active Federal Program

SBIR/STTR Technical and Business Assistance (TABA)

U.S. Small Business Administration — SBIR/STTR Program (administered by each participating federal agency: NIH, NSF, USDA, DoD, DOE and others)

Up to $6.5K (Phase I) / $50K (Phase II)

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Researched for this program: 4 rejection traps · 4 required documentsWhat decides this award ↓

The short version

Buy your commercialization help

A statutory add-on that lets SBIR/STTR awardees buy outside commercialization help on top of their R&D award. Authorized by the FY2019 National Defense Authorization Act, TABA provides additional funding — generally up to $6,500 for a Phase I award and up to $50,000 for a Phase II award — that a small business uses to hire one or more third-party service providers for commercialization activities such as IP strategy and protection, market research and validation, customer and partner development, financing strategy, and regulatory or manufacturing planning. TABA is not a standalone grant: it is requested in connection with (or as a supplement to) an active SBIR or STTR award, and the exact amounts, timing, and request mechanics vary by participating agency (NIH, NSF, USDA/NIFA, DoD, DOE).

Funding type: Program
Level: Federal
Amount range: $6,500 – $50,000
Realistic amount: A Phase I awardee typically accesses up to ~$6,500 of assistance; a Phase II awardee can request up to $50,000. Most Phase II awardees who request TABA receive an amount approaching the cap to fund a defined commercialization-services scope.
Deadline: Requested in connection with an SBIR/STTR award — Phase I TABA at proposal time, Phase II TABA at proposal time or via supplement, per the participating agency's rules. No standalone deadline.
Status: active
States: Nationwide
Payment model: reimbursement

Who qualifies

Must be an active SBIR or STTR Phase I or Phase II awardee (the funding is tied to an underlying award)
Must meet SBIR/STTR small-business eligibility criteria
Funds must be used to engage qualified third-party commercialization service providers
Exact eligibility timing and request mechanics depend on the awarding agency (NIH, NSF, USDA, DoD, DOE)

Hard requirements

Must be an incorporated business

What it covers

Eligible expenses

Intellectual property strategy and protection
Market research and validation
Customer and strategic-partner development / product sales assistance
Financing-strategy advice
Regulatory and manufacturing planning
Access to technical and business literature

Ineligible expenses

Core R&D work (that belongs in the base SBIR/STTR award)
Services performed in-house rather than by a qualified third-party provider
Capital equipment
Activities unrelated to commercialization

How to apply

1

Confirm your award and agency rules

Determine whether your SBIR/STTR award is Phase I or Phase II and read the awarding agency's TABA policy (NIH, NSF, USDA/NIFA, DoD, DOE each handle it differently).

~2 hrs
2

Scope the commercialization services

Define the commercialization work you need (IP protection, market validation, customer development, financing strategy, regulatory/manufacturing planning) and identify a qualified third-party provider — or use the agency's funded default provider where offered.

~4 hrs
3

Request TABA funds

Add the TABA request to your proposal budget (Phase I) or submit the supplement/request per agency rules (Phase II, e.g., via the NSF program director or NIH supplement process).

~3 hrs
4

Engage the provider and deliver

Execute the provider engagement, complete the commercialization activities, and report outcomes per the agency's requirements.

~6 hrs

Insider tip

TABA is one of the most under-claimed dollars in the SBIR system: it does NOT come out of your R&D budget, so request it. For Phase I, build the commercialization-assistance line into your proposal up front (some agencies offer a funded default provider so you don't even pick one). For Phase II, the $50,000 is large enough to fund a serious IP-plus-market-validation engagement — line up your provider before you request it.

Deadline & timing

Mechanics vary by agency. For NSF, Phase I commercialization assistance is budgeted into the core proposal and a separate Phase II TABA supplement (up to $50,000) is requested via the program director; for NIH and USDA, TABA is requested with/against the award. Confirm the exact process with the awarding agency.

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