National Science Foundation (NSF)

[mmarch3]

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I have two questions about NSF:

My general view was that SBIR grants from NSF vs NIH were typically smaller dollar amounts for both phase I and phase 2 but I don’t have a rough idea of the size differential. 3x smaller?

My general view was that NSF covered all areas of science but medical. E.g. it could be material sciences, physical sciences, etc. NIH would be the biomedical including pharma, med device, etc. Could you clarify my thinking?

[lindsay@EGC]

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Hello! Thank you for posting your questions. 

1) For NSF, the Phase I SBIR budget cap is $256,000 for Phase I and $1,000,000 for Phase II. These are hard caps, and NSF does not offer budget waivers (as is the case for NIH). 
For NIH, the Phase I SBIR budget cap is $256,580 for Phase I and $1,710,531 for Phase II. However, NIH applicants may be eligible for additional funding if their project aligns with a published budget waiver topic. Refer to this document for Institute-specific information on budget waiver limits. The budget waiver topics are included in the appendix, or can be viewed separately here. We recommend conferring with an NIH Program Officer to confirm whether your project aligns with a budget waiver topic. 

2) Both NSF and NIH fund biomedical/health projects through the SBIR program, but NSF does not support drug development and they generally do not support clinical trials, clinical validation of information technologies or medical devices, or studies performed primarily for regulatory purposes. Limited studies with human subjects may be acceptable to the extent that they are performed with the goal of establishing feasibility of early-stage technologies. If you have difficulty determining whether your technology aligns best with NIH or NSF, we recommend reaching out to a Program Officer/Director to discuss your technology and scope of work.

Please feel free to reach out if you’d like additional clarification!

[msoumill]

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Hi All,

Has anybody started hearing back from NSF SBIR Phase I submitted in June 2020?

Also is it usually feasible to get reviewers’ comments soon enough to be able to incorporate their feedback and eventually resubmit ~7 months later?

Thank you!

Best,

M

[Wout@EGC]

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Hi M!

To your first question: results are starting to come in, but the exact time depends on your NSF topic and the scheduled date of the review session hosted by the NSF Program Director overseeing your topic.

As to your second question, this is difficult to answer because of the large amount of variables. E.g. are the changes minor, or would they require some additional research to be completed? Can the proposal in its essence be resubmitted, or does it require a fundamental reorientation of the priorities? Regardless, with NSF moving to submission windows rather than hard submission dates, you can make sure your proposal is in optimal shape to be submitted, avoiding the need for a last-minute scramble to submit.

Let us know if you have any other questions!

Best,
Wout

[msoumill]

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Thank you so much for your response Wout! Great to hear that results start to come in and totally makes sense for the resubmission process.

Best,

M

[Shoba]

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Hi EGC
Does NSF SBIR permit foreign collaborators or CROs? I know NIH doesnt, but wasn’t sure of NSF.

Also, does EGC plan to publish a book for preparing NSF grants, and if so, when?

Thanks
Shoba

[nitesh@EGC]

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Hi Shoba,

The NSF permits foreign collaborators or CROs provided that support is only requested for the US portion of the collaborative effort. NSF may however consider cases where the foreign collaborator provides a unique and essential capability that is not available in the US. You can see NSF’s policy on Foreign Organizations here.

EGC is planning to publish a book for preparing NSF grants. We are anticipating that it will be released in Q1 2021 and available on Amazon.

Best,
Nitesh

[defrifrudo]

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Hello,

When will the next SBIR window open for NSF?

Thanks.

[Wout@EGC]

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Hi!

NSF anticipates on releasing their new SBIR/STTR solicitation within the next few weeks. The project pitch mechanism is currently available, so you can already submit your pitch and – upon acceptance – start working on your full proposal while awaiting the new solicitation to be released.

Best,
Wout

[Lu@EGC]

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Hi!

NSF just announced that the next submission due date is March 4th, 2021:
https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_list.jsp?sel_org=ENG&status=1&ord=nsf_num_desc&org=NSF&showItems=50

Best,
Lu

[michael_smith_33]

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Hello, how much foreign work is permitted for an NSF SBIR? I have two collaborators in India.

[Wout@EGC]

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Hi Michael,

NSF only supports SBIR/STTR research that is performed within the United States. This also includes any work or research completed by subaward organizations and consultants.

Hope this helps!

Best,
Wout

[MikeinMN]

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For those who submitted proposals before the Dec 3, 2020 deadline – has anyone heard back yet?

[Anonymous]

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Hi Mike,

I have a client who submitted before the 12/3/20 deadline who was just notified that the review was complete, but they haven’t received the summary statements & decision yet. Their Program Director said they should know within one month.

Best,
Stacey

[MikeinMN]

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Thanks Stacey – appreciate your response. I had also emailed the Program Director in February when he replied saying that it will take them 4-6 months to make decision.

Do they provide the summary statements and decision together or if one can come before the other?

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