SBIR Phase I — NASA
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Up to $150K (Phase I)
NASA seed fund for aerospace R&D
NASA SBIR Phase I funds up to $150,000 for 6 months of R&D feasibility work tied to specific NASA mission topics — aerospace propulsion, space systems, sensors, autonomy, advanced manufacturing, and earth science. Topic-driven solicitations release once annually (typically January). Non-dilutive, no cost-sharing required. Submitted through NASA SBIR/STTR Application Submission Tool (NSAT). NASA is one of the few agencies that allows Phase I to lead directly into a Phase II without competition. NOTE: The SBIR/STTR reauthorization lapsed October 1, 2025 and was restored April 13, 2026 with reauthorization through September 30, 2031. The 2026 reauthorization added a mandatory foreign national screening requirement for all applicants.
- Funding type
- Grant
- Level
- Federal
- Amount range
- $150,000
- Realistic amount
- Most NASA SBIR Phase I awards are at or near the $150,000 cap. Unlike NIH or DOE, NASA's cap is lower — Phase I is inten…
- Deadline
- Between intakes — NASA SBIR 2025 Phase I closed June 2025. Next annual solicitation expected January 2026 with close approximately May 2026. Check sbir.nasa.gov for current release.
- Status
- between-intakes
- States
- Nationwide
- Payment model
- advance
Who qualifies
- For-profit US small business concern with 500 or fewer employees including affiliates
- More than 50% owned and controlled by US citizens or permanent resident aliens
- Mandatory foreign national screening: the April 2026 reauthorization requires all applicants to disclose foreign ownership, foreign control, or foreign influence (FOCI) — new compliance requirement effective for all awards issued after April 13, 2026
- Principal Investigator must be primarily employed (more than 50% of working time) by the small business at time of award
- Proposed work must address a specific NASA research topic from the current solicitation — open-topic proposals are only accepted in designated open-topic solicitations
- Primary performance of R&D work must occur within the United States
- SAM.gov registration with valid UEI required before award
- SBA SBIR Company Registry registration required
- NSPIRES account required for proposal submission
- No cost-sharing required
Hard requirements
- Must be incorporated
- 51%+ US ownership required
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- Salaries and wages for the PI and key technical personnel
- Fringe benefits on qualifying salaries
- Materials, supplies, and components consumed in the R&D
- Equipment purchases necessary for the Phase I work
- Consultant and subcontractor costs (majority of work must be performed by the small business)
- Travel directly related to the project, including NASA facility visits
- Indirect (overhead) costs at negotiated or de minimis rates
- SBIR fee (profit) on direct and indirect costs — allowable up to statutory limits
Ineligible expenses
- Work performed outside the United States without prior approval
- Lobbying or political activities
- Entertainment, alcohol, or personal expenses
- Costs incurred before the contract start date
- Costs for non-technical business development or marketing activities
- Foreign travel without specific justification and prior approval
How to apply
-
1
Register in SAM.gov, SBIR Company Registry, and NSPIRES
Complete three registrations: SAM.gov (allow 2–3 weeks for new registrations), SBA SBIR Company Registry at sbir.gov, and NASA's NSPIRES portal at nspires.nasaprs.com. NSPIRES is NASA's own submission system — Grants.gov is NOT used for NASA SBIR. Set up NSPIRES organization and user accounts early; organizational accounts require approval from NASA.
~5 hrs
-
2
Identify and study your target NASA subtopic
Download the current NASA SBIR solicitation from sbir.nasa.gov. Topics are organized by NASA Technical Area (TA) — 17 areas from propulsion to information technology to human research. Each topic has a Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) listed. Email the TPOC early — NASA TPOCs routinely respond and will confirm technical fit before you invest proposal-writing time. Matching your technology to the specific subtopic language significantly improves your competitiveness.
~10 hrs
-
3
Prepare the 6-page technical approach
NASA Phase I proposals consist of a 6-page Technical Volume covering: (1) Innovation and Technical Impact, (2) Technical Approach and Methodology, (3) NASA Applications and Commercial Applications, and (4) Team Qualifications. Also required: a brief Company Commercialization Plan (2 pages) and a budget with narrative. The 6-page limit is strict — NASA evaluators flag over-length submissions. Include specific, measurable Phase I objectives with go/no-go decision criteria.
~60 hrs
-
4
Submit via NSPIRES before the close date
Upload all documents through NSPIRES. Proposals must be submitted before 5:00 PM Eastern on the solicitation close date. NASA runs a brief validation check — NSPIRES will alert you to formatting errors within 48 hours. Confirm receipt of a valid submission confirmation from NSPIRES before the deadline passes.
~5 hrs
-
5
Await technical review and award notification
NASA conducts internal technical review (not external peer review like NIH). Reviews are completed by NASA center scientists aligned with the topic area. NASA notifies awardees approximately 4–6 months after the proposal close date. Award rate is roughly 15–20% of compliant proposals. Non-selected applicants receive brief feedback.
~2 hrs
SBIR / STTR details
SBIR phase amounts
| Phase | Max award | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Phase1 | $150,000 | 6 months |
| Phase2 | $750,000 | 24 months |
NAICS codes: 541715, 541714, 336411, 336412, 334511, 334220, 541330, 541512
NASA TPOCs respond to pre-submission emails — use them. A 10-minute email confirming your subtopic fit can save 80 hours of misdirected effort. NASA Phase I is the direct path to Phase II invitation (no open competition), making it among the highest Phase II access rates of any federal agency.
Deadline & timing
NASA SBIR runs one annual solicitation cycle, typically releasing in January and closing in May. Phase I awards run 6 months, typically starting October. Phase I awardees are directly invited to apply for Phase II — no open competition — but must submit within 90 days of Phase I final report. NASA also runs Open Topic solicitations (less common) outside the main annual cycle. Submission is via NSPIRES (NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System), separate from Grants.gov.
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Last reviewed 2026. GrantCompass is an independent funding-discovery tool and is not affiliated with any government agency. Always confirm details on the official program page.