ED/IES Small Business Innovation Research Program

ED/IES SBIR Phase I

Funds for-profit small businesses developing and evaluating new education technology prototypes.

ED/IES SBIR Phase I is the first small-business grant phase of the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences SBIR program. The program page states that ED/IES SBIR provides funding in two phases and that Phase I provides $250,000 for 9 months for rapid prototype development and evaluation of new education technology prototypes.

The applicant path is for for-profit small business firms and their partners under the federal SBIR program. ED/IES emphasizes products that can be commercialized and sustained in schools after development, and its examples include learning games, assessments, virtual reality, augmented reality, simulations, virtual worlds, artificial intelligence adaptive tutors, dashboards, and assistive technologies.

The page says program solicitations for Phases I and II are released annually and that proposals are due approximately 60 days later, with award notifications announced 90 days or less from submission. The captured page references Fiscal Year 2026 solicitation information but does not state an active deadline date, so this page is marked between cycles until the next solicitation gives a specific deadline.