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GAITHERSBURG, Md. — The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded more than $7 million in funding to 23 U.S. small businesses in 14 states through two separate efforts under its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. Nearly $3.2 million in funding will go to help four businesses advance technologies in response to the coronavirus, and nearly $4 million will go to 19 businesses to advance technologies in manufacturing, privacy, medical diagnostics and more.
The American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021 enabled the four awards for “research, development, and testbeds to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.” These awards were conducted under the SBIR Fast-Track Program, which uses a competitive selection process to award Phase I and Phase II programs simultaneously rather than through two separate competitions. This process allows Fast-Track awardees to conduct research and development of their technologies (Phase I), followed by development of a prototype (Phase II).
In Fast-Track Phase I, awardees will receive up to $200,000 to establish the merit, feasibility and commercial potential of the proposed research and development. After successful completion of their Phase I projects, awardees are eligible to receive Phase II funding of up to $600,000 to continue their efforts.
The nearly $4 million in funding that was awarded to 19 small businesses was made through NIST’s annual SBIR solicitation. The competitively selected proposals were submitted in response to a call for innovative products addressing specific technical needs in areas including advanced communications, cybersecurity and privacy, health and biological systems measurements and advanced manufacturing.
These Phase I awardees will receive up to $100,000 to establish the merit, feasibility and commercial potential of the proposed research and development. After completing their Phase I projects, awardees may vie for Phase II funding of up to $40 ..
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