Consultations, editing and guidance are available at no cost to Utah businesses. Events, including workshops and seminars, may have nominal fees.

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants and contracts fund small businesses’ research and development (R&D) projects. Together, they provide $4 billion annually to help small businesses minimize risk so innovative technology can move closer to commercialization.

Currently, 11 federal agencies participate in SBIR and five of those also participate in STTR, both of which are congressionally-mandated programs. These non-equity position dollars pay for a company’s research and development efforts. There is no loss of technology ownership, no loss of intellectual property and no payback of funds.

This non-dilutive funding is offered in competitive phases:

• Phase I typically offers $150,000 to $250,000 for a six-month project to prove the feasibility and technical merit of your idea or technology.

• Phase II typically offers $1 to $1.5 million for a 24-month project and is meant to expand the Phase I results and evaluate commercial potential.

• Phase III takes place as the technology moves from the laboratory to the marketplace. While SBIR-STTR funds do not support this phase, some agencies offer sole-source contracts or follow-on non-SBIR funded research and development to help the small business commercialize a product.

Nothing. There is no loss of technology ownership, no loss of intellectual property and no payback of funds. There is a clause in the award language authorizing the government to license the technology in a national emergency. However, this has been exercised just once in over 40 years and thousands of awards.

Agencies are mandated by Congress to participate in the SBIR program when their extramural research budget is greater than $100 million and in the STTR program when it is over $1 billion. Currently, 11 agencies participate in the SBIR program and of those, five also participate in the STTR program (indicated in bold below).

You can search for open topics at Open Topic Search. For links and guidance on SBIR /STTR funding, you can go to SBIR.gov or any of the individual agencies participating in the programs: 

Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Department of Commerce
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Department of Defense (DoD)
Department of Education (DoED)
Department of Energy (DOE)
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Department of Transportation (DOT)
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
National Science Foundation (NSF)

All companies that possess a Utah business license and are eligible for the federal SBIR/STTR program may work with the Utah Innovation Center. The company must meet these federal requirements:

• For-profit company

• American-owned

• At least 51% owned by individuals

• 500 or fewer employees

• The company must be headquartered in Utah.

• And be registered with Utah’s Division of Corporations* or will be upon SBIR/STTR submission.
  
  *Can be incorporated in another state and registered as a foreign LLC with Utah’s Division of Corporations and Commercial Code

Besides being extremely knowledgeable about the SBIR/STTR programs, we can mentor and provide connections to help your small business grow. We also have agency-specific task lists and templates and provide grant-writing assistance for your SBIR/STTR application process. The vast majority of the services we provide are free to Utah small businesses.

The Utah Technology Innovation Fund is a program sponsored by the State of Utah offering to eligible Utah Small Businesses a microgrant ($3,000-$5,000) for first-time SBIR/STTR Phase I applicants, and a Nonrecourse Loan ($50,000-$60,000) to SBIR/STTR Phase II applicants. For more information about the UTIF program and how to apply, please see our UTIF page.

The proposed technology must be in the early stages of research and development (experimental and untested technology), not yet commercialized, and directly address a “topic” from one of the participating federal agencies.

Depending on the federal agency, a “topic” may reference a broad mission or a specific problem to solve. Applicants are invited to propose and develop a new technology that directly addresses the topic.

Contact grow@nucleusutah.org to assess if your proposed technology is a good fit under the SBIR/STTR program.