NASA SBIR Phase I

NASA SBIR Phase I

Funds U.S. small businesses conducting early-stage R&D to establish the feasibility of innovations aligned with NASA mission priorities.

⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.

NASA SBIR Phase I is a contract-based feasibility award administered by NASA's Small Business Innovation Research / Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) program, which operates under the Small Business Innovation Development Act. It is the entry point for small businesses into the NASA SBIR/STTR pipeline. Awards are up to $225,000 per company and cover a six-month period of performance during which the company must establish the scientific, technical, and commercial merit and feasibility of the proposed innovation.

There is no cost-sharing requirement. Awards are structured as contracts (not grants in the federal administrative sense), meaning NASA retains data rights under specific conditions, and the contract covers allowable costs plus a small profit. The 2026 solicitation was structured under two appendices: Appendix A (SBIR, for small businesses only) and Appendix B (SBIR and STTR). Both the 2026 Appendix A and Appendix B solicitations closed on May 21, 2026. The program is transitioning to a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) format for future cycles; the specific BAA URL for the next solicitation had not been published as of the last verification date.

Eligibility is limited to U.S.-based for-profit small business concerns with fewer than 500 employees. The small business must be majority-owned (at least 51%) by U.S. citizens or permanent resident aliens. The principal investigator must be primarily employed by the small business at the time of award. All work under SBIR must be performed by the small business itself (at least two-thirds of the Phase I work); subcontracting to a research institution is not permitted under SBIR Phase I (that path is STTR). Non-profit organizations, universities, and individuals applying on their own are not eligible for SBIR Phase I.

Applications are submitted through NASA's solicitation portal during the open window. Proposals are evaluated on technical merit and feasibility, alignment with NASA mission priorities, and commercial potential. Evaluation is conducted by NASA technical reviewers. The 2026 solicitations (Appendix A SBIR and Appendix B SBIR/STTR) both closed May 21, 2026 at 5 p.m. ET. The next cycle is expected under a new BAA format; no new deadline had been published as of June 2026.

Key caveats: the 2026 BAA transition means the application portal and process may change for the next cycle. The 2025 cohort had a total award pool of $44.85 million across approximately 299 awards (approximately $150,000 average), but the 2026 pool was not publicly stated. Companies that won a Phase I award are normally eligible to apply for Phase II (up to approximately $750,000); the Phase I award itself does not guarantee a Phase II invitation.