Following the April 13, 2026, reauthorization of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, federal agencies are beginning to resume activities after a lapse of more than six months, though progress so far has been uneven. The Department of War, formerly known as the Department of Defense, has already resumed issuing SBIR and STTR solicitations at the DoW SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal, while most other participating agencies have not yet released new Notices of Funding Opportunity since reauthorization.
The lapse in authorization began on October 1, 2025, when statutory authority expired, effectively halting new solicitations and awards across participating agencies. The April 2026 reauthorization restored that authority, allowing agencies to restart solicitations and funding actions, but it did not automatically reinstate previously scheduled funding cycles.
As of April 16, no other agencies have posted new SBIR or STTR NOFOs. The Department of Energy’s Office of Science still lists prior funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) on its program pages, but with no new FOAs posted. The National Science Foundation maintains its SBIR and STTR program through its Seed Fund platform, which provides access to the Project Pitch process and program guidance; however, the process remains paused as of mid-April.
The National Institutes of Health, the largest civilian SBIR and STTR funder, also has not posted new solicitations since reauthorization. Its website includes guidance and prior funding opportunities, but states that NIH has no active SBIR or STTR NOFOs. Users are directed to Grants.gov to see when future NOFOs are forecasted. The next standard receipt date for NIH SBIRs is September 5, 2026.
While the Department of Education listed several presolicitations for its SBIR program on April 14, most federal agencies that operate SBIR programs have not posted new solicitations. Several agencies, including NASA, the Departments of Agriculture and Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency, continue to maintain SBIR program websites but have not yet issued new post-reauthorization solicitations. Within the Department of Commerce, SBIR activities conducted through agencies such as NIST and NOAA similarly continue to provide program information but do not reference any new funding opportunities.
The restart of SBIR and STTR solicitations is occurring on an agency-by-agency basis rather than through a coordinated federal rollout. At this stage, the Department of War is the only agency with active solicitations following reauthorization. For stakeholders, the most reliable way to track new activity remains closely monitoring agency-specific SBIR pages and solicitation portals. As agencies resume normal operations, additional NOFOs should also appear on SBA’s SBIR.gov site.
This page was prepared by SSTI using Federal funds under award ED22HDQ3070129 from the Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Economic Development Administration or the U.S. Department of Commerce.