ED/IES SBIR Phase II

ED/IES SBIR Direct to Phase II

Funds United States education innovators translating university or nonprofit innovations into scalable products.

The ED/IES SBIR Direct to Phase II FY2026 program awards $1,000,000 over 2 years to for-profit small businesses commercializing education technology innovations that were originally developed by a university or nonprofit research organization. This track is the technology-transfer vehicle within the IES SBIR portfolio: it allows companies to bypass Phase I entirely provided the underlying innovation is already evidence-based. Per the FY2026 solicitation language, "projects that focus on advancing innovations that are not evidence-based are not eligible," and applicants must document the prior research evidence produced by the originating institution.

The FY2026 Direct to Phase II solicitation was released April 30, 2026, with a deadline of June 29, 2026 at 2:00 PM EDT — 30 minutes later than the Phase IA and Phase IB deadlines on the same date. The $1,000,000 contract runs 2 years and requires recipients to fully develop a commercially viable education technology product, demonstrate implementation in real educational settings, and produce a commercialization plan. Up to one-half of the Phase II award ($500,000) may be directed to a nonprofit or research-institution partner as a subaward — a higher subaward ceiling than in Phase I. Eligibility is restricted to U.S.-based for-profit small businesses with 500 or fewer employees, at least 51% owned by U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.

Direct to Phase II is the least common of the three FY2026 IES SBIR tracks and suits companies that have licensed or exclusively access an evidence-based ed-tech innovation from an academic or nonprofit lab and need capital for commercial-scale development. Successful proposals will document the originating institution's research, quantify demonstrated efficacy, and present a credible plan for school or district adoption after the 2-year performance period. Phase III — commercialization with private-sector or non-SBIR funding — has no government funding component.