WASHINGTON, May 29 – The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) said on Tuesday it is deploying $250 million to restart its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, including a new $40 million pilot focused on next-generation scientific instrumentation.

The relaunch will prioritize startups and small businesses developing “deep-tech” innovations, with the new emphasis area targeting experimental platforms and advanced equipment that could open entirely new fields of scientific discovery.

“Scientific breakthroughs cannot have transformative impacts without the tools to develop further and pursue them,” said Erwin Gianchandani, NSF assistant director for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships. He said the initiative aims to ensure U.S. small businesses are at the forefront of building instruments that define the next generation of discovery.

The NSF SBIR/STTR programs provide non-dilutive funding to early-stage companies, many of which are spun out of federally funded research, to help commercialize scientific and engineering breakthroughs. Funding opportunities include Phase I, Phase II, Fast-Track, Supplements, and Strategic Breakthroughs.

Entrepreneurs must first submit a project pitch to NSF before being invited to file a Phase I proposal. Proposals are reviewed three times annually.

NSF piloted the SBIR program in the late 1970s before Congress formally established it in 1982. Between fiscal 2016 and 2025, NSF invested more than $2 billion in over 1,600 startups, which later raised nearly $36 billion in private capital, including about 380 exits, according to Pitchbook.