NIH SBIR/STTR rules have moved recently: the programs were reauthorized through 2031, HHS now caps submissions per fiscal year, and a new Phase IIB award sits above the standard Phase II ceiling. Here is what changed and what it means for your planning.

An NIH SBIR/STTR application uses a specific set of forms in a specific order, and several forms in NIH's general application guide do not apply at all. Here is the full list, plus what to skip with confidence.

NIH SBIR/STTR budgets follow SBA guideline totals, but the number that actually governs your request is often your Institute's own ceiling. Here is how to build a budget that will not get stuck at submission.

NIH SBIR/STTR applications are held to strict formatting and page limit rules, and exceeding them is one of the most common triggers for automatic rejection. Here is what to follow before you start writing.

NIH SBIR/STTR eligibility comes down to four facts about your company: ownership, PD/PI employment, work-split percentages, and where the R&D happens. Here is how each one is certified and where it trips up first-time applicants.

A first-time NIH SBIR/STTR applicant needs four active registrations before submission: SAM, the SBA Company Registry, eRA Commons, and Grants.gov. Here is what each one does and when to start.

See what National Academies data shows about NIH SBIR/STTR-funded companies, including higher venture capital activity, patenting, publications, and median raises.

A free step-by-step guide to submitting a compliant NIH SBIR/STTR application before the September 8 deadline. Every required form, page limit, and rejection trigger in one place.

Learn how to spot stealth-mode biotech startups and decide between NIH and NSF SBIR/STTR Phase I funding, with 2026 caps, criteria, and fit checklists.

Receive the best AI Prompt for finding funding opportunities for your innovative tech!

A viral Reddit claim says NSF SBIR/STTR only funds research, not development. Here's what NSF's 2026 solicitation, Project Pitch rules, and merit review criteria actually require.

The T3CP Patent Holiday SBIR lets small businesses license Department of War patents for free, then win up to $2.4M in SBIR funding to develop them into commercial products and defense prototypes. Learn how this rare government IP licensing and SBIR funding opportunity works in four simple steps, and whether your company qualifies.

Many faculty founders, postdoctoral researchers, and university scientists assume they must immediately leave their university position to pursue NSF funding. Others incorrectly assume that simply being a founder qualifies them to serve as the Principal Investigator (PI) on an SBIR proposal.

The Technical Objectives and Challenges field (3,500 characters) is where you prove you know how to test your innovation. Learn to write measurable objectives, name real technical risks, and manage each — with a weak-vs-strong example.

The NSF Project Pitch Technology Innovation field is capped at 3,500 characters and must describe the scientific insight behind your innovation — not your product. Here's how to write it, why most first-time pitches get declined, and a weak-vs-strong example.

Should you submit your NIH SBIR application in September or wait until January? Learn the pros and cons, how competition may change after reauthorization, and why most startups shouldn't delay a strong proposal.

Learn the differences between Cornerstone, DIBC, and IBAS (ICAM), and discover which defense innovation pathway is best for your technology. Understand membership requirements, OTA opportunities, and how to position your company for DoD industrial base funding

Learn how SBIR/STTR foreign disclosure and foreign risk review requirements affect NIH, NSF, and Department of Defense applicants, including what to disclose and when to prepare.

Learn how the NIH SBIR Just-in-Time (JIT) process works, including required certifications, compliance documents, eRA Commons submission, and common pitfalls.

Government grants don't go to the best idea in the room. They go to the best-prepared application. Learn the compliance mistakes that quietly kill strong proposals — and what one startup changed to win after getting rejected for reasons that had nothing to do with their technology.