OSERS/NIDRR: SBIR Phase I Grant for Small Businesses

Purpose of Program: The purpose of the SBIR program is four-fold:
Stimulate technological innovation in the private sector.
Encourage participation in innovation and entrepreneurship by socially and economically disadvantaged persons.
Strengthen the role of small business in meeting Federal research and development (R&D) needs.
Increase private-sector commercialization of innovations derived from U.S. Department of Education (Department) R&D funding.

Background

The Small Business Innovation Development Act of 1982 (Act), Pub. L. 97-219, established the SBIR program. The Act requires certain agencies, including the Department, to reserve a statutory percentage of their extramural R&D budgets for two phases of the three-phase SBIR program (see http://sbir.gov/about/about-sbir for more information on the program).
Phase I awards are to determine, insofar as possible, the scientific or technical merit, feasibility, and commercial potential of R&D projects submitted under the SBIR program. Phase I awards are for amounts up to $75,000 and for a period of up to six months. Phase II projects continue the development of Phase I projects. Funding is based on the results achieved in Phase I and the scientific and technical merit and commercial potential of the proposed Phase II project. Only Phase I grantees are eligible to apply for Phase II funding. Phase II awards are for amounts up to $575,000 over a period of two years.
In Phase III, the small business grantee pursues commercial applications of the Phase I and II R&D. The SBIR program does not fund Phase III.
All SBIR projects funded by NIDRR must address the needs of individuals with disabilities. (See 29 U.S.C. 760.) Project activities may include:
Conducting manufacturing-related R&D that encompasses improvements in existing methods or processes, or wholly new processes, machines, or systems, that benefit individuals with disabilities;
Exploring the uses of technology to ensure equal access to education, employment, community environments, and information for individuals with disabilities; and
Improving the quality and utility of disability and rehabilitation research.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.133S-1.

Applications for grants under the SBIR Program, CFDA number 84.133S-1, must be submitted electronically using the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at www.Grants.gov. Through this site, you will be able to download a copy of the application package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit your application. You may not email an electronic copy of a grant application to us.
You may access the electronic grant application for the SBIR Program at www.Grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable application package for this competition by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number’s alpha suffix in your search (e.g., search for 84.133, not 84.133S).