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Applying for SBIR Grants
The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is a United States government program, coordinated by the Small Business Administration (SBA), intended to assist small businesses to engage in Federal Research/Research and Development (R/R&D) activities. The program aims to enhance both the participation of small businesses in Federal R/R&D and the commercialization potentials of their R&D efforts.[1].
Eligibility Criteria
To qualify for SBIR grants, applicants should meet several criteria:
- Be a for-profit organization.
- Have fewer than 500 employees, including affiliates.
- Be independently owned and operated, not dominated in its field nationwide.
- The principal researcher must be employed by the small business.
- The company must be located in the United States.
- The small business must be majority U.S. owned by individuals and independently operated.[2].
Grant Application Process
1. Identification of an SBIR funding opportunity at one of the federal agencies that participate in the SBIR program. 2. Registration with the System for Award Management (SAM), SBA Company registry, and the SBIR-specific registration site (e.g., eRA Commons for NIH). 3. Submission of a detailed proposal in response to a specific agency's SBIR opportunity, following the guidelines provided by the respective agency. 4. Peer Review of the submitted proposal. 5. Awarding of the SBIR grant and execution of the proposed R/R&D plan.[3].