Electronic Submission of Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program Electronic Grant Applications through Grants.gov

Notice Number: NOT-OD-06-008

Key Dates
Release Date: October 27, 2005

Issued by
National Institutes of Health (NIH), (http://www.nih.gov/)

The purpose of this notice is to announce the availability of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) for the electronic submission of applications as announced in http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-05-067.html.

Beginning with the December 1, 2005 submission date, and submission dates thereafter, all HHS SBIR and STTR grant applications to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must be submitted electronically through the Federal-wide portal Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov) using the SF424 Research and Related (R&R) forms and the SF424 (R&R) SBIR/STTR Application Guide. All applications must be in response to an FOA. APPLICATIONS MAY NOT BE SUBMITTED IN PAPER FORMAT [SF424 (R&R) or PHS 398], EVEN IF THEY ARE SUBMITTED BEFORE THE DECEMBER 1 SUBMISSION DATE.

Innovative technologies and methodologies fuel progress in biomedical and behavioral research and represent an increasingly important area of the economy. The SBIR and STTR programs provide support for research or development of new or improved technologies and methodologies that have the potential to succeed as commercial products or services. NIH, CDC, and FDA are committed to ensuring that the transition to electronic submission and the new application forms will not impede the ability of small business concerns to apply for small business opportunities during this time of transition.

Parent (Omnibus) SBIR and STTR FOAs. In the past, SBIR and STTR research topics were announced in the Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC, and FDA for SBIR/STTR Grant Applications. This omnibus solicitation has been replaced with a Parent SBIR FOA (PA-06-120) and Parent STTR FOA (PA-06-121), which may be accessed at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/search_opportunities.jsp. General scientific research areas are described in the NIH, CDC, and FDA SBIR/STTR Program Descriptions and Research Topics. To apply for these opportunities, applicants must use the parent FOA numbers .

Specific SBIR and STTR FOAs. Some NIH awarding components (e.g., National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) have identified additional specific SBIR and STTR funding opportunities, and these are also available in http://www.grants.gov/applicants/search_opportunities.jsp (or http://grants.gov/Apply if the FOA number is known). For a full list that includes FOA numbers, see the NIH Special Announcements for Small Business Research Opportunities Web site.

Find and Apply for a Funding Opportunity . To find a funding opportunity in Grants.gov, access "Search Grant Opportunities" at the Grants.gov Web site to conduct a basic search, browse by category, browse by agency (e.g., Department of Health and Human Services under which NIH, CDC, and FDA are located), or conduct an advanced search. If you have the Funding Opportunity Number (e.g., PA-06-120), you may go directly to Grants.gov/Apply to download the application package and instructions that begin the 4-step process to apply for grants through Grants.gov.

Once an applicant identifies a grant opportunity at Grants.gov, follow the steps described at http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/applying.cfm to submit an application. Applicants must download the SF424 (R&R) application forms and Application Guide for a specific FOA (e.g., PA-06-120, PA-06-121) through the Grants.gov Apply Web site. Only the forms package directly attached to a specific FOA may be used.

To apply electronically for an NIH, CDC, or FDA SBIR grant or for an NIH STTR grant, the applicant small business organization must be registered in Grants.gov and the NIH eRA Commons . For information on required steps, see http:/era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/applying.cfm.

REMINDER : Start early as it may take up to four weeks to complete the registration process.

Finding Help:

For Grants.gov Registration or Submissions
If help is needed with the Grants.gov registration process or with the technical aspects of submitting through the Grants.gov system, check first the resources available at Grants.gov (http://grants.gov/).

Grants.gov help is also provided by the following office:

  • Grants.gov Customer Support
    Contact Center Phone: 800-518-4726
    Business Hours M-F 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time
    Email support@grants.gov

For eRA Commons Registration or the eRA Commons Validation Processes
If help is needed with the eRA Commons registration process for the applicant organization and Project Directors/Principal Investigators, or with the application validation process in the eRA Commons after submission through Grants.gov, contact:

  • eRA Service Desk
    Phone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)
    TTY: 301-451-5939
    Business hours M-F 7:00 a.m. 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time
    Email commons@od.nih.gov

Also visit these Web sites:

For Help in Application Preparation:

If after reviewing the Grants.gov Application Guide SF424 (R&R) for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Grants (MS Word) (PDF), help is still needed for application content preparation, contact NIH Grants Info. Grants Info may also provide information on forms transition and the overall NIH plan for electronic receipt.

  • Grants Info
    Phone: 301-945-7573
    TTY: 301-451-5936
    Business Hours M-F 8:30 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time
    Fax: 301-480-0525
    Email GrantsInfo@nih.gov

For Questions about Research Programs in the NIH, CDC and FDA Awarding Components

The NIH welcomes SBIR and STTR applications from small businesses in any biomedical or behavioral research area that falls within our mission, which is to improve human health. Applicants are encouraged to subscribe to the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts and to visit the Web sites of the NIH Institutes and Centers to learn of emerging interests and areas of high priority. For questions about research programs, contact appropriate HHS staff listed in the Awarding Component/Agency Contact Information Table (PDF or MS Word). Questions specific to particular research programs in the awarding components should be directed to the contact person listed in the funding opportunity announcement.