USDA SBIR Phase I

USDA SBIR Phase I is NIFA's entry-level competition for small businesses tackling scientific problems in agriculture, food, natural resources, and rural communities. USDA runs the program on a single-agency basis through NIFA, and the awards are based on scientific and technical merit rather than on loans or startup assistance. The program is built for investigator-initiated ideas, with 10 broad topic areas that include Advanced Technologies, Animals, Food Science, Environment, and Farming and Ranching. The Phase I award runs from $125,000 to $175,000, with most topics capped at $175,000 over an 8-month project and a few topics capped lower. The record says the program is open to U.S. small businesses that meet the basic size rules, with no cost sharing required, and TABA support of up to $6,500 available. The annual cycle typically posts in the fall, and the program is designed to fund feasibility work rather than company formation. Applicants succeed when the proposal is tightly tied to a concrete agricultural problem and when the technical plan is clear enough to score well on merit. NIFA gives priority to ideas that are specific, investigator-led, and grounded in the sector's real production and science challenges. The strongest submissions pair a precise research question with a credible path to commercial use in the agricultural economy.

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