Q&A With Grady
Question: Should a new high-growth tech startup pursue SBIR or STTR?
Answer: For most new businesses, SBIR is the better default. A new company usually needs maximum control of the research and IP path, and SBIR lets the small business do that work itself. STTR requires a formal research partnership with a university or nonprofit research institution, and a prescribed share of the work must stay with that partner. That adds negotiation, IP complexity, and schedule risk before you even write the proposal. Choose STTR only when the firm’s edge is the university lab: key IP, equipment, or PI relationship they can’t recreate in-house. Otherwise start with SBIR, then use university subcontractors where useful without locking into the STTR structure.
For more information, visit https://www.sbir.gov/tutorials/program-basics/tutorial-3
Small Business Innovation & Research (SBIR) funding is available to small businesses working on cutting edge technology. Your Washington APEX Accelerator SBIR Program can provide assistance with DOD, DOT, NASA and Department of Homeland Security.
Oct 28th 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Lacey Maker Space, Lacey, WA – Hybrid
Get clear, practical answers in plain English at our monthly hybrid event. Fast-track your federal funding journey.
Other Important Links
DoW FY26 Release 6 is open. This is the last scheduled defense cycle of the fiscal year. Proposals opened Sep 23 and close Oct 21, 2026 at 12:00pm ET via DSIP. Topic Q&A on DSIP stops taking new questions Oct 7. More information
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency opened its 2026 SBIR Phase I solicitation. Small firms get a fresh shot at federal R&D dollars for environmental solutions. The window opened September 24 and closes November 8, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET. More information
DARPA’s Defense Sciences Office has two Disruption Opportunities open under the Disruptioneering program announcement, with Other Transaction Agreement prototype awards of up to $2 million. SHINE aims to precisely and non-invasively target and enhance the brain’s ability to adapt and rewire itself, allowing for more complete recovery after injury, due October 9, 2026; Resilient invites submissions of innovative basic or applied research concepts in the technical domain of “accelerated materials testing and prediction for concrete”, due October 19, 2026. More information
ERDCWERX and the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center are seeking stakeholder input on a proposed physical model testing facility in Vicksburg for dredged-material placement, beneficial use, and related technologies. Feedback is due by 4 p.m. CT on October 16, 2026, and will help shape facility capabilities, demand, and long-term use. More information
The Department of Veterans Affairs posted a sources sought for Memorial Data Analysis & Visualization, open through April 7, 2027 and limited to SBIR Phase II contract holders. More information
The Federal Laboratory Consortium is accepting session and workshop topics for the 2027 National Meeting, May 11–13 at the Palmer House in Chicago. Submit ideas through the Federal Laboratory Consortium portal by 11:59 p.m. ET on December 8, 2026. More information
