SBIR/STTR Partnering
Each year, 11 federal agencies set aside more than $2 billion to fund research and development at small businesses, through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program. Federal agencies issue solicitations for proposals on specific research topics, annually or more often, and small businesses respond with proposals.
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Battelle, which manages the Laboratory for the Department of Energy, have a history of partnering with small businesses applying for SBIR/STTR fund. Teaming with PNNL or another national laboratory, small businesses:
- have a better chance of winning. Proposals are two times more likely to be funded when small businesses are partnering with a national laboratory or research institution than without: 13% of Phase 1 proposals are funded for small businesses alone; up to 1 in 4 with a national laboratory partner are funded.
- bring more to the table. With 4,200 staff (including 800 PhDs) and hundreds of millions of dollars of federally-funded equipment and world-class facilities on our campus, PNNL can augment and support the capabilities of small businesses.
- can tap into our SBIR/STTR experience. We have participated in dozens of SBIR/STTR projects for a variety of federal agencies in areas including electro optics, advanced materials, instrumentation, and software.