Getting Started with Phase I
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Submit your Pitch
Give us your elevator pitch – why should DOE be excited for your application?
Within the DOE SBIR/STTR Application Hub coming soon, each small business can enter up to three Pitches. If your Pitch looks promising, we will invite your team to submit a full application for that project.
You cannot submit a full application without an invitation.
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Complete your registrations and collect letters of support
Before you can complete the full application, your small business will need to have registered with the System for Award Management (SAM) and with Small Business Administration (SBA) Company Registry.
These registration processes can be lengthy– so get started early! Don’t wait until you get feedback on your Pitch before starting.
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Submit your full application
It’s time to complete the full application. There are several necessary components so be sure to budget plenty of time to get everything done.
If you are invited to submit a full application, the same account you used to submit your Pitch will be used to complete the full application on the DOE SBIR/STTR Application Hub, coming soon.
Partners and Team
Partners can help small businesses successfully transform their research ideas and innovations into tangible products to take to market. Partnerships with Research Institutions, National Labs, and universities can provide crucial assistance during Phase I awards when small businesses are conducting research and testing the feasibility of their objectives, whereas partnerships with manufacturing and engineering firms may be critical in Phase II awards when small businesses are developing product prototypes. In either case, partnerships and collaborations are highly encouraged and the DOE SBIR website contains a great deal of useful information under “Partnering Resources” to help applicants find the right partner for the right stage of their project.
Although many small businesses partner with universities on their STTR proposals, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) are also a viable alternative. In addition to participating as the research institution for STTR applications, FFRDCs may also participate as subcontractors in SBIR proposals. Partnering with an FFRDC or a research institution can provide prestige and expertise that many small businesses may be lacking, in addition to access to equipment and facilities necessary to carry out the proposed research.
Considerations for partnering with an FFRDC
- If the small business does not already have an established relationship with an FFRDC, reach out to peers who have experience working with FFRDCs. An additional option for finding a potential partner is to reach out to the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) or explore the DOE’s Lab Partnering Service. The websites are listed at right.
- Keep in mind that the benefit to the FFRDC is that in partnering with a small business on an SBIR or STTR project is that it is serving the federal government’s best interests.
- It may be easier to work with an FFRDC that has previously served on an SBIR or STTR award.
- There are several types of mechanisms available for collaborating with FFRDCs, including but not limited to, Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA), Work for Others (WFO), User Facility Agreement, Licensing Agreement, and Technical Assistance Agreement.
For a list of the 20 DOE National Labs (FFRDCs), their core competencies and contact information, please visit DOE’s Lab Partnering Service at: https://labpartnering.org/labs. This website is a tremendous resource, searchable by topic, industry, lab assets, in addition to providing guidance on the different types of partnering mechanisms.
The team that the small business assembles for their proposal is crucial and should demonstrate to the reviewers that the applicant has the necessary expertise, experience, and ability to carry out the proposed project. Learn more.
Commercialization Support Services
A technology innovation can only return impact to our nation and economy if a there is a viable and sustainable commercial value proposition. Simply put, a customer needs to see enough value in the innovation to buy it. As such commercialization is a central goal of the DOE SBIR/STTR programs. These programs target small businesses since they represent a primary pathway for high-risk technical research and development efforts to increase national security, revenue, jobs, and general economic benefits for the United States. Technology research and development is hard, but often the path to market is even steeper. DOE offers a variety of commercialization support services for small businesses at large, as well as its SBIR/STTR recipients. Click here to learn more about how we can help.
Useful Websites and Tutorials
- DOE Lab Partnering Service → Click Here
- Federal Laboratory Consortium → Click Here
- SBIR Partnering Resources → Click Here
- Manufacturing Partners → Click Here
Additional Resources
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An overview on combating, understanding, and reporting SBIR/STTR fraud.July 20, 2026 -
Phase III awards are fundamentally different from Phase I and II awards.July 21, 2026 -
There are three essential registrations that small businesses must complete to apply for an SBIR or STTR award.July 21, 2026 -
Program policy factors may be considered in determining funding recipients, in addition to the expert scores and comments.July 21, 2026