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Post-Award Expectations and Reporting

A. SBIR/STTR Terms and Conditions

  • SBIR/STTR awards have terms and conditions tailored to the programs’ unique requirements and expected outcomes as discussed below.
  • The current full set of SBIR/STTR terms and conditions can be found through the link.

B. SBIR/STTR Project Funds Disbursement and Reporting:

SBIR/STTR projects have reporting requirements that differ from standard NSF awards. In addition, funding for SBIR/STTR projects is generally released in tranches. Small businesses are permitted to draw down funds as needed throughout the award from the NSF Awardee Cash Management Service via Research.gov.

  • Phase I: For Phase I awards, the full funding amount, minus $25,000, will be available at the start of the award. The remaining $25,000 will be released after the final project reports are submitted and approved.

    The only required reporting in Phase I occurs after the project is completed. The two required reports are a final report — which consists of a detailed technical narrative and a set of certifications — and the standard NSF Project Outcomes Report. For more information on the format of the Phase I final report, see https://seedfund.nsf.gov/resources/awardees/phase-1/reporting/.

  • Phase II: For Phase II awards, funding is disbursed into multiple tranches. The first tranche is available at the start of the award, and then additional tranches are released, typically at six-month intervals thereafter. Phase II submitters may request specific tranche amounts in the Phase II proposal, but the standard payment schedule is listed in the “Project Schedule” form.

    Phase II projects must submit interim reports at six-month intervals as well as a final report at the conclusion of the project. More details on the content and format of Phase II interim and final reports can be found at https://seedfund.nsf.gov/assets/files/awardees/NSF_Interim_Report_Fillable.pdf.

  • Fast-Track: For Fast-Track awards, funding is distributed throughout the program’s phases. The Phase I component — minus $25,000 — will be available at the start of the award.

    At the conclusion of the Phase I component, Fast-Track companies will apply to proceed to Phase II via the Phase II transition review.

    Companies that do not pass either the Stage Gate 1 (progress evaluation) or Stage Gate 2 (Cost Analysis and Pre-Award Branch (CAP) review) will be limited to the Phase I funding, and the award will conclude at the end of the Phase I component. The final $25,000 of the Phase I component will be released once the final project reports are submitted and approved.

    Companies that successfully pass Stage Gates 1 and 2 will receive the remaining final $25,000 of Phase I component funding, along with an initial funding increment for the Phase II component of the award. Phase II component payments will be distributed in tranches similar to the payment structure used for standard Phase II awards as discussed above. Fast-Track projects that progress to the Phase II component of funding will report at six-month intervals as described above for standard Phase II awards.

C. SBIR/STTR Award Programming

Phase I, Phase II and Fast-Track awardees are all required to attend a workshop in the first six months of their award. The workshop focuses on sharing company-building best practices and describes key information about the rights and responsibilities associated with the award.

Phase I awardees are strongly encouraged to budget for participation in the NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps™) program during the early months of their award. For more information about I-Corps, see: https://seedfund.nsf.gov/resources/awardees/phase-1/nsf-i-corps/.

New awardees will receive more information from NSF about each of the above activities in the early stages of their award.