The Department of Defense has pre-issued two solicitations simultaneously: an SBIR (SBIR 2010.3) and an STTR (STTR 2010.B). There are separate topics for each solicitation, so you cannot submit an SBIR proposal for an STTR topic and vice versa. Utilize the DOD Topic Search Engine to find topics that match your company’s capabilities.
Read the solicitations in detail as SBIR and STTR are slightly different. Also, read the separate Component-specific (Army, AF, DARPA, MDA, etc.) instructions as proposal requirements vary among the Components.
The DOD will begin accepting proposals on August 17th and all proposals must be submitted before 6:00 AM on September 15th. You are urged to contact the topic Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) to ask additional technical questions not found in the topic itself. You may NOT make direct contact with the TPOC after August 16th–don’t wait until the last minute to ask questions and expect them to respond to you ASAP, it might take some time for them to get back with you.
Your company will need a Tax ID #, DUNs #, and CAGE code before you register to submit your proposal. If you do not have these numbers, you need to start soon as obtaining these numbers might take some time. See the document “Registration Requirements” for more information.
Do you have a technology that might be useful in the Gulf Oil Crisis? The National Science Foundation is exploring all options. Even if the leak is capped today, there will be a problem in the Gulf and surrounding areas for months and even years. Solutions related to all facets of impact will be needed.
NSF issued a RAPID (Grants for Rapid Response Research) for the Gulf Crisis at the end of May. RAPIDs are used to enable research on unanticipated events such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or any event where timely presence is required to enable the research.
NSF is seeking brief proposals (2-5 pages) before September 30th. Research awards will be made up to $200Kif justified. Unlike the standard NSF review process, these proposals will only go through an internal review before the awards are made, reducing the timeline.
PI(s) must contact the NSF program officer(s) whose expertise is most germane to the proposal topic before submitting a RAPID proposal. This will facilitate determining whether the proposed work is appropriate for RAPID funding.
For more details see: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/pappguide/nsf10_1/gpg_2.jsp#IID1.
All questions regarding this RAPID, should be directed to Dr. Don Senich (dsenich@nsf.gov) or Mr. Kevin Simmons (kesimmons@nsf.gov).
The USDA has released it’s FY 2011 SBIR solicitation. Proposals will be due no later than September 2nd and must include a budget of no more than $100,000 for an 8-month period.
The USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has identified five primary “societal challenge areas”. Proposals that fit in one of the topics below AND address these challenge areas are highly encouraged:
1. Global Food Security and Hunger
2. Climate Change
3. Sustainable Bioenergy
4. Childhood Obesity
5. Food Safety
Proposals are also encouraged in these government-wide initiatives:
1. Agriculturally-related Manufacturing Technology
2. Energy Efficiency and Alternative and Renewable Energy
The Topics for this solicitiation are:
8.1-Forests and Related Resources;
8.2-Plant Production and Protection – Biology;
8.3-Animal Production and Protection;
8.4-Air, Soil and Water Resources;
8.5-Food Science and Nutrition;
8.6-Rural and Community Development;
8.7-Aquaculture;
8.8- Biofuels and Biobased Products;
8.12-Small and Mid Size Farms;
8.13-Plant Production and Protection – Engineering
Please be sure to read the solicitation for proposal preparation instructions and topic descriptions.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate has an open SBIR Solicitation. Proposals are due on June 24th and could result in Phase I Awards up to $100,000. Companies may contact the DHS with technical questions before June 10th. Topics in this solicitation are:
- Detector for Smuggled Currency
- Next Generation Vacuum Systems for Hand-held Mass Spectrometers
- Large-Scale Network Survivability, Rapid Recovery, and Reconstitution
- Non-Detonable, Non-Hazardous, Low-Cost, Hexamethylene Triperoxide Diamine (HMTD) Training Aids for Canines
- Automated Tool for Assessing Usability
- Helmet with Embedded Active Display for Emergency Responders (HEADER)
- Accelerating the Deployment of DHS Center of Excellence Research through Advanced Business Practices
- Handheld Multisensor Wand for the Detection of Threat or Illicit Objects on Persons
- Personal Situational Awareness App
Read the solicitation for further details.
NOTE: DHS encourages submission of topics for future solicitations. Check their site out for more details.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Procurement Operations (OPO), Domestic Nuclear Detection Office Acquisition Division (DNDOAD) is seeking proposals for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), Program, Phase I.
There are two VERY SPECIFIC technical topics for this proposal:
1. Radiation Detection Modules for the Geospatial Location Accountability and Navigation System for Emergency Responders (GLANSER) system.
2. Neutron detectors including replacement for He-3
While there are only 2 topics for this solicitation, if your company can carry out this research and develop the product DHS needs, a Phase I proposal is up to $150,000 for up to 6 months of research.
Proposals are due May 11th. See solicitation for details.
You expect “green” topics on an EPA solicitation, but what about “Homeland Security” or “Nanotechnology”? The topics might surprise you. The Environmental Protection Agency just might have a topic that fits the technical mission of your company. Yesterday, the EPA released its 2011 Phase I SBIR solicitation. Why don’t you take a minute to check it out.
Proposals will be due in Washington on May 11th at noon.
Your proposed technology must meet the qualifications of the topic description, have sound technical and scientific merit, and significant commercial application potential.
Topic categories (full topic descriptions are found in the solicitation):
*Green Building
*Innovation in Manufacturing
*Nanotechnology
*Greenhouse Gases
*Drinking Water Monitoring and Treatment
*Wastewater and Sustainable Infrastructure
*Air Pollution Monitoring and Control
*Biofuels
*Waste Monitoring and Management
*Homeland Security
See the full SBIR solicitation (PR-NC-10-10251) for complete details.
The National Science Foundation released its first 2011 SBIR Solicitation for the year. Anticipated funding amount for this solicitation is $45,000,000 (approximately 300 Awards). Maximum funding amount for these Phase I awards is $150,000 for the 6-month feasibility study.
There are four Main Topics with multiple subtopics under each:
Proposals will be due by June 9th.
The Department of Education (DOEd) released two solicitations for 2010 SBIR. One is a Phase I solicitation and the other is a FastTrack solicitation.
The Phase I solicitation, RFP Number: ED-IES-10-R-0009, and the Fast-Track, RFP Number: ED-IES-10-R-0008 (which is actually a combined Phase I and Phase II solicitation) have two main priority topics:
- Education Technology Products for Students
- Education Technology Products for Teachers
Phase I Award: not to exceed $100,000
Phase II Award: not to exceed $750,000
The purpose of the Fast-Track solicitation is to eliminate the gap in time and funding between a Phase I and a Phase II award. NOTE: In order to apply for Fast-Track funding, offerors must submit both 1) a full Phase I proposal and 2) a Fast-Track proposal. Fast-Track proposals that are submitted without a Phase I proposal will not be evaluated.
The Solicitation will close at 11:00 AM on January 11th. This is a paper submission, so be sure to allow time for mail/Fed-X delivery. While the delivery method is paper, companies must still be electronically registered in CCR and ORCA prior to submitting a proposal.
The Department of Defense pre-released its 2010.1 SBIR Topics this morning. The solicitation will be open to proposal submission from December 10, 2009 at 6AM ET through January 13, 2010 6AM ET.
You may directly contact the Topic Manger (listed with the topic) to ask technical questions/clarification prior to December 10th. After this date, your questions and the responding answers will be made public on the website. The DOD is looking for specific solutions to their specific problems A clear understanding of the full problem, mission of the unit needing the solution, and the role of any prime contractors already involved in the solution can be critical information necessary for an effective proposal. Be sure to take advantage of this time to ask questions while you have a competitive advantage.
The DOD components with topics in this solicitation are:
- Army
- Navy
- Air Force
- CBD
- DARPA
- DARTA
- SOCOM
Each component has its own set of instructions, so be sure to read the DOD’s the full solicitation and the component’s specific instructions.
The DOD has its own DOD SBIR search engine to search for topics specifically in this solicitation. All proposals will be submitted through the DODSBIR.net system.
The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate, pre-issued its 2010.1 SBIR Solicitation. The full solicitation will be released on November 18th and the agency will accept proposals until 4:30 PM on January 4th. Phase I Awards are up to $100,000.
Topic titles for this solicitation are:
- H-SB010.1-001 Rechargeable, High Efficient, High Capacity Energy Storage
- H-SB010.1-002 Rare Variant Detection Using Next Generation Sequencing Technology
- H-SB010.1-003 Precision Information Environments
- H-SB010.1-004 Molecular Recognition for Explosives Detection
- H-SB010.1-005 Synthetic Biometrics
- H-SB010.1-006 GPS Resolution in Denied Location (GRIDLOC)
For full topic descriptions and the contact information of the Technical Points of Contact (TPOC) for each topic, please read the full solicitation. Proposers are encouraged to contact the TPOC before November 17th to ask technical questions not clearly stated in the topic description (proposers may not ask for advice or guidance on its solution approach, nor submit additional material). No direct contact may be made with the TPOC after this date.
Proposals will be submitted through the DHS’ secure portal; be sure to register early.