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U.S. Department of Energy
Small Business Innovation Research Program
Small Business Technology Transfer Program

Important Information Regarding the Solicitation

The solicitations for grant applications for the SBIR and STTR programs are presented in a single document because the two programs are very similar. These annual solicitations are issued pursuant to the Small Business Research and Development Enhancement Act of 1992, Public Law 102-564.
The major difference between the two programs is that STTR grants must involve a substantial cooperative research collaboration between the small business and a non-profit research institution. However, it should be noted that the SBIR program also permits substantial collaboration between the small business and other organizations, including non-profit research institutions. The difference is that in SBIR, the collaboration is optional, and in STTR, the collaboration is required and must be cooperative in nature.
Small businesses with strong research capabilities in science or engineering in any of the topic areas described in the Technical Topics section of the solicitation are encouraged to submit grant applications. A single grant application may be submitted to SBIR, STTR, or both programs at once.
Last year, the chances of winning an award was greater for those grant applications in which there was substantial collaboration between a small business and a research institution. (See Program Statistics)
Also, Last year, the chances of winning an award was greater for grant applications submitted to both programs than for grant applications submitted to SBIR or STTR alone.