NIAMS SBIR — Small Business Innovation Research
Supports small businesses and researchers advancing arthritis, skin, and musculoskeletal innovation through staged aid.
The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) SBIR program (R43/R44) funds U.S. small businesses developing innovative research with commercialization potential in NIAMS's three core disease domains: arthritis and rheumatic diseases, musculoskeletal and bone disorders, and skin conditions. NIAMS administers the program within the NIH-wide SBIR framework, and approximately 85% of NIAMS's roughly $500 million annual extramural budget flows through competitive grants and cooperative agreements across its mission areas. Phase I (R43) awards establish scientific and technical feasibility; Phase II (R44) awards expand on successful Phase I results with a full development program aimed at commercialization.
NIAMS SBIR applications are accepted through three submission windows per fiscal year: April 5, September 5, and January 5. Award caps follow NIH-wide SBIR ceilings — Phase I up to $295,924 total costs over six months to two years; Phase II up to $1,972,828 total costs over two years. Eligible applicants must be U.S.-incorporated small business concerns (sole proprietorships, partnerships, or corporations) with no more than 500 employees; the principal investigator must hold primary employment at the company. Research scope must fall within NIAMS's mission: arthritis, musculoskeletal disorders, or skin diseases. The program officer contact for NIAMS SBIR is Xibin Wang, Ph.D.
NIAMS also supports a Commercialization Readiness Program (SB1) and SBIR Cooperative Agreement Phase II (U44) for technologies requiring additional commercialization assistance beyond standard Phase II. Applications and active solicitations are searchable at the NIAMS funding opportunities portal and at sbir.nih.gov/niams. Note that the FY2026 President's budget proposed consolidating NIAMS into a new National Institute on Body Systems; applicants should confirm the current NIAMS organizational status and solicitation availability before investing in an application for future cycles.
Small business innovation research with commercialization potential in arthritis, rheumatic diseases, musculoskeletal disorders, bone and muscle biology, and skin diseases.
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