Submission proposal information
Read the solicitation and view the Solicitation Information page under resources for details on entering proposal data into the system.
View the proposal submission guide to help you navigate the system.
Note that NSF has recently consolidated our solicitations for Phase I, Phase II, and Fast-Track into a single solicitation.
Follow these important steps
Ready to start preparing your proposal? You'll need to read the official policy document (the solicitation) which outlines the official requirements, key elements and supplemental information you'll need to draft your proposal. View the Solicitation Information page under resources for detailed information. We also recommend that you start the registration process right away.
Review Guidelines
The merit review process enables NSF to make wise investments in all fields of science and engineering research and education. Please review information on the merit review process and criteria for SBIR/STTR proposals for more information.
To safeguard the integrity of the development and evaluation of proposals in the merit review process, we encourage you to also view the Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) Systems Memo that establishes guidelines for its use by reviewers and proposers.
View these videos for tips on what makes a successful proposal:
Full Proposal Submission Deadlines:
July 27 2026
First Wednesday in July, annually thereafter
November 4 2026
First Wednesday in November, annually thereafter
March 4 2027
First Thursday in March, annually thereafter
Proposal submission is due by 5:00 PM submitter’s time on the specified due date.
Applicants with Project Pitch invitations issued on or after July 3, 2025, and who have not yet submitted a proposal associated with that invitation, will be permitted to submit their full Phase I proposal (or, if permitted, Fast-Track proposal) not later than November 4, 2026.
Phase I awardees whose Phase I award start date was on or after November 6, 2023, and who have not already submitted their Phase II proposal will be permitted to submit their Phase II proposal not later than November 4, 2026.
Register your company (FREE and required)
If your company hasn’t worked with the government before, you’ll need to register with these systems (we recommend the order listed below). Every step in our process, including all of these registrations, is free. You MUST have completed your SAM registration BEFORE you can begin entering your proposal in Research.gov. Start as soon as possible!
System for Award Management (SAM)
Processing time: Up to three weeks
You MUST register to do business with the U.S. government through System for Award Management (SAM). When you register, you’ll have to share bank account information of the account where the NSF funds would be deposited. This registration process is free and takes only 10-15 minutes to initiate, but can take up to three weeks to complete. An active SAM.gov registration is needed to submit a proposal to NSF. To submit proposals to NSF SBIR/STTR, you only need to request “financial assistance” authority and do NOT need “contract” authority (which can be a much longer process to obtain). SAM registration must be renewed annually.
Note: Due to a large backload, SAM is currently experiencing delays in the creation and validation of Unique Entity Identifiers (UEI).
Research.gov (Online Grant Management for the NSF Community)
Processing time: Up to 48 hours
Before applying, you must register your company with NSF in Research.gov. Only after registering with Research.gov can you login and begin preparing your proposal.
Finally, you need to register with the SBIR Company Registry (operated by the Small Business Administration). Post-registration, you’ll receive a Business Concern Control ID (SBC ID), which you’ll need to include in your Research.gov application.
Use NSF’s Research.gov system to prepare and submit your proposal
Research.gov allows you to create your proposal piece by piece, so there’s no need to have everything ready before you start. View Solicitation Information page under resources for preparing your proposal and use the proposal submission guide to help you navigate the system.