Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program Phase I | 2022 NIST SBIR 01

Opportunity Information: Apply for 2022 NIST SBIR 01

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program Phase I opportunity from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is a federal funding competition aimed at helping eligible small businesses explore the feasibility of early-stage, high-impact research and development ideas. Through this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), NIST is looking for science- and technology-based small firms that can propose strong, well-scoped Phase I research projects that align with NIST mission needs. The central goal of Phase I in the SBIR framework is to support early proof-of-concept work, reduce technical risk, and generate results that justify further development in later stages, including potential Phase II efforts and eventual commercialization.

A key requirement of this NOFO is that each application must clearly connect to a specific NIST technical program area that fits within one of the defined research areas listed in Section 9.0 of the NOFO. In other words, proposals cannot be generic R and D ideas; they need to be explicitly mapped to one of NISTs identified priority topic areas. The solicitation also allows another path: applicants may propose research that leverages a NIST-patented technology that is available for licensing. That means a small business can build a Phase I project around advancing, adapting, or demonstrating a NIST invention, with an eye toward licensing and commercialization, as long as the proposal makes that relationship and technical approach clear.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant opportunity, and awards are made as cooperative agreements rather than standard grants. A cooperative agreement typically indicates that the agency expects to have more substantial involvement during the project than it would under a traditional grant, such as technical collaboration, coordination, or oversight consistent with the program structure. The funding activity category is Science and Technology and other Research and Development, and the program is associated with CFDA (now often referred to as Assistance Listing) number 11.620. The eligible applicant category is listed as "Others," but the substance of the NOFO makes clear that the intended applicants are small businesses that meet SBIR eligibility requirements.

The opportunity is identified as Funding Opportunity Number 2022 NIST SBIR 01, with a creation date of March 2, 2022, and an original closing date of May 3, 2022. The notice emphasizes following the specific application instructions tied to this solicitation (APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS FOR 2022-NIST-SBIR-01), and it underscores that applications must do more than mention NIST topics in passing. They must sufficiently identify and clearly address the chosen NIST technical program area, demonstrating that the proposed Phase I work is responsive to the NOFOs defined research areas or to a licensable NIST patent.

• The National Institute of Standards and Technology in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program Phase I" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.620.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-03-02.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-05-03. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for 2022 NIST SBIR 01

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: