FY21 Small Business Innovation Research Phase I | USDA NIFA SBIR 007712

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NIFA SBIR 007712

The FY21 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant opportunity, offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), is a discretionary grant program designed to help small businesses test early-stage research ideas with clear commercial potential in agriculture and related fields. Phase I projects are meant to establish the scientific or technical feasibility of a proposed concept, essentially helping a company prove that an approach can work before larger-scale development or follow-on funding. While projects can be submitted under a range of USDA SBIR topic areas, the program specifically encourages proposals involving agriculturally related manufacturing as well as alternative and renewable energy technologies, signaling interest in innovations that can improve how agricultural goods are produced, processed, and powered.

Funding for a Phase I award is up to $100,000, with the possibility of up to $106,500 if the project includes Technical and Business Assistance (TABA). The award ceiling reflects the program’s intent to support focused feasibility work rather than full product development. The broader SBIR program has a long history at USDA, having funded over 2,000 R&D projects since 1983, with the goal of helping small firms explore technical innovations and move them toward commercialization. The agency frames its research flexibility around USDA’s wider mission of supporting a healthy, productive nation while protecting land, air, and water, so proposals that connect innovation to sustainability, environmental outcomes, or resilient food and agricultural systems are generally consistent with the program’s stated priorities.

Eligibility is limited to applicants that qualify as a Small Business Concern (SBC). A key requirement is that the business must be properly registered with the Small Business Administration (SBA) for R/R&D purposes by the time of selection. Missing eligibility requirements by the application deadline can lead to the application being removed from consideration, or it may be reviewed but still be ineligible for an award. For applicants that are subsidiaries, there is an added layer of review: the parent company (or companies) must also meet the definition of a small business, and the applicant must provide documentation proving the parent’s small business status in the application package (submitted in the “Other Attachments” section of the required forms). If a parent company is a nonprofit organization, the subsidiary is not eligible to apply under this SBIR solicitation.

The opportunity also places specific conditions on the Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI). The PD/PI’s primary employment must be with the small business at the time of award and throughout the project period. “Primary employment” is defined as spending more than half (at least 51 percent) of the PD/PI’s time employed by the small business during the award period. This requirement effectively prevents the PD/PI from simultaneously holding full-time employment at another organization, including an academic institution. Importantly, while the PD/PI must meet the 51 percent employment rule with the company during the grant period, the solicitation notes there is no separate minimum time requirement dictating how much of the PD/PI’s time must be charged specifically to the proposed research effort. In addition, prior federal employees must submit documentation confirming that any post-termination requirements tied to their federal service have been satisfied by the time they submit the application.

Key administrative details from the posting include the funding opportunity title “FY21 Small Business Innovation Research Phase I,” opportunity number USDA NIFA SBIR 007712, CFDA number 10.212, and an original closing date of October 24, 2020. The eligible applicant category is small businesses, the funding instrument is a grant, and the activity category is agriculture. Applicants new to federal awards are pointed toward NIFA’s grants overview resources, including free “Grants 101” training, which is positioned as a helpful baseline for understanding federal financial assistance and compliance expectations.

• The National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY21 Small Business Innovation Research Phase I" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.212.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-08-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-10-24. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $106,500.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Small businesses.

Apply for USDA NIFA SBIR 007712

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