The research-partner route
NSF STTR: funding when a research institution is part of your team
STTR mirrors SBIR but requires a formal partnership with a research institution, with a minimum share of the work performed by each side. For university spinouts it is often the stronger fit.
- Funding
- Same award levels as SBIR Phase I and II
- Duration
- 6 to 12 months (Phase I), around 24 months (Phase II)
- Timing
- Project Pitch first, then invited submission
- Who it suits
- US small businesses collaborating formally with a university or research institution
SBIR or STTR?
Choose STTR when the core research capability, equipment or principal investigator sits inside the institution. Choose SBIR when the company can do the work itself. Picking wrong creates eligibility and work-split problems late in the process, which is a costly place to find them.
Getting the partnership right
STTR needs an allocation-of-rights agreement, an agreed work split and a principal investigator arrangement that satisfies both parties. We work with your tech transfer office to get this settled before it becomes a submission blocker.
Writing the proposal
Reviewers want one coherent project, not two teams working in parallel. We write the collaboration as a single research plan with clear ownership of each objective.
What reviewers are looking for
- Is the work split genuine and compliant?
- Does the company, not the institution, drive commercialization?
- Are IP rights clear enough for a company to build a business?
- Is the partnership additive rather than administrative?
Where applications lose marks
- Leaving the allocation-of-rights agreement until the deadline week
- A proposal that reads as an academic grant with a company attached
- Unclear ownership of background and foreground IP
- A work split that does not meet the program minimums
NSF STTR questions we get asked
What is the difference between NSF SBIR and STTR?
STTR requires a formal partnership with a research institution and sets minimum shares of the work for each partner. SBIR does not require a partner.
Does STTR require a Project Pitch?
Yes. NSF uses the same Project Pitch gate for STTR, and only invited companies can submit a full proposal.
Who owns the intellectual property in an STTR project?
That is set by an allocation-of-rights agreement between the company and the research institution, agreed before submission.
Award values and deadlines follow the current NSF solicitation. Confirm figures at seedfund.nsf.gov.
Other NSF programs
Spinning out of a university lab?
Book a free consultation and we will tell you whether SBIR or STTR is the stronger route for your project.