NIA Small Business Programs (SBIR & STTR)

NIA SBIR Phase I

Supports small businesses developing aging and memory technologies at the feasibility stage.

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) SBIR Phase I program funds feasibility-stage R&D by U.S. small businesses working on aging biology, Alzheimer's disease, and AD-related dementias (AD/ADRD). NIA administers the largest source of early-stage funding for aging-related R&D among all federal agencies, providing approximately $150 million per year in combined SBIR and STTR grants to small businesses. The program carries an unprecedented budget dedicated to developing interventions that prevent or treat AD and AD/ADRD. In FY2025, NIA made 172 SBIR/STTR awards totaling approximately $146 million. The SBIR/STTR program was reauthorized on April 13, 2026; as of May 2026 NIH has no active SBIR or STTR NOFOs, and the next standard receipt date is September 5, 2026.

Phase I awards are open exclusively to for-profit small businesses incorporated and operating in the United States. Universities, nonprofits, and research institutions cannot receive SBIR funds directly. Phase I is a feasibility award: the business proposes to demonstrate the technical and commercial viability of an innovation in aging or AD/ADRD within the Phase I budget and timeline, with Phase II expansion available upon demonstrated success. The NIA Office of Strategic Extramural Programs manages the SBIR/STTR portfolio and maintains a Company Showcase and Start-Up Challenge prize competition alongside the grant program.

Applications are submitted through Grants.gov with eRA Commons tracking. NIA program staff review applications for fit with priority areas in aging and AD/ADRD before scientific peer review. Applicants should monitor grants.nih.gov for the next SBIR/STTR NOFO posting, as no active solicitation is open as of mid-2026. NIA's interest areas span diagnostics, therapeutics, digital health tools, and biomarker platforms for aging populations and neurodegenerative disease.