SBIR and STTR
Also called: SBIR, STTR, Small Business Innovation Research, Small Business Technology Transfer, Phase I, Phase II, Phase III, America's Seed Fund
SBIR and STTR are the federal programs that fund small business research and development through phased awards, with STTR requiring a formal partnership with a research institution, and both allowing follow-on Phase III work to be awarded without further competition.
Both programs come from the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638) and are governed by SBA policy directives, with each participating agency (the Department of Defense, NIH, NASA, NSF, DOE and others) running its own solicitations and topics. Phase I tests feasibility, Phase II develops the work, and Phase III is commercialization paid for with non-SBIR money; FAR 6.302-5 and the directives let an agency award Phase III work sole source to the firm that did the earlier phases. Eligibility requires a for-profit U.S. small business, majority owned by individuals or by qualified investors, with the principal investigator meeting the program's employment rule; STTR adds a minimum share of the work at the partner institution.
What to check: the current topics and dates on SBIR.gov and the agency site, whether the award is a contract or a grant (the rules differ), the data rights you keep, and the DoD's open topics and direct-to-Phase II options.
What it is not: a set-aside under FAR Part 19, and not a loan or an equity investment.
See also: Sole source award, Size standard, SAM.gov, Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS)
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