Biological Technologies

The National Science Foundation SBIR/STTR Program supports small businesses performing innovative R&D in 10 broad topic areas, including...

The next deadlines are June 16th (SBIR) and June 18th (STTR), 2015.

Pre-Submission Feedback
You can communicate with Program Director Ruth Shuman (rshuman@nsf.gov) to gauge if a project meets the program's intellectual merit and commercial impact criteria. Email a 1-2 page executive summary discussing the following aspects of the project: 1) the company and team 2) the market opportunity, value proposition, and customers 3) the technology/innovation 4) the competition. Please note that responsiveness will likely be limited in the 2 weeks leading up to the solicitation deadline.

BT1. Agricultural and Food Safety Biotechnology
New approaches for meeting the world's future nutritional needs. For Agricultural Biotechnology, target areas for improvement may include (but are not limited to) drought tolerance, improved nutritional value, enhanced disease resistance, and higher yield. Proposers should use biotechnology in their approach, and should give consideration to technologies that enhance biodiversity, produce less carbon dioxide, and use less water and fertilizer. For Food Safety, this may include handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness, as well as origins of food including the practices relating to food tracking, hygiene, additives, and certification systems.

BT2. Biosensors
Biosensors are sensors that contain a biologically-based sensing element. Proposed projects might include (but are not limited to) real-time sensors, microbial component-based sensors, sensors for monitoring fluxes of metabolites, nanobiotechnology-based sensors, biomedical sensors, and micro- or nanofluidic-based sensors. Application areas of interest may include (but are not limited to) toxicity testing, food safety, drug evaluation, environmental monitoring, and bio-prospecting. Other types of sensors should refer to the EI topic.

BT3. Life Sciences Research Tools
Developing novel technologies that will advance scientific research across the biological spectrum. This may include enabling technologies for drug discovery (high-throughput screening assays and platforms, and high-content screening assays and platforms; novel high-content screening technologies based on characterization of physical properties of cells are of high interest). Proposals should focus primarily on the development of innovative consumables, processes, and services where there is significant market opportunity.

In addition, we are interested in new tools for brain research, especially those that aid in addressing fundamental neurobiological questions about brain function, laying the groundwork for advancing treatments for nervous system disorders or traumatic brain injury, and for generating brain-inspired "smart" technologies to meet future societal needs.

BT4. Bioinstrumentation
The development of technology for novel or improved instrumentation primarily for biological research applications. In addition, this may include low cost instruments for science and engineering that are aimed at students or others in working in low resource settings.