Research and Development Financial Assistance

  • Grants: Non-dilutive funding opportunities that provide substantial investigator flexibility in research design and execution. Grants are anticipated to progress our understanding of natural phenomena.
  • Contracts: Non-dilutive funding opportunities with specific deliverables. Contracts are utilized by federal agencies to elicit solutions for identified agency needs through research and development.
  • Cooperative Agreements: Non-dilutive funding opportunities that incorporate substantial agency guidance and technical assistance. Cooperative Agreements may be agency- or investigator-initiated.
  • Other Transactions: Non-dilutive flexible funding agreements that allow non-traditional contractors to work with agencies to develop solutions for identified agency needs. Other transactions are heavily utilized by the DoD and allow the agency to provide flexible funding structures and timelines to accommodate research and development activities.

Is My Research Project Eligible for Federal Financial Assistance?

Consider these requirements

1. Is the proposed research and/or technology innovative?

  • The innovation has not previously been demonstrated or commercialized
  • The innovation would be eligible for a patent
  • The innovation overcomes previous technical hurdles

2. Is there a robust and defensible research plan to demonstrate the innovation?

  • There is a relevant hypothesis and/or research objectives
  • There are methods available to test the claims of the innovation
  • There are specific quantitative milestones to demonstrate success

3. Is the innovation important?

  • The innovation improves the health and well-being
  • The innovation improves or protects the environment
  • The innovation advances national security
  • The innovation improves quality-of-life
  • The innovation bolsters economic stability and growth
  • The innovation increases access to high quality education and jobs

The SBIR/STTR Program

  • The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) program is only available to for-profit small businesses.
  • The SBIR/STTR program allows small businesses to more effectively compete for funding by eliminating competition from research universities, research institutes, and federally-funded research institutes.
  • The SBIR/STTR program is available in several federal agencies with submission dates available throughout the year.
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