NIH SBIR/STTR (Parent Omnibus PA-27-100 / PA-27-102)
U.S. National Institutes of Health (with CDC & FDA) · Innovation grant (SBIR/STTR)
VariesPhase I (R43/R41) and Phase II (R44/R42) grants; budget limits follow SBA guidelines and vary by NIH institute, with topic-specific waivers. Award ceiling not stated in the grants.gov listing. NIH takes no equity.
Non-dilutive R&D grants for US small businesses developing biomedical and health technologies, across 27 NIH institutes plus CDC and FDA centers.
Key terms
- Only US small business concerns (SBA definition) may apply; foreign entities and foreign components are not eligible
- STTR (PA-27-102) requires a formal partnership with a US non-profit research institution
- Clinical trials optional; separate NOFOs for Phase IIB Strategic Breakthrough and Commercialization Readiness Pilot
- SBIR/STTR reauthorized through 2031 (April 2026 law), with stronger foreign-risk due diligence
- Requires SAM.gov, eRA Commons, Grants.gov and SBA company registrations before submitting
Eligibility
- Where
- United States
- Stages
- idea, pre-seed, seed, series-a
- Needs VC/accelerator backing
- No
- Needs partner referral code
- No
- Must be incorporated
- Yes
- AI focus required
- No
- Students / researchers
- Not eligible
- Nonprofits
- Not eligible
Also required
- For-profit, >50% owned by US citizens/permanent residents, <=500 employees
- PI must be primarily employed by the small business (SBIR)
How to apply
Register in SAM.gov, eRA Commons and the SBA Company Registry, then submit through Grants.gov/ASSIST under PA-27-100 (SBIR) or PA-27-102 (STTR) by a standard receipt date. Contact the relevant institute's program officer first.
- Benefit
- cash
- Equity-free
- Yes
- Decision time
- —
- Credit validity
- —
- Deadline
- Standard receipt dates 2027-01-05 and 2027-04-05 (NOFOs expire 2027-04-05; reissue expected)
- Status
- Open
Verified 2026-10-23 · source