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NIH staff guidance on coronavirus (NIH Only)
National Institutes of Health (NIH) small business program is a congressionally-mandated set-aside program to encourage research and development leading to commercialization. The program, as established by law, is intended to stimulate a partnership of ideas and technologies in the private sector and strengthen the role of small business in meeting Federal research or research and development (R/R&D) needs.
The small business program at NINDS is used to achieve the mission of the Institute by supporting innovative ideas at different stages of development, including applied bench research, translational research, and early stage clinical trials. While NINDS has specific funding opportunities, many of our applications are investigator initiated and come in through the general NIH SBIR and STTR omnibus solicitations. Please contact program staff if you have questions about which institute(s) would be the best fit for your project.
The NINDS small business program has two main component programs.
The applicant success rates of both the SBIR and STTR programs depend on the budget and the number of applications and can fluctuate from year to year. While the STTR budget is significantly smaller, historically the program gets far fewer applications. Applicants are encouraged to read about both programs and pick the one that best fits their project.
Both of these component programs are structured in three phases, the first two of which are supported using small business program funds.
Note that your firm cannot apply for a Phase II award without completing a Phase I award, as the results of a Phase I are a determining factor in deciding whether there will be a Phase II award.
The NINDS small business program makes use of the following mechanisms, which correspond to the components above:
Further questions? Please contact NINDS SBIR/STTR program staff.