NCATS SBIR/STTR Small Business Programs

The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences uses its SBIR and STTR programs to support US small businesses building translational science tools and platforms. Its priority areas are preclinical drug discovery and development, biomedical and clinical health research informatics, clinical and implementation research, and rare diseases or other unmet needs. The program follows the standard NIH small-business structure. SBIR Phase I is about $306,000 and Phase II about $2 million, while STTR requires a US research institution partner. NCATS also supports Phase IIB and Phase III bridge work for companies that need a longer commercialization runway, and the topic areas are reviewed twice a year. This route suits for-profit teams with a technical product that can be framed as translational infrastructure, a workflow, or a health-data capability rather than a broad startup pitch. NCATS asks prospective applicants to discuss fit before submission, so the best proposals are tightly tied to a named topic and show a clear path from early feasibility to downstream use.

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