Small Business Technology Transfer Program FY 2011 | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program FY 2011 solicitation (Funding Opportunity No. 10-590) is a discretionary grant opportunity designed to push more federally supported research into real-world products and services by pairing small businesses with U.S. research institutions. The core purpose is to stimulate technological innovation in the private sector, help meet federal research and development needs through small firms, expand the commercial use of research results that were supported with federal funds, and broaden participation among socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses and women-owned small businesses. Unlike some other small business R&D programs, STTR is built around a formal collaboration requirement: the research institution partner is not optional or peripheral, but expected to play a meaningful intellectual role in the work.

A defining feature of STTR is that it creates a structured pathway for university and other research-institution researchers to work with a small company to develop commercially promising ideas without requiring the researcher to leave their primary institutional employment. In practice, this arrangement is intended to help move innovations out of labs and into the marketplace by combining a small companys commercialization focus with the deep technical expertise, facilities, and research talent available at universities, colleges, national laboratories, and similar organizations. The solicitation also explicitly encourages firms to leverage additional research expertise and infrastructure through mechanisms like subcontracts, consulting arrangements, hiring faculty as senior personnel, and employing graduate or undergraduate students as project assistants.

For this specific FY 2011 STTR solicitation, NSF set the topic area exclusively to Digital Gaming in Education. The announcement notes that digital gaming has rapidly expanded beyond entertainment into immersive digital worlds that can support knowledge dissemination and skill development. It also points to a shift in how digitally experienced learners engage with information, implying a market and societal opportunity for small businesses to create educational technologies that use game-based approaches. Proposals under this solicitation would therefore be expected to focus on innovations where digital game design, game mechanics, or game-like interactive environments are central to improving educational outcomes, learning experiences, training effectiveness, or skill acquisition, with the long-term aim of commercialization.

The opportunity anticipated about 35 awards with an estimated total funding amount of $5,250,000. The award floor listed is $150,000. The activity category is Science and Technology and other Research and Development, and the CFDA number referenced is 47.041 (Engineering Grants). There is no cost sharing or matching requirement stated for this opportunity, which means applicants are not required to provide non-federal matching funds as a condition of the award.

Eligibility is limited to firms that qualify as a small business concern under the terms of the solicitation. The solicitation particularly encourages participation by socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses and women-owned small businesses. Joint ventures and partnerships can submit proposals as long as the entity formed meets the definition of a qualifying small business under the STTR rules for this competition. A key compliance detail for STTR Phase I proposals is the required division of research effort measured by the project budget: at least 40% of the research must be performed by the small business concern, and at least 30% must be performed by the collaborating research institution. This budget-based allocation is central to STTRs purpose, ensuring both sides have substantial roles rather than a token partnership.

The solicitation also includes an important Principal Investigator (PI) requirement. The PI must have primary employment with the small business concern at the time of award, with primary employment defined as at least 51% employed by the small business. In addition, the PI must devote a minimum of two calendar months to the STTR Phase I project. The announcement indicates that employment releases and certifications of intent will be required before an award is made, underscoring that NSF treats the PI employment and time-commitment rules as enforceable award conditions rather than informal expectations.

Timing and submission rules are very specific. The opportunity was posted on August 4, 2010, with a full proposal deadline of November 17, 2010. A notable constraint is that proposals were not to be submitted before October 17, 2010; submissions earlier than that window would be returned without review. This makes the submission window effectively bounded on both ends, and applicants would need to plan their internal approvals, partner coordination, and uploads accordingly to avoid an automatic administrative return.

Administrative details include that the funding instrument type is a grant and the sponsoring agency is NSF. The full solicitation is referenced as NSF Publication 10-590. For access or technical issues, the notice points applicants to NSF grants.gov support at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov, indicating that applicants were expected to use the electronic federal submission infrastructure and seek help through the established support channel if problems arose.

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