How to build an NSF SBIR Phase I budget reviewers believe
Direct costs, fringe, indirect rates, subawards and consultants. What a credible Phase I budget looks like and the line items that trigger questions.
July 21, 2026 6 min read
Read more Insights
Federal funding, explained properly
Guides and analysis on NSF SBIR, NIH SBIR and the wider US federal funding landscape. Written by the people who write the applications.
Is your project innovative enough for NSF SBIR?
NSF declines most Project Pitches on intellectual merit, not writing quality. Here is how NSF defines innovation and technical risk, and how to test your project against it.
July 14, 2026 6 min read
Read more The NIH SBIR Specific Aims page: one page that decides the review
The Specific Aims page shapes how every reviewer reads the rest of your NIH SBIR application. A paragraph-by-paragraph structure that works.
July 7, 2026 6 min read
Read more The NSF SBIR Project Pitch: a practical guide
Before you can submit a full NSF SBIR proposal you must pass the Project Pitch. What each section needs, the limits to respect, and the mistakes that get pitches declined.
June 30, 2026 7 min read
Read more Writing a commercialization plan that is not wishful thinking
Every SBIR agency wants commercial evidence, not a hockey stick chart. What customer discovery, pricing and route to market should look like in a federal application.
June 24, 2026 7 min read
Read more NSF SBIR vs NIH SBIR: which should you apply for?
Both fund early-stage US deep tech, but they reward very different applications. A practical comparison for life sciences and deep tech founders deciding where to spend the next quarter.
June 12, 2026 5 min read
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