NSF SBIR Phase I (America's Seed Fund at NSF)
Funds early-stage US deep-tech startups to build and validate proof-of-concept technology through NSF's SBIR Phase I award.
Applicants first submit a brief Project Pitch via NSF's SBIR site and receive feedback before filing a full SBIR or STTR proposal through NSF's FastLane or Research.gov platform by the solicitation deadline. NSF often pairs this funding with I-Corps, an intensive commercialization training programme, alongside the core technical award.
NSF's Phase I award targets early-stage startups with strong technical novelty across broad science and engineering domains, emphasising transformative rather than incremental technologies. It funds proof-of-concept work and validation of commercial potential rather than later-stage scale-up.
Sign up free to see the funding breakdown
Sign up free to see the full eligibility
Sign up free to see how to apply
Sign up free to see where teams trip up
Guides for this application
All guides →NSF Seed Fund for Startups: How Deeptech Founders Should Approach NSF SBIR/STTR
A founder-focused guide to NSF America's Seed Fund, including NSF SBIR/STTR fit, Project Pitch strategy, merit review, eligibility, budgets, and commercialization logic.
Where to applySBIR/STTR Grants for Deeptech Startups
A practical guide to SBIR and STTR grants for deeptech startups, including agency fit, Phase I and II logic, eligibility, budgets, and review criteria.
DocumentsNSF Biosketch Guide: SciENcv, Format, and Examples
Learn how the NSF biosketch works, what SciENcv is used for, how it differs from current and pending support, and what startup teams should prepare.
DocumentsNSF Data Management Plan Example and Writing Guide
Learn how to write an NSF data management plan, what the plan should include, how it differs from NIH data sharing plans, and how startup applicants should handle data.
More from NSF
All grants from this funder →NSF Dynamic Language Infrastructure - NEH Documenting Endangered Languages
🇺🇸NSF · United States
Funds the recording, analysis and archiving of languages at risk of falling out of use. NSF and the humanities endowment pay for it jointly.
Probability
🇺🇸NSF · United States
Funds research on the theory and applications of probability — stochastic processes, particle systems, Markov processes and more.
Joint DMS/NIGMS Initiative to Support Research at the Interface of the Biological and Mathematical Sciences
🇺🇸NSF · United States
Funds the mathematics and statistics needed to answer biological and biomedical questions, up to $1.2 million. NSF and NIH pay jointly.
Combinatorics
🇺🇸NSF · United States
Funds research on discrete structures — algebraic, enumerative, extremal, geometric and probabilistic combinatorics, and graph theory.
Foundations
🇺🇸NSF · United States
Funds mathematical logic and the foundations of mathematics — proof theory, recursion theory, model theory and set theory.
Security, Privacy, and Trust in Cyberspace
🇺🇸NSF · United States
Funds NSF's flagship cybersecurity research — up to $1.2 million a project from a $60 million pool, across four directorates.
Similar grants
Browse the directory →
NIH SBIR Phase I
🇺🇸NIH SEED · United States
Funds early stage United States biomedical teams through NIH seed support for feasibility work on prototype ready ideas.
NCATS SBIR Phase I
🇺🇸NCATS · United States
Supports small businesses testing translational science tools and technologies through early feasibility and commercialization groundwork.
NIEHS SBIR Phase I
🇺🇸NIEHS · United States
Supports United States. small businesses building environmental health technologies at feasibility stage.
NEI SBIR Phase I — Feasibility
🇺🇸NEI · United States
Supports United States. small businesses testing vision concepts through feasibility-focused grants.
NOAA SBIR Phase II (Phase I Awardees)
🇺🇸NOAA TPO · United States
Supports NOAA related small-business teams in developing follow-on environmental projects after initial approval.
NIH SBIR Phase I (Omnibus)
🇺🇸NIH · United States
Funds United States small businesses advancing biomedical and behavioral-health innovations through early technical validation.