What to expect after you’ve submitted your proposal to NSF

Once you submit your Phase I proposal, NSF finds at least three external experts (in technology, commercialization, or both) to review it and provide feedback.

All proposals are reviewed against the NSF merit review criteria, which cover the quality of research (intellectual or technical merit), its potential impact on society (broader impacts), and the commercial potential of the project (commercial impact).

To review your submission, documents and status update

To review your submitted Phase I proposal, navigate to Research.gov and log in to view the Proposal Status Dashboard page.

What happens after submission?

1-3 months after the submission deadline
Proposals are reviewed by a panel of at least three technical and commercial experts. The managing Program Director also reads and conducts his/her own review.

3-5 months after the submission deadline
In some cases, a follow-on due diligence process will be conducted, in which the Principal Investigator will be asked by the Program Director to provide additional information or to answer questions.

5-7 months after the submission deadline
We'll notify you whether your proposal is accepted or declined. Official communications about the status of your proposal will be via email to the address listed for the project’s Principal Investigator (PI). If your proposal is awarded, you'll receive funding of up to $305,000. Access to most of the award funds will happen at the time of the award notification.

How is your proposal assessed?

Proposals received by NSF are first assessed to ensure that they meet NSF compliance requirements. All compliant proposals are then carefully reviewed by a scientist, engineer or educator serving as an NSF program officer and usually by three to ten other persons outside NSF (as ad hoc reviewers, panelists or both) who are experts in the fields represented by the proposal. To safeguard the integrity of the development and evaluation of proposals in the merit review process, we encourage you to view the Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) Systems Memo that establishes guidelines for its use by reviewers and proposers.

Criterion 1: Intellectual Merit - The Intellectual Merit criterion encompasses the potential to advance knowledge.
Criterion 2: Broader Impacts - The Broader Impacts criterion encompasses the potential to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes.
Criterion 3: Commercial Impact - The Commercial Impact criterion focuses on the potential of the activity to lead to significant outcomes in the commercial market.

If you're accepted

Congratulations! Visit our Phase I awardee section to see what you'll need to get started.

If your proposal is declined

We can't fund all of the proposals we receive. Historical Phase I funding rates for NSF SBIR/STTR Phase I proposal have been between 10% and 20%. We recommend reading your proposal's reviews and the panel summary (if applicable). If you'd like to speak to the NSF Program Director for more information, please email them to schedule a debrief call.

About Phase II

If your technology needs more development — and if you’ve made strong progress in Phase I — you can apply for more funding. Phase II awardees receive up to $1,250,000 over two years and become eligible to apply for several supplemental funding opportunities. Learn more about applying for Phase II.