Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NIFA SBIR 004553
Apply for USDA NIFA SBIR 004553
- The National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Small Business Innovation Research Program Phase I" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.212 Small Business Innovation Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jun 20, 2014 and posted on Jun 20, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 2, 2014. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $18,300,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $100,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- Each applicant submitting an application must qualify as a small business concern for R/RD purposes at the time of award (see definitions in section 2.0). A potential grantee that is a subsidiary must show that the parent company is also a small business entity and the parent company must provide documentation supporting their small business status (the documentation should be included in Field 12, Other Attachments, of the Research and Related (RR) Other Project Information form). If the parent company is not a small business entity, then the subsidiary is not eligible to submit an SBIR application. In addition, the primary employment of the Project Director (PD) must be with the small business concern at the time of award and during the conduct of the proposed research, unless otherwise approved in writing by NIFA. Eligible primary employment means that more than one half of the PD s time is spent in the employ of the small business. Primary employment with the small business precludes the applicant as a full time employee with another organization. This requirement applies to Phase I awards and any deviations from this requirement must be approved in writing by the USDA Authorized Departmental Officer (ADO) after consultation with the appropriate National Program Leader (NPL). While the PD must work more than one half of his/her time for the small business during the entire grant period, there is no time requirement for the PD s work on the proposed research.
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Opportunity Summary:
The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program Phase I opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number: USDA NIFA SBIR 004553) is a discretionary grant program designed to help small businesses validate early-stage, high-potential innovations that support U.S. agriculture and related sectors. Phase I awards are intended to establish the scientific or technical feasibility of a proposed concept or approach. In practice, that means the work plan should focus on proving that the core idea can work, generating credible preliminary results, and reducing the key technical risks that would stand in the way of later development and commercialization.
For this Phase I cycle, individual awards may be made up to an award ceiling of $100,000, with no cost sharing or matching requirement. The program’s broader funding context reflects a substantial federal investment in small business-led research, with an estimated total funding amount of $18,300,000 for the opportunity. The funding instrument is a grant, and the activity category is agriculture (CFDA 10.212). While the program is anchored in agriculture, USDA emphasizes flexibility across SBIR topic areas so that proposals can cover a wide range of innovative research directions that align with USDA’s mission and its vision of a healthy and productive nation in harmony with land, air, and water.
USDA specifically encourages proposals involving agriculturally related manufacturing as well as alternative and renewable energy technologies, and it makes clear that these themes are welcome across all SBIR topic areas rather than being confined to a narrow subtopic. That encouragement signals that applicants working on technologies such as bio-based manufacturing processes, on-farm or agricultural supply chain energy solutions, renewable energy integration, or other sustainability-oriented innovations may be especially well aligned with current program interests, so long as the Phase I project is framed around feasibility and a clear pathway toward practical use and commercialization.
Eligibility centers on the applicant being a qualifying small business concern for R/RD purposes at the time of award. If the applying entity is a subsidiary, it must demonstrate that its parent company is also a small business, and the parent company must provide documentation of small business status. If the parent company does not qualify as a small business, the subsidiary is not eligible to apply. The program also places a key requirement on the Project Director (PD): the PD’s primary employment must be with the small business at the time of award and throughout the research period, unless NIFA approves an exception in writing. “Primary employment†is defined as spending more than half of the PD’s time employed by the small business, and it generally rules out the PD being a full-time employee of another organization. Notably, while the PD must maintain that primary employment relationship for the full grant period, the announcement clarifies there is no specific time requirement for how much of the PD’s time must be spent directly on the proposed research itself.
From an administrative timeline perspective, the opportunity was posted and created on June 20, 2014, with an original and current closing date of October 2, 2014, and an archive date of November 1, 2014. The sponsoring agency is USDA NIFA. USDA also highlights the program’s long track record: since 1983, the USDA SBIR program has made more than 2,000 research and development awards, supporting hundreds of small businesses in exploring technical potential and helping create incentives to commercialize innovative ideas. That history is often relevant to applicants because it signals a mature program that expects proposals to be both technically rigorous and oriented toward eventual real-world adoption and market impact.
For assistance, NIFA provides support for applicants who cannot access the full announcement electronically through the NIFA Help Desk at 202-401-5048 during business hours (Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET, excluding federal holidays). The listing also indicates that questions related to preparing application content can be directed to the program’s contacts as described in the full announcement.
FAQs: USDA NIFA SBIR Phase I (Funding Opportunity Number: USDA NIFA SBIR 004553)
What is this grant opportunity?
This is the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program Phase I funding opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number: USDA NIFA SBIR 004553). It is a discretionary grant program intended to help small businesses validate early-stage, high-potential innovations that support U.S. agriculture and related sectors.
What is the main purpose of SBIR Phase I in this program?
Phase I awards are meant to establish the scientific or technical feasibility of a proposed concept or approach. The work plan is expected to focus on proving the core idea can work, generating credible preliminary results, and reducing key technical risks that would otherwise block later development and commercialization.
How much funding can a single Phase I award provide?
Individual Phase I awards may be made up to an award ceiling of $100,000.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement for Phase I awards.
What is the total estimated funding amount for this opportunity?
The estimated total funding amount listed for the opportunity is $18,300,000.
What type of funding instrument is used?
The funding instrument is a grant.
What is the activity category and CFDA number?
The activity category is agriculture, and the CFDA number is 10.212.
Is the program limited to only traditional agriculture topics?
While the program is anchored in agriculture, USDA emphasizes flexibility across SBIR topic areas. Proposals may cover a wide range of innovative research directions as long as they align with USDA's mission and its vision of a healthy and productive nation in harmony with land, air, and water.
Are manufacturing-related projects encouraged?
Yes. USDA specifically encourages proposals involving agriculturally related manufacturing, and it notes that these themes are welcome across all SBIR topic areas rather than being restricted to a narrow subtopic.
Are alternative and renewable energy technologies encouraged?
Yes. USDA specifically encourages proposals involving alternative and renewable energy technologies, and it indicates these are welcome across SBIR topic areas.
What kinds of energy or sustainability innovations might fit based on the listing?
The listing signals alignment for projects such as bio-based manufacturing processes, on-farm or agricultural supply chain energy solutions, renewable energy integration, or other sustainability-oriented innovations, as long as the Phase I work is framed around feasibility and a clear pathway toward practical use and commercialization.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility centers on the applicant being a qualifying small business concern for R/RD purposes at the time of award.
Can a subsidiary apply?
Yes, but with a condition. If the applying entity is a subsidiary, it must demonstrate that its parent company is also a small business. The parent company must provide documentation of small business status.
What happens if the parent company is not a qualifying small business?
If the parent company does not qualify as a small business, the subsidiary is not eligible to apply.
What are the requirements for the Project Director (PD)?
The Project Director's primary employment must be with the small business at the time of award and throughout the research period, unless NIFA approves an exception in writing.
How does the program define "primary employment" for the PD?
"Primary employment" is defined as spending more than half of the PD's time employed by the small business. This generally rules out the PD being a full-time employee of another organization.
Does the PD have to spend a specific amount of time working directly on the proposed research?
The announcement clarifies there is no specific time requirement for how much of the PD's time must be spent directly on the proposed research itself, but the PD must maintain the primary employment relationship with the small business for the full grant period.
Can the PD primary employment requirement ever be waived?
An exception is possible only if NIFA approves it in writing, according to the listing.
When was this opportunity posted?
The opportunity was posted (and created) on June 20, 2014.
What was the application closing date?
The original and current closing date listed is October 2, 2014.
When was the opportunity archived?
The archive date listed is November 1, 2014.
Which agency sponsors this opportunity?
The sponsoring agency is USDA NIFA (USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture).
What does the program's history indicate about expectations?
USDA notes that since 1983 the USDA SBIR program has made more than 2,000 research and development awards. This history points to a mature program that expects proposals to be technically rigorous and oriented toward eventual real-world adoption and market impact.
Where can applicants get help if they cannot access the full announcement electronically?
NIFA provides support through the NIFA Help Desk at 202-401-5048 during business hours (Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET, excluding federal holidays).
Where should applicants send questions about preparing application content?
The listing indicates that questions related to preparing application content can be directed to the program's contacts as described in the full announcement.
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| Preschool Access Feasibility Study Apply for USDA NIFA COOP 004616 Funding Number: USDA NIFA COOP 004616 Agency: National Institute of Food and Agriculture Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
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