Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer Research (SBIR/STTR) Program

The SBIR and STTR programs are congressionally mandated set-aside programs for domestic small business concerns to engage in Research/Research and Development (R/R&D) that has the potential for commercialization.

The STTR and SBIR programs are similar in that both programs seek to increase the participation of small businesses in federal R&D and to increase private sector commercialization of technology developed through federal R&D.

• The SBIR Program includes the following objectives: using small businesses to stimulate technological innovation; strengthening the role of small business in meeting federal R/R&D needs; increasing private sector commercialization of innovations developed through federal SBIR R&D; increasing small business participation in federal R/R&D; and fostering and encouraging participation by socially and economically disadvantaged small business concerns and women-owned business concerns in the SBIR program.
• The unique feature of the STTR program is the requirement for the small business concern applicant organization to formally collaborate with a research institution in Phase I and Phase II.

To learn more about SBIR and STTR programs at NIDCR, visit the Funding Opportunities page on the seed.nih.gov website (Look for NIDCR in the "Organization" column.)