FY 2018 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program | 2018 NIST SBIR 01

Opportunity Information: Apply for 2018 NIST SBIR 01

The FY 2018 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program opportunity is a Phase I research funding competition run by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). It is designed for science- and technology-based small businesses that can propose early-stage R&D work aligned with NIST priorities. NIST is specifically seeking Phase I research applications under a formal Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), and only proposals that directly address one of the defined subtopics listed in Section 9 of the NOFO are considered responsive. In practical terms, this means a company can have strong technical credentials and a promising idea, but if the proposed work does not clearly map to one of those Section 9 subtopics, it will be treated as non-responsive and is not expected to move forward for funding.

To be eligible, the applicant must qualify as a small business concern for R/R&D purposes as defined in Section 1.05 of the NOFO, and this qualification must be true at the time of award (not just at the time of submission). The program also places a strong emphasis on the principal investigator (PI) being genuinely anchored within the small business. The PI must have their primary employment with the applicant company at the time the award is made and throughout the project period. NIST defines primary employment as the PI spending more than half of their time working for the small business, and it explicitly notes that primary employment with the small business rules out full-time employment with another organization. While exceptions are possible, they are not automatic; any deviation from the PI primary employment requirement must be approved in writing by the NIST Grants Officer, and that approval occurs only after consultation with the SBIR Program Manager. In addition, once an award is made, the company cannot freely swap out the PI; replacing the PI on a Phase I SBIR award requires prior written approval from the NIST Grants Officer. The NOFO also clarifies that workers obtained through a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) or similar employee leasing arrangements may still be treated as employees of the awardee, which can matter for meeting staffing and employment-related requirements.

The opportunity requires that the funded research and development work be performed in the United States. NIST allows an applicant to request an exemption, but the bar is high: the request must be submitted in writing at the time the application is submitted, and NIST indicates that only rare and unique circumstances will be considered. Even then, an exemption is not valid unless the NIST Grants Officer approves it in writing and sets the terms of that approval.

A notable restriction in this NOFO is NISTs decision not to use the SBIR authority that would otherwise allow certain majority-venture-backed structures to participate. Specifically, NIST states it will not allow participation by venture capital operating companies (VCOCs), hedge funds, or private equity firms under that expanded eligibility authority. As a result, applications in which the work would be performed by VCOCs will not be considered for award, which signals that NIST intends this solicitation to focus on traditionally qualifying small businesses rather than VC-controlled entities.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity offered as a cooperative agreement, under the science and technology and other research and development activity category, with CFDA number 11.620. The funding opportunity title is FY 2018 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program and the opportunity number is 2018 NIST SBIR 01. The posting indicates an original closing date of April 4, 2018, and a creation date of January 18, 2018. The summary information provided does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards in the source fields shown, but the core intent is clear: NIST is seeking tightly aligned Phase I SBIR proposals from qualifying U.S. small businesses, with strict requirements around topic responsiveness, PI employment commitment, and performance location.

• The National Institute of Standards and Technology in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2018 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.620.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-01-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-04-04. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for 2018 NIST SBIR 01

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