- Granting Agency: Dept. of Commerce – National Institute of Standards and Technology
- Appropriation Amount: Subset of $150,000,000
- Grant Amount: Phase I: <$200,000, Phase II: <$600,000
- Announcement Date: March 2, 2022
- Closing Date: April 15, 2022
Purpose: These award are obligated for “research, development, and testbeds to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus”. This Fast-Track competition is seeking scientifically meritorious applications that have expressly high potential for near-term commercialization. The NIST Fast-Track program consists of a submission and review process in which both Phase I and Phase II applications are submitted together as one application to reduce or eliminate the funding gap between phases.
Eligible Expenditures:
See NOFO; these grants are for research, development, and testbeds to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.
Eligible Applicants:
Each applicant must qualify as an SBC for R/R&D purposes, as defined in Section 1.05 of the NOFO, at the time of award. In addition, the primary employment of the principal investigator must be with the small business at the time of the award and during the conduct of the proposed research. Primary employment means that more than one-half of the principal investigator’s time is spent working with the small business. Primary employment with a small business precludes full-time employment with another organization. Occasionally, deviations from this requirement may occur, which must be approved in writing by the NIST Grants Officer after consultation with the SBIR Program Manager. Further, a small business may only replace the principal investigator on an SBIR Phase I award if the NIST Grants Officer provides prior written approval. Personnel obtained through a Professional Employer Organization or other similar personnel leasing company may be considered employees of the awardee.
You can contact program staff at jacqueline.gray@nist.gov or nicole.berry@nist.gov. Other contacts and information can be found in the NOFO.