OpportunityTitle: Small Business Innovation Research Program - Phase I
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: Each applicant submitting an application must qualify as a small business concern for R/R&amp;D purposes at the time of award, (see definitions in section 2.0). A potential grantee that is a subsidiary must show that the parent company is also a small business entity and the parent company must provide documentation supporting their small business status (the documentation should be included in Field 12, Other Attachments, of the Research and Related (R&amp;R) Other Project Information form). If the parent company is not a small business entity, then the subsidiary is not eligible to submit an SBIR application. In addition, the primary employment of the Project Director (PD) must be with the small business concern at the time of award and during the conduct of the proposed research, unless otherwise approved in writing by NIFA. Primary employment means that more than one-half of the PD&#146;s time is spent in the employ of the small business. Primary employment with the small business precludes the applicant as a full-time employee with another organization. This requirement applies to Phase I awards and any deviations from this requirement must be approved in writing by the USDA Authorized Departmental Officer (ADO) after consultation with the appropriate National Program Leader (NPL). While the PD must work more than one-half of his/her time for the small business during the entire grant period, there is no minimal time requirement for what percentage of the PD&#146;s time is spent working on the proposed research.
Description: See the 2014 USDA SBIR request for applications (RFA) by clicking the RFA link on the table below. Funds may be awarded up to $100,000 for Phase I and up to $450,000 for Phase II. Success rates for applicants have been about 14% for Phase I and 50-60% for Phase II. Projects dealing with agriculturally related manufacturing and alternative and renewable energy technologies are encouraged across all 2014 SBIR topic areas. USDA SBIR&apos;s flexible research areas ensure innovative projects consistent with USDA&apos;s vision of a healthy and productive nation in harmony with the land, air, and water. USDA SBIR has awarded over 2000 research and development projects since 1983, allowing hundreds of small businesses to explore their technological potential, and providing an incentive to profit from the commercialization of innovative ideas.
GrantorContactEmailDescription: If you have any questions related to preparing application content
GrantorContactText: NIFA Help Desk  &lt;br/&gt;Phone: 202-401-5048  &lt;br/&gt;Business hours are M-F, 7:00 am -5:00 pm ET, excluding Federal holidays  &lt;br/&gt;