation Read More »
After spending several hours trying to trouble-shoot the MFA protocols for Research.gov over the weekend, I finally figured out the issue. On October 27th, Research.gov began requiring phishing-resistant MFA for Authorized Organizational Representatives (AORs). Currently, the only option for this enhanced MFA is creation of a passkey. The passkey requires Near Field Communications (NFC) between
New MFA protocols for Research.gov Read More »
Preparing your first grant proposal can appear daunting. After all, YOU know why your work is important but how do you explain this to the funding agency? For businesses, it helps to reframe the grant proposal as a business pitch to the government. After all, you are asking for an investment in your business and
Writing a compelling SBIR/STTR proposal Read More »
The Department of Energy’s SPARKS Program (Spurring Projects to Advance energy Research and Knowledge Swiftly) is unique in that it provides an open topic, open deadline, open eligibility opportunity to pitch new technologies in energy and decarbonization research to be pitched directly to ARPA-E program managers. DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) funds transformational solutions
The DOE SPARKS Program Read More »
The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) programs were established to lower the barrier for small businesses to fund the development of new technologies for the marketplace. The SBIR/STTR programs are only available to small businesses (< 500 employees) located in the U.S. Small businesses do not need to
The SBIR/STTR Program Read More »
The National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) was established in 2022 to assist in the translation of technologies from the bench to the marketplace. NSF has traditionally focused on supporting research discovery in academic institutions. Outside of the SBIR program, there were previously few opportunities to support development of technologies for
NSF’s Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships Roadmap Read More »
The Biden White House released their proposed federal research funding in March of 2023. As in the past, the highest funded agency is the DoD followed by HHS, then DOE, NASA, and NSF. The funding appropriations to the USDA, DOC, DOI, and EPA together approximate the funding of the NSF. Keep these numbers in mind
Federal Research Funding in 2024 Read More »
