SBIR and STTR Glossary

40 terms, each checked against the agency's own guidance. Last reviewed September 28, 2026.

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A

AFWERXAFWERX is the Department of the Air Force's innovation arm and the only organization in the Department that manages and executes its SBIR and STTR programs for Air Force and Space Force needs.
AFWERX STRATFI and TACFIDepartment of the Air Force SBIR/STTR programs run by AFWERX that add matched funding to Phase II efforts to help move them toward Phase III and fielded use.
ARPA-HThe Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health is an HHS agency, set up in 2022 as an independent entity within NIH, that funds high-risk health research and issues its own SBIR and STTR contracts.

B

BAA (Broad Agency Announcement)A broad agency announcement (BAA) is a general solicitation that names areas of research interest and invites proposals for basic and applied research, with awards chosen through peer or scientific review.

C

CAGE codeA CAGE (Commercial and Government Entity) code is a five-character ID assigned by the Defense Logistics Agency that identifies a business at a specific location. SAM.gov requests it automatically during registration.
CSO (Commercial Solutions Opening)A commercial solutions opening (CSO) is a DoW general solicitation, authorized by 10 U.S.C. 3458, that invites companies to propose commercial products, services or nondevelopmental items, with awards chosen through expert review.

D

DARPAThe Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is a DoW (formerly DoD) agency that makes early investments in breakthrough technology for national security and awards SBIR and STTR contracts through its Small Business Programs Office.
Direct to Phase II (D2P2)A Phase II SBIR award made to a small business that did not receive a Phase I award for that project, because it has already shown feasibility by other means.
DoW SBIR/STTR Evaluation CriteriaDoW SBIR/STTR proposals are judged on three criteria in descending order of importance: technical merit and innovation, qualifications of the team, and potential for commercialization.
DoW SBIR/STTR ProgramThe Department of War (formerly Department of Defense) SBIR/STTR Program publishes defense research topics from its components, such as the Army, Navy, Air Force and DARPA, as Broad Agency Announcements on DSIP.
DSIP (DoW SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal)DSIP, the DoW SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal at dodsbirsttr.mil, is the Department of War's official site for SBIR and STTR topic search, Topic Q&A and electronic proposal submission.

E

eRA CommonseRA Commons is NIH's online system where grant applicants, recipients and federal staff share research grant administration information, such as application status, summary statements, scores and Notices of Award.

G

Grants.govGrants.gov is the federal website where agencies post discretionary funding opportunities and where organizations find and apply for them. NIH SBIR and STTR applications are routed through it.

L

Login.govLogin.gov is a General Services Administration sign-in service that gives the public one account, protected by multi-factor authentication, for participating federal sites such as SAM.gov, Grants.gov, DSIP, eRA Commons and Research.gov.

N

NIH Fast-TrackAn NIH application option in which a small business submits Phase I and Phase II together in one application, reviewed together, to shorten or remove the funding gap between phases.
NIH SEEDSEED (Small business Education and Entrepreneurial Development) is the NIH office that coordinates SBIR and STTR across HHS, including NIH, CDC, FDA and ACL, and runs entrepreneurship support for awardees.
NSF America's Seed FundAmerica's Seed Fund powered by NSF is the National Science Foundation's SBIR/STTR program, which gives startups and small businesses grants for technically risky research and development without taking equity.
NSF Project PitchA short online summary a company must submit to NSF's SBIR/STTR program, and have accepted, before NSF will invite it to submit a full Phase I proposal.

O

Open Topic vs Specific TopicAn open topic is an SBIR/STTR topic that accepts proposals in any technology area that could meet an agency need, unlike a specific topic written around one defined problem and customer.
Other Transaction (OT) AgreementAn other transaction (OT) is a legally binding agreement that is not a standard procurement contract, grant or cooperative agreement; DoW uses OT authority for research, prototype projects and follow-on production.
Overall Impact ScoreThe overall impact score is NIH reviewers' rating of how likely a project is to exert a sustained, powerful influence on its research field, scored from 1 (exceptional) to 9 (poor).

P

Phase IThe first SBIR/STTR award stage, which funds a short project to test the technical merit or feasibility of an idea or technology before larger development funding.
Phase IIThe second SBIR/STTR award stage, which continues the research and development begun in Phase I, funded according to Phase I results, technical merit and commercial potential.
Phase IIIWork that derives from, extends, or completes an earlier SBIR/STTR Phase I or II effort but is paid for with non-SBIR/STTR money, typically commercial sales or follow-on government contracts.
Pre-ReleaseThe pre-release period is the first phase of a DoW SBIR/STTR announcement, when topics are posted but proposals are not yet accepted and applicants may ask topic authors technical questions directly.

R

Research.govResearch.gov is the National Science Foundation's online system for creating, submitting, tracking and updating proposals. NSF SBIR and STTR proposals must be submitted there.
Resubmission (A1)An NIH resubmission (A1) is a revised version of an unfunded application (A0), allowed once, with a short introduction that responds to the reviewers' critiques in the summary statement.

S

SAM.gov RegistrationSAM.gov, the System for Award Management, is the federal website where a business completes an entity registration, which it needs before it can apply directly for federal awards such as SBIR and STTR funding.
SBA Company Registry and SBC Control IDThe SBA Company Registry, on SBIR.gov, is where a small business must register before applying for SBIR or STTR funding. Each completed registration receives an SBC Control ID used on submissions to every participating agency.
SBA (U.S. Small Business Administration)The U.S. Small Business Administration issues the SBIR/STTR Policy Directive, guides and monitors the federal agencies that run SBIR and STTR, and reports on the programs to Congress.
SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research)A federal program in which participating agencies give competitive, non-dilutive awards to US small businesses for research and development that has the potential for commercialization.
Solicitation and TopicA solicitation is an agency's formal call for proposals or applications; a topic is one numbered research need inside it, and DoW SBIR/STTR proposals must answer a posted topic.
Strategic Breakthrough AwardA large, milestone-based Phase II award created by S. 3971 (April 2026) for companies with a prior Phase II, requiring matching funds, meant to carry proven technology toward production and Phase III.
STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer)A federal program like SBIR that funds small business research and development, but requires the small business to formally partner with a US non-profit research institution such as a university.
Study SectionA study section, or Scientific Review Group, is an NIH peer review panel of outside scientists that evaluates the scientific and technical merit of grant applications in the first level of review.
Summary StatementThe summary statement is the official NIH document from peer review, giving the reviewers' written critiques, criterion scores, the outcome, and a summary of any panel discussion.

T

Topic Q&ATopic Q&A is the DSIP feature where applicants submit written technical questions about a DoW SBIR/STTR topic and all questions and answers are posted publicly without identifying the people involved.
TPOC (Technical Point of Contact)The Technical Point of Contact, or Topic Author, is the government technical expert named in a DoW SBIR/STTR topic whom applicants may contact with technical questions during pre-release.

U

UEI (Unique Entity ID)The Unique Entity ID (UEI) is the 12-character alphanumeric code SAM.gov assigns to identify an organization doing business with the federal government. It replaced the DUNS number on April 4, 2022.

W

White PaperA white paper is a short, early write-up of a proposed technical approach that some BAAs and CSOs request so the agency can judge fit before encouraging or inviting a full proposal.

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