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Here’s what we look for when determining which startups to fund:


  • Impact

    Impact

    Your innovation could make a difference to people worldwide or revolutionize an industry.
  • Innovation

    Technological Innovation

    You need research and development funding to create new products, services, and other scalable solutions based on fundamental science or engineering. NSF does not fund straightforward engineering or incremental product development tasks.
  • Market Pull

    Market Pull

    You have evidence that your product or service could meet an important, unmet need for your customers.
  • Scale

    Scale

    If you successfully bring your product or service to market, it could form the foundation for a scalable business and make a large impact in your target market.

See if your Project is a good fit for NSF.

Before you submit a project pitch, take this assessment to determine if your project meets NSF SBIR/STTR program objectives.

Is your project...

1. Technological innovation

Does the proposed technology have real technological innovation? Is it a new product or service is differentiated from current products or services; that is, the new technology holds the potential to result in a product or service with a substantial and durable advantage over competing solutions on the market.

2. Risky, unproven R&D

Will the proposed technology require substantial high-risk R&D to reduce to practice, meaning that there will be a substantial risk of technical failure during the R&D process, even for an expert team in the relevant technical disciplines?

3. Big impact on nation and economy

Does the proposed technology address a problem of significant societal or national importance?

4. Competitive advantage

Is the proposed technology difficult to replicate, even by experts in the relevant technical disciplines, thereby providing the basis for a sustainable competitive advantage over current technologies and methods?

5. Commercial potential

Is there a significant enough market for the team to create a sustainable commercial enterprise?

6. A highly qualified, dedicated team

Is the proposing team technically qualified to undertake the required R&D and motivated to aggressively pursue a commercial path?

7. Engaged project lead

Is the person applying for the program a technical investigator who will hold a key role in the startup/small business?


If you answer “Yes” to all the questions, go to the Project Pitch page to prepare your pitch. If you answer “No” to any one of these questions, we’re sorry your project is not a good fit for NSF funding. However, we recommend you check out our Resources page for information on other opportunities and resources for your project.

Step 2: Submit a project pitch

Once you determine if your project is a good fit for NSF funding and understand the eligibility guidelines, please visit the project pitch page for key instructions to completing a project pitch.