America's Seed Fund - Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program Phase I

Grants to USA and territories businesses for the development of new technologies. Applicants must submit a letter of intent prior to submitting a full proposal. Applicants are also advised that required registrations may take several weeks to complete. Funding is intended for the development of technically risky and innovative technologies in nearly any science and technology field. Socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses and women-owned small businesses are encouraged to participate.

The NSF SBIR program focuses on transforming scientific discovery into commercial potential and/or societal benefit through the development of products or services. Unlike fundamental or basic research activities which focus on scientific and engineering discovery itself, the NSF SBIR program supports startups and small businesses in technological innovation, that is, the creation of opportunities to move fundamental science and engineering out of the lab and into the market.The NSF SBIR Program funds research and development. The program is designed to provide non-dilutive funding and entrepreneurial support at the earliest stages of company and technology development.By investing federal research and development funds into startups and small businesses, NSF hopes to build a strong national economy and stimulate the creation of novel products, services, and solutions in the private sector; strengthen the role of small business in meeting federal research and development needs; increase the commercial application of federally supported research results; and develop and increase the US workforce, especially by fostering and encouraging participation by socially and economically disadvantaged and women-owned small businesses.The SBIR/STTR Programs at NSF have no specific topical or procurement focus. Generally, the topics included in NSF SBIR and STTR solicitations are broad to permit as many eligible science- and engineering-based small businesses as possible to compete for funding. By doing so, these programs meet the purpose of the SBIR/STTR legislation by transforming science and engineering discovery and innovation into both social and economic benefit, by emphasizing private sector commercialization.The NSF SBIR Program encourages small businesses to submit proposals across all areas of science and engineering (with the exception of proposals requiring clinical trials).While startups and small businesses face many challenges, the NSF SBIR/STTR funding is intended to specifically focus on challenges associated with technological innovation; that is, on the creation of new products, services, and other scalable solutions based on fundamental science or engineering. A successful Phase I proposal demonstrates how NSF funding will help the small business create a proof-of-concept or prototype by retiring technical risk. Funding from NSF may only be used to conduct research and development (R&D) to demonstrate technical feasibility.NSF seeks SBIR/STTR proposals that represent success in three distinct, but related merit review criteria: Intellectual Merit, Broader Impacts and Commercialization Potential.