USDA SBIR Phase II

USDA SBIR Phase II is the follow-on development award for companies that already completed USDA Phase I. It remains under NIFA's single-agency administration and keeps the same agricultural mission: moving promising work on food, farming, natural resources, and rural systems from feasibility into a commercially usable product or service. The phase sits downstream from the feasibility award, so it is aimed at teams that already have evidence that the first stage was technically worth pursuing. The award size reaches $600,000 over 24 months, and the program also allows up to $50,000 in TABA support. Eligibility is narrow: only previous Phase I USDA SBIR awardees can apply, and the same basic U.S. small-business requirement applies. The topic structure mirrors Phase I, which keeps the competition anchored in the same 10 topic areas rather than opening a separate commercialization lane. That narrow eligibility is the point. Phase II is where USDA expects a team to turn proof of concept into a product or service with enough technical and commercial substance to matter to the farm, food, or natural-resource market. Proposals are strongest when they show the Phase I result, the next engineering step, and the path from USDA research to a practical business outcome.

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