MS-FAST — Mississippi SBIR/STTR Phase 0

MS-FAST is Innovate Mississippi's Phase 0 SBIR/STTR support program for Mississippi small businesses. It is a proposal-preparation grant, not a research award, and it exists to help applicants reach stronger federal SBIR or STTR submissions. The program is rolling year-round and is tightly focused on early commercialization work, research scoping, and proposal writing, with partial support from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Each award can reach $3,000 per applicant, with money commonly used for preliminary research, proposal writing, or travel to federal agencies. Applicants need to be Mississippi-registered small businesses, generally with 500 or fewer employees, and they must be registered with the Mississippi Secretary of State. University faculty, graduate students, and researchers can participate when they are partnering with a Mississippi business or forming one in the state. Indirect costs are not allowed. The process is light but sequential: applicants submit a short form at least 30 days before the relevant federal solicitation deadline, receive a decision quickly, and get paid in two parts tied to award and proposal submission. The real value is leverage, because a small state award can help a company sharpen a federal Phase I application that is much larger. Teams that already know their federal topic and can explain the commercial path usually make the strongest case.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.