HTDC HSBIR Phase 0 — Grant Writing Reimbursement

HTDC HSBIR Phase 0

Supports Hawaii small businesses in technical translation by reimbursing early-stage innovation expenses for healthcare and advanced technology projects.

Eligibility · United States · US-HI

The Hawaii Small Business Innovation Research Phase 0 program, administered by the Hawaii High Technology Development Corporation (HTDC), provides reimbursement grants of up to $3,000 to cover the cost of professional grant-writing services when a Hawaii-based small business is actively preparing a federal SBIR or STTR application. The program is a pre-award support mechanism, not a project or R&D grant — it pays for the writing assistance, not the research itself. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis through HTDC's online portal at htdc.org/hsbir-grants, with no fixed cycle deadlines published on the overview page.

Eligibility is restricted to small businesses physically located in Hawaii that are in the process of submitting to a federal SBIR or STTR solicitation. For-profit entities are required; nonprofits, universities, research organizations, and individuals are not eligible. The reimbursement covers documented grant-writing service costs up to the $3,000 cap. HTDC does not publish a pool size or funding cap for the program, and award volumes are not disclosed publicly. The program spans technology sectors that align with federal SBIR agency priorities — defense, biotech, aerospace, energy, hardware, and related deep-tech domains are all within scope as driven by the federal solicitation the company targets.

Applicants should engage a grant-writing professional before applying to HTDC, as the reimbursement requires documented service costs. Submitting the Phase 0 application concurrent with or just prior to the federal SBIR deadline is typical. HTDC's program staff can be reached at sbir@htdc.org or (808) 539-3806 for process guidance. Phase 0 is designed as an on-ramp: successful federal SBIR Phase I and Phase II recipients can then pursue the significantly larger HTDC state-match programs at the Phase I ($75,000 cap) and Phase II/III ($500,000 cap) levels.