SBIR About | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)
Source: https://science.osti.gov/sbir/About
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:19
SBIR About | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)
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About
New to the DOE SBIR & STTR Programs?
We encourage all to start out by watching our two minute Programs
Overview Video
. For a deeper dive, please watch the
Overview Webinar
. The overview webinar is about 25 minutes and provides an in-depth understanding of the purpose of the programs, the technology areas covered, and the grant application process. To just view the presentation slides, click
here
.
SBIR/STTR Programs Goals
The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program was established by Congress in 1982 [Public Law 97-219]. It major goals are to:
Stimulate technological innovation
Use small business to meet Federal R/R&D needs
Foster and encourage participation by the socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses, and those that are 51 percent owned and controlled by women, in technological innovation
Increase private sector commercialization of innovations derived from Federal R/R&D, thereby increasing competition, productivity, and economic growth
The Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program was established by Congress in 1992 [Public Law 102-564]. Its major goals are to:
Stimulate and foster scientific and technological innovation through cooperative research and development carried out between small business concerns and research institutions
Foster technology transfer between small business concerns and research institutions
Through subsequent reauthorization for both programs [Public Laws 106-554, 107-50, 112-81], Congress has continued to expand and evolve the programs. Examples include the requirement for proposal evaluation to consider commercial potential of the proposed R&D, periodic evaluations of the SBIR/STTR programs by the National Academies and the Government Accountability Office, and the establishment of pilot programs to evaluate potential program improvements.
The Federal SBIR STTR Programs were reauthorized on September 30, 2022, when the SBIR/STTR Extension Act of 2022 became law. This Act extends the SBIR STTR Programs through to September 30, 2025.
SBIR and STTR Have Three Distinct Phases
Phase I
Phase II/IIA/IIB/IIC
Phase III
Feasibility/Proof of concept
6 to 12 months in duration
Awards up to $200,000 or $250,000
Prototyping & Demonstration
Up to 2 years in duration
Awards up to $1.1M or $1.6M (Phase II Only)
Pursuit of commercialization
Not SBIR funding
Work that derives from, extends or completes the effort of prior Phase I and II awards
Pursuit of commercialization
Read More
How much money is set aside?
Each Fiscal Year (FY), the 11 participating SBIR and STTR federal agencies set aside a percentage of their extramural R&D budgets for these programs. Extramural refers to federal funding that an agency awards to external entities such as universities, national laboratories, and private businesses to address the principal agency mission needs.
The SBIR and STTR allocations have been constant during the period of 2019 to 2023 at 3.2% and 0.45% of agency extramural R&D for SBIR and STTR, respectively.
In FY 2022, DOE issued $348 million in SBIR/STTR awards to over 650 small businesses.
SBIR.gov
The Small Business Administration serves as the Administrator for the federal SBIR/STTR programs and establishes policy directives for their operation. More information about the federal SBIR/STTR programs can be found at their
website
.
DOE SBIR & STTR PROGRAMS RESEARCH AREAS
Within DOE the following R&D Programs participate in the DOE SBIR & STTR Programs. Click on each office to read about their mission and research areas.
SBIR/STTR topics are drawn from the mission areas of the participating programs. ARPA-E runs its own independent SBIR/STTR Programs; more information about ARPA-E can be found at their
website
.
Evaluation of the DOE SBIR/STTR Programs
Congress has directed DOE to conduct periodic evaluations of the SBIR/STTR by the National Academies. Electronic copies of the
2008
,
2016
and
2020
reports are available at no cost from the National Academies Press website.
For additional information on the DOE SBIR/STTR Programs . . .
Please contact the DOE SBIR/STTR Programs Office by phone at 301-903-5707 or by email at
sbir-sttr@science.doe.gov
.
Contact the DOE SBIR/STTR Programs Office
Address
U.S. Department of Energy
SC-29/Germantown Building
1000 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20585
Phone
Tel(301) 903-5707
Email
Send us a message
sbir-sttr@science.doe.gov
Read more about
Join Mailing List
Subscribe to email updates from the SBIR & STTR Programs
Subscribe
Provide Feedback
Submit suggestions for improving the SBIR & STTR Programs
here
Follow us on
Top
Leaving Office of Science
The link you have requested will take you to a website outside the Office of Science.
Please click the following link to continue:
Thank you for visiting our site. We hope your visit was informative and enjoyable.
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SBIR About | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)
Official websites use .gov
A
.gov
website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A
lock
(
) or
https://
means you’ve safely connected to
the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official,
secure websites.
About
New to the DOE SBIR & STTR Programs?
We encourage all to start out by watching our two minute Programs
Overview Video
. For a deeper dive, please watch the
Overview Webinar
. The overview webinar is about 25 minutes and provides an in-depth understanding of the purpose of the programs, the technology areas covered, and the grant application process. To just view the presentation slides, click
here
.
SBIR/STTR Programs Goals
The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program was established by Congress in 1982 [Public Law 97-219]. It major goals are to:
Stimulate technological innovation
Use small business to meet Federal R/R&D needs
Foster and encourage participation by the socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses, and those that are 51 percent owned and controlled by women, in technological innovation
Increase private sector commercialization of innovations derived from Federal R/R&D, thereby increasing competition, productivity, and economic growth
The Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program was established by Congress in 1992 [Public Law 102-564]. Its major goals are to:
Stimulate and foster scientific and technological innovation through cooperative research and development carried out between small business concerns and research institutions
Foster technology transfer between small business concerns and research institutions
Through subsequent reauthorization for both programs [Public Laws 106-554, 107-50, 112-81], Congress has continued to expand and evolve the programs. Examples include the requirement for proposal evaluation to consider commercial potential of the proposed R&D, periodic evaluations of the SBIR/STTR programs by the National Academies and the Government Accountability Office, and the establishment of pilot programs to evaluate potential program improvements.
The Federal SBIR STTR Programs were reauthorized on September 30, 2022, when the SBIR/STTR Extension Act of 2022 became law. This Act extends the SBIR STTR Programs through to September 30, 2025.
SBIR and STTR Have Three Distinct Phases
Phase I
Phase II/IIA/IIB/IIC
Phase III
Feasibility/Proof of concept
6 to 12 months in duration
Awards up to $200,000 or $250,000
Prototyping & Demonstration
Up to 2 years in duration
Awards up to $1.1M or $1.6M (Phase II Only)
Pursuit of commercialization
Not SBIR funding
Work that derives from, extends or completes the effort of prior Phase I and II awards
Pursuit of commercialization
Read More
How much money is set aside?
Each Fiscal Year (FY), the 11 participating SBIR and STTR federal agencies set aside a percentage of their extramural R&D budgets for these programs. Extramural refers to federal funding that an agency awards to external entities such as universities, national laboratories, and private businesses to address the principal agency mission needs.
The SBIR and STTR allocations have been constant during the period of 2019 to 2023 at 3.2% and 0.45% of agency extramural R&D for SBIR and STTR, respectively.
In FY 2022, DOE issued $348 million in SBIR/STTR awards to over 650 small businesses.
SBIR.gov
The Small Business Administration serves as the Administrator for the federal SBIR/STTR programs and establishes policy directives for their operation. More information about the federal SBIR/STTR programs can be found at their
website
.
DOE SBIR & STTR PROGRAMS RESEARCH AREAS
Within DOE the following R&D Programs participate in the DOE SBIR & STTR Programs. Click on each office to read about their mission and research areas.
SBIR/STTR topics are drawn from the mission areas of the participating programs. ARPA-E runs its own independent SBIR/STTR Programs; more information about ARPA-E can be found at their
website
.
Evaluation of the DOE SBIR/STTR Programs
Congress has directed DOE to conduct periodic evaluations of the SBIR/STTR by the National Academies. Electronic copies of the
2008
,
2016
and
2020
reports are available at no cost from the National Academies Press website.
For additional information on the DOE SBIR/STTR Programs . . .
Please contact the DOE SBIR/STTR Programs Office by phone at 301-903-5707 or by email at
sbir-sttr@science.doe.gov
.
Contact the DOE SBIR/STTR Programs Office
Address
U.S. Department of Energy
SC-29/Germantown Building
1000 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20585
Phone
Tel(301) 903-5707
Send us a message
sbir-sttr@science.doe.gov
Read more about
Join Mailing List
Subscribe to email updates from the SBIR & STTR Programs
Subscribe
Provide Feedback
Submit suggestions for improving the SBIR & STTR Programs
here
Follow us on
Top
Leaving Office of Science
The link you have requested will take you to a website outside the Office of Science.
Please click the following link to continue:
Thank you for visiting our site. We hope your visit was informative and enjoyable.
sub nav