Blog
Practical guidance on SBIR, STTR, and other non-dilutive funding from the BW&CO team. Read about agency programs, proposal strategy, compliance after award, and new funding opportunities for deep-tech, biotech, medtech, and defense founders.
Three funding moves to make after the election
Three practical funding moves for deep-tech founders: get reliable agency guidance, pursue other well-matched funders, and combine grants with private investment.
State SBIR Matching Funds: How Much Your State Adds to Your Award
Several states add cash on top of a federal SBIR or STTR award. Here’s what North Carolina, Alabama, Maryland, Montana and Kentucky pay, how they decide, and who qualifies.
NASA SBIR TABA: How to Use Up to $56,500 for Commercialization Help
NASA SBIR and STTR proposers can request up to $6,500 in Phase I and $50,000 in Phase II for outside commercialization help. See what TABA covers and how to request it.
Talk to NASA Before the Topics Drop: How the SBIR Blackout Period Works
NASA SBIR and STTR technical experts go quiet once topics are released. Learn when the blackout starts, who to contact at NASA now, and how to prepare for appendix 27A.
NIH SBIR Funding Fell 17% in FY2026: What It Means for FY2027
NIH SBIR and STTR grant funding fell about 17% in FY2026 after the six-month program lapse. See what changed, what carries over to FY2027, and how to plan under the new nine-application cap.
How to Choose an SBIR Consulting Firm for Deep-Tech Startups
What to look for in an SBIR consulting firm, from fit assessment and technical depth to verifiable results and clear pricing, plus the questions to ask and red flags to avoid before you sign.
SBIR Proposal Caps in FY2027: How Many Proposals Each Agency Allows
Starting in FY2027, every SBIR/STTR agency must cap how many proposals one company can submit. HHS/NIH allows nine per year, NSF two Project Pitches, NASA two proposals, and DoW limits proposals per topic. Here is how to plan around the new limits.
NIH Foreign Risk Denials: Why Your Consultants and Contractors Matter Most
NIH denied every SBIR/STTR application it flagged for foreign ties in 2023 and 2024, and more than half of HHS denials trace to consultants or contractors. Here is what founders should screen before they submit.
You Just Got Your NIH Phase I Award: What’s Next?
Just won an NIH SBIR or STTR Phase I? A compliance specialist’s plain-English guide to your first 60 days: drawdowns, allowable costs, reporting traps, money first-time awardees miss, and how to start positioning for Phase II.
How NIH Funds CROs: A Guide to SBIR for Contract Research Organizations
NIH SBIR can pay a small CRO to build its next service. See what NIH has funded at 13 service companies, what your CRO could propose, and how Phase I and Phase II work.
How to Build a Second-Source Case After the Missile Multiyears
Two missile multiyears worth up to $45 billion combined go to one prime. For suppliers, the useful question is whether the part's users want a second source and what it takes to qualify.
SBIR and STTR Foreign Risk Review in 2026: What Reviewers Look For and What to Fix Before You Apply
The 2026 SBIR and STTR reauthorization expanded foreign risk reviews. Here is what reviewers check, which issues are real red flags, which are false alarms, and what to clean up before you apply.
The Pentagon Is Buying 60,000 Drones. Here Are Three Ways Deep-Tech Founders Get In.
The Pentagon’s roughly $1.1 billion Drone Dominance Program is creating a few scaled drone champions and pushing them onto a domestic supply chain. That opens doors for far more than drone makers.
The Navy Wants Help Getting People to Adopt New Technology. That Opens a Door for Non-Defense Startups.
NAWCAD says technology adoption fails when workforce adoption comes second. Its new challenge is open to small businesses and nontraditional companies, and it fits far more of them than a typical Navy topic.
“Capability in 24 Months or Less”: How Deep-Tech Founders Can Build a Minimum Viable Capability
A Pentagon official says his office delivers capability in 24 months or less, or it's a science project. How can deep tech meet that clock? Build a minimum viable capability.
Open Topics Are Shrinking. Here Is How to Keep Funding Moving When You Have Demand.
The customer now shows up before the topic does. Founders who keep talking to new users, and who know the routes beyond the next open topic, can keep funding moving.
Does the Continuing Resolution Mean My SBIR Won’t Be Funded?
No. SBIR is authorized through 2031 and funded as a share of agency R&D budgets that continue under the CR. The real risk is slower award decisions.
What 44 FY2026 NCI SBIR Awards Tell Cancer Diagnostic Device Founders About the Next Round
An analysis of 44 FY2026 NCI SBIR and STTR awards, and what the funding, study section, and timing patterns mean for cancer diagnostic device founders.
The NIH SBIR Regulatory Plan: What It Is, Who Needs One, and What Goes In It
What the NIH SBIR/STTR Regulatory Plan attachment requires, who must submit it, and what belongs in all eight sections. Free 2-page template from BW&CO.