Grants / Department of Agriculture / National Institute of Food and Agriculture

USDA-NIFA-SBIR-008801: Small Business Innovation Research Program - Phase II

Closed Closed April 6, 2022 Opportunity USDA-NIFA-SBIR-008801 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs Phase II (USDA-NIFA-SBIR-012221). Status: Closes November 17, 2026 (10 days left). It is in our archive of National Institute of Food and Agriculture notices from 2022.

• Award ceiling$650,000
• Total funding$19.5 million
• Cost sharingNot required
• Funding typeGrant

Key dates

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to the applicants described in the notice.

• Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

Only previous USDA-NIFA SBIR Phase I awardees who have not previously applied for Phase II support are eligible to apply for Phase II support through this FY 2022 RFA. This includes those awardees identified via a “novated” or “successor-in-interest” revised funding agreement. A Phase I project may only apply for a Phase II award once. If a Phase I awardee was unsuccessful in receiving a Phase II award with a previous application, then the awardee is not eligible to resubmit the proposal under this or a future Phase II program solicitation. Failure to meet an eligibility criterion by the application deadline may result in the application being excluded from consideration or, even though an application may be reviewed, will preclude USDA NIFA from making an award. Each applicant submitting an application must qualify as a Small Business Concern (SBC) through registration with the SBA for R/R&D purposes at the time of award (see Definitions in Part VIII).SBIR/STTR program eligibility requirements are in place to ensure that the funds go only to small, independent businesses within the United States. The regulations include restrictions about (1) the type of firm, (2) its ownership structure, and (3) the firm’s size in terms of the number of employees. The purpose of the requirement regarding type of firm is to target the awards to firms with an economic interest in developing the idea or research into a commercial application. The purpose of the ownership requirement is to limit the program to independent firms controlled by United States citizens or permanent resident aliens as a way of maximizing the likelihood that the funding will stimulate innovative activity within the United States economy. The purpose of the size restriction (number of employees of the firm and its affiliates) is to limit program funding to small business concerns which have a unique capacity for innovation and are more likely to be constrained by lack of access to such funding.

Is this a realistic fit?

• Past Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program / Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program awards averaged $274,977; this notice allows up to $650,000 per award.
• Most of the program's money (95% over five years) went to small businesses.
• No cost sharing or match is required.

What the grant funds

All Phase II projects must have previously completed a successful USDA Phase I project before applying for a Phase II grant. Success rates for applicants have been 40-50% for Phase II. Projects dealing with agriculturally-related manufacturing and alternative and renewable energy technologies are encouraged across all SBIR topic areas. USDA SBIR's flexible research areas ensure innovative projects consistent with USDA's vision of a healthy and productive nation in harmony with the land, air, and water. USDA SBIR has awarded over 2000 research and development projects since 1983, allowing hundreds of small businesses to explore their technological potential and providing an incentive to profit from the commercialization of innovative ideas. Click below for more SBIR information.

Category: Agriculture.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, USDA-NIFA-SBIR-012221, which is open now.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.