NOAA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program (11.021)
NOAA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program (Assistance Listing 11.021) is run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, part of the Department of Commerce. It awarded $60.5 million in 185 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $327,122 per award on average. No funding opportunity is open on Grants.gov right now.
The typical award was $175,000. Half of the 185 awards fell between $174,007 and $500,000, and they ranged from $84,270 to $650,000.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$60.5 million
- Grant awards185
- Typical award$175,000
- Awarded in FY 2025$0
- Size rank975 of 1,823
- Type of assistanceProject grants
Key findings
- It is the 975th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 20 largest recipients received 31% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 38 states and territories.
What the program funds
The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) seeks to stimulate technological innovation in the private sector, strengthen the role of small businesses in meeting federal research and development needs, increase private sector commercialization of innovations derived from NOAA-supported research and development efforts, and foster and encourage participation by women-owned and socially disadvantaged small business firms in technological innovation.
Open opportunities
No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.
Rules from the program listing
Who can apply
Applicant Eligibility (1) is organized for profit, with a place of business located in the United States, which operates primarily within the United States, or which makes a significant contribution to the United States economy through the payment of taxes or use of American products, materials or labor; (2) is in the legal form of an individual proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company, corporation, joint venture, association, trust or cooperative, except that where the form is a joint venture, there can be no more than 49 percent participation by foreign business entities in the joint venture; (3) is at least 51 percent owned and controlled by one or more individuals who are citizens of, or permanent resident aliens in, the United States, except in the case of a joint venture, where each entity in the venture must be 51 percent owned and controlled by one or more individuals who are citizens of, or permanent resident aliens in the United States; and (4) has, including its affiliates, not more than 500 employees. The term "affiliates" is defined in greater detail in 13 CFR 121.103. The term "number of employees" is defined in 13 CFR 121.106.
What the money can and cannot pay for
The selected areas of research are: Extreme Events and Cascading Hazards, Coastal Resilience, The Changing Ocean, Water Availability, Quality, and Risk, Effects of Space Weather, Monitoring and Modeling for Climate Change Mitigation, The Small Business Innovation Research Program is carried out in three separate phases: The purpose of Phase I is to determine the scientific, technical, and commercial merit and feasibility of the proposed research. NOAA Phase I grants are up to $175,000 for a 6-month period of performance. Phase II is the research and development (R&D) or prototype development phase. It requires a comprehensive proposal outlining the research and a detailed plan to commercialize the final product. Phase II grants are up to $650,000 for a 24-month period of performance. Phase III is to be conducted by the small business concern (including joint ventures and limited partnerships), and will be non-SBIR funded through the exercising of a follow-on funding commitment. The purpose of Phase III is to stimulate technological innovation and the national return on investment from research through the pursuit of commercialization objectives resulting from the supported work carried out in Phases I and II. Grant funds must be used for allowable costs necessary to conduct approved fundamental and applied research, extension and education objectives .
Matching requirements
This program has no statutory formula. Matching is optional and can be provided by the small business, the state where the business is located, or other sources.MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.
Award range and average, in the agency's words
Maximum allowable amounts are as follows: Phase I grants: $175,000 each Phase II grants: $650,000 each
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal Year2017: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase I: • Mobile coastal monitor • Flow cytometry for aquatic single-particle optical properties • Improved Modelling for Aquaculture Site Selection, Evaluation and Permitting • Dart Improvement for Tagging Cetaceans • Automated tools for detecting risks associated with aquaculture or the environment • Single Mast Antenna System for Long-Range High Frequency Radar Station Resiliency • Sensor for detecting the toxins that cause Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning • Seabed settling detection and measurement technique • Standards for environmental molecular assays for toxic and harmful organisms • Smartphone App for Marine Weather Observations • Position Error Maps for GPS/GNSS • Development of VTOL Fixed Wing UAS with 15 lb Payload • Robust Field-Deployable Measurements of Aerosol Composition • A robust HCl detector to characterize global halogen cycles • Data assimilation tool for improving NOAA operational forecasting systems • Low Cost, High Precision Citizen Science Coastal and Ocean Monitoring Tools • Advanced analysis software for new-generation gas chromatographs and mass spectrometers • Maritime and Arctic Observations (MAS) with Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) • NOy Cavity Right-Down Instrument Fiscal Year2018: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase I: • Mobile coastal monitor • Flow cytometry for aquatic single-particle optical properties • Improved Modelling for Aquaculture Site Selection, Evaluation...
Funding history and past recipients
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, NOAA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program (11.021) awarded $60.5 million across 185 grant awards, an average of $327,122 per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Synthetik Applied Technologies LLC | Texas | 5 | $1.4 million |
| Aerodyne Research Inc | Massachusetts | 3 | $1.3 million |
| Coastaloceanvision, Inc | Massachusetts | 3 | $1.2 million |
| Blue Ocean Gear Inc. | California | 3 | $1.2 million |
| Intellisense Systems Inc | California | 3 | $1.2 million |
| CFD Research Corporation | Alabama | 3 | $1.1 million |
| Charles River Analytics, Inc. | Massachusetts | 2 | $899,854 |
| Cvision Ai Inc | Massachusetts | 2 | $847,901 |
| Lynntech Inc. | Texas | 2 | $825,570 |
| Stratosolutions Inc | Illinois | 3 | $825,000 |
| Live Advantage Bait, LLC | Florida | 3 | $825,000 |
| Applied Ocean Sciences, LLC | Virginia | 2 | $825,000 |
| Waihome LLC | Hawaii | 2 | $825,000 |
| Viable Gear Inc. | Maine | 2 | $825,000 |
| Ensemble Government Services, LLC | Maryland | 2 | $825,000 |
| Orbotic Systems Inc | California | 2 | $824,999 |
| Space Environment Technologies, LLC | California | 2 | $824,995 |
| Space Balloon Technologies Corp | Florida | 2 | $824,994 |
| Linespect LLC | California | 2 | $824,992 |
| Connectsix LLC | Florida | 2 | $824,968 |
Who usually wins
Small businesses received 70% of the money, businesses 28% and individuals 0.8%.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small businesses | 118 | $42.6 million | 70% |
| Businesses | 65 | $17.2 million | 28% |
| Individuals | 1 | $499,955 | 0.8% |
| State and local governments | 1 | $175,000 | 0.3% |
By state
18 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| California | 35 | $11.5 million |
| Massachusetts | 18 | $6.3 million |
| Florida | 16 | $5.2 million |
| Maine | 7 | $2.9 million |
| Texas | 8 | $2.6 million |
| Hawaii | 8 | $2.5 million |
| Virginia | 8 | $2.5 million |
| North Carolina | 7 | $2.1 million |
| Colorado | 7 | $2.1 million |
| Alabama | 5 | $1.9 million |
| Rhode Island | 5 | $1.8 million |
| Maryland | 6 | $1.8 million |
| Pennsylvania | 5 | $1.7 million |
| Montana | 4 | $1.4 million |
| New Hampshire | 4 | $1.3 million |
| Washington | 4 | $1.3 million |
| Minnesota | 3 | $1.3 million |
| Arizona | 3 | $1.3 million |
| Illinois | 3 | $825,000 |
| Vermont | 2 | $824,968 |
| Nevada | 2 | $824,201 |
| District of Columbia | 2 | $822,896 |
| Alaska | 2 | $797,854 |
| Michigan | 3 | $709,333 |
| Ohio | 2 | $650,000 |
| South Dakota | 2 | $549,534 |
| North Dakota | 1 | $499,826 |
| New York | 1 | $356,844 |
| Utah | 2 | $349,957 |
| Louisiana | 2 | $324,890 |
| Georgia | 1 | $175,000 |
| Indiana | 1 | $175,000 |
| West Virginia | 1 | $174,966 |
| New Mexico | 1 | $174,835 |
| New Jersey | 1 | $174,790 |
| Wisconsin | 1 | $174,536 |
| Idaho | 1 | $150,000 |
| Kentucky | 1 | $150,000 |