NSF 26-511: SBIR/STTR Scientific Instrumentation Pilot (2026-2027)
Active NSF SBIR/STTR funding for U.S. small businesses developing next-generation scientific instrumentation, novel experimental platforms, and other enabling technologies, with Phase I, Phase II, Fast-Track, and supplemental routes.
NSF 26-511: SBIR/STTR Scientific Instrumentation Pilot (2026-2027)
NSF 26-511 is an active National Science Foundation solicitation for U.S. startups and small businesses developing next-generation scientific instrumentation, novel experimental platforms, and other enabling technologies for the scientific and engineering enterprise. The pilot is part of NSF’s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs. It is intended to support technical research and development that can advance scientific discovery while creating a credible path toward commercial use.
The first listed full-proposal window, July 27, 2026, has passed. The next listed deadline is November 04, 2026, followed by March 04, 2027 and July 07, 2027. These dates are not a single closed contest: the solicitation also provides recurring annual timing after the listed windows. For the page’s current application status, November 04, 2026 is the actionable deadline. NSF states that full proposals are due by 5 p.m. in the submitting organization’s local time.
At a glance
| Field | Current NSF 26-511 detail |
|---|---|
| Program | SBIR/STTR Phase I, Phase II, Fast-Track, and supplements with a pilot emphasis on scientific instrumentation |
| Applicant | A qualifying small business concern; the 500-employee size limit includes affiliates |
| Technical focus | Next-generation instrumentation, novel experimental platforms, scientific equipment, and enabling technologies |
| Next listed full-proposal deadline | November 04, 2026, by 5 p.m. submitting organization local time |
| Later listed deadlines | March 04, 2027 and July 07, 2027; recurring annual timing is also stated in the solicitation |
| Submission system | Research.gov; NSF says SBIR/STTR proposals are not accepted through Grants.gov |
| Letters of intent | Not required |
| Preliminary proposal | Not required |
| Phase I | Up to $305,000 for 6-18 months |
| Phase II | Up to $1,250,000, typically for 24 months |
| Fast-Track | Up to $400,000 for Phase I plus up to $1,155,000 for Phase II |
| Review criteria | Intellectual Merit, Broader Impacts, and Commercial Impact |
What NSF is funding
The pilot addresses a specific infrastructure problem: scientific progress depends on instruments and platforms that let researchers collect better data, perform new experiments, or work at a scale that existing tools cannot support. NSF describes the focus broadly across enabling technology areas and market sectors rather than as a request for one named device category. A proposal can therefore concern hardware, integrated systems, or a platform technology, provided the work advances scientific capability and fits the SBIR/STTR research-and-development purpose.
NSF is not using this solicitation to procure goods or services for the agency. The company must propose technical R&D, not a vendor response to an NSF purchasing need. A strong application should connect the proposed development work to an unmet need in the scientific and engineering enterprise, explain what technical uncertainty remains, and show how the company can turn the result into a viable offering.
The solicitation says that each company can receive up to $2.0 million for R&D through the SBIR/STTR funding opportunities. It separately describes Strategic Breakthrough proposals for eligible Phase II awardees, subject to Program Officer recommendation. NSF also states that it takes no equity and that awardees retain ownership of their company and intellectual property.
Award routes and current amounts
Phase I
Phase I proposals may request up to $305,000 in R&D funding for a project lasting 6-18 months. The cap includes direct and indirect costs, the small-business fee, Technical and Business Assistance funding, and optional Innovation Corps funding. Phase I is the route for testing technical feasibility and reducing the central R&D risk. It is not an unrestricted entry point: proposers must first complete the Project Pitch process and receive an official invitation from NSF program staff.
Phase II
Phase II proposals may request up to $1,250,000 and typically run for 24 months. This route is limited to companies that already hold an NSF SBIR/STTR Phase I award. The proposal must be submitted between 6 and 24 months after the start of the relevant Phase I award. A company that has not received the qualifying NSF Phase I award should not treat Phase II as an independent first application.
Fast-Track
Fast-Track combines the two development stages. The Phase I portion may request up to $400,000 for 6-12 months, and the Phase II portion may request up to $1,155,000 for an additional 18-24 months. The combined maximum is $1,555,000. Fast-Track also requires a Project Pitch and official invitation. NSF says the full proposal must be submitted within four months of the Fast-Track Project Pitch invitation, so a team considering this route should have its technical plan, budget, and company commitments ready before requesting the pitch review.
Supplemental routes
Active SBIR/STTR Phase II awardees may participate in supplemental funding opportunities described by NSF. A Phase IIB supplement may request $50,000 to $500,000 to build on Phase II development achievements and accelerate the path from the laboratory to the market. It requires matching funds from investors or customers. The Technology Enhancement for Commercial Partnerships supplement, or TECP, may request up to 20% of the Phase II award for additional research beyond the Phase II objectives, such as meeting a partner’s technical specifications or producing additional proof of concept.
NSF also describes Strategic Breakthrough proposals of up to $30,000,000 for Phase II awardees upon recommendation from the cognizant Program Officer. This is not a standard entry route for a new applicant. It is a later-stage opportunity intended to help an NSF-funded company bridge the gap between a prototype and commercial development, and it is subject to available funds and the solicitation’s review process.
Eligibility checks before writing
The applicant must be a firm that qualifies as a small business concern under the NSF SBIR/STTR rules and the applicable SBIR/STTR Policy Directive. The size limit is 500 employees including affiliates. The firm must also remain compliant with the applicable federal requirements.
SBIR and STTR differ in their partner requirements. An SBIR applicant may partner with another institution, but a partner is not required by this solicitation. An STTR applicant must include a partner research institution and issue a subaward to a not-for-profit research institution. The work allocation and budget should make the research-institution role substantive rather than nominal.
The PI rules are also material. The PI’s primary employment must be with the proposing small business at the time of award and for the award’s duration unless NSF approves a new PI. NSF defines primary employment as at least 51% employment by the small business and normally treats employment elsewhere above 19.6 hours per week as conflicting with the requirement. The PI must have a legal right to work for the proposing company in the United States. NSF does not require the PI to be associated with an academic institution and does not require a particular degree.
Minimum PI effort depends on the route: one calendar month per six months of performance for Phase I and Phase II, and three calendar months per six months of performance for Fast-Track. The solicitation also limits an organization to one proposal and limits an individual to one PI or co-PI proposal at a time for this funding opportunity. SBIR proposals use one PI and do not allow co-PIs. STTR proposals require one PI and one co-PI; the PI is with the small business and the co-PI is with the partner research institution.
How to apply for the next window
Choose the correct route. Decide whether the work is an invited Phase I, a Phase II continuation from an NSF Phase I award, or an invited Fast-Track proposal. If the company needs a not-for-profit research institution as a core project partner, evaluate STTR rather than treating that relationship as an informal collaboration.
Confirm company, PI, and proposal limits. Check the 500-employee limit including affiliates, the company’s SBIR/STTR compliance, the PI’s 51% primary employment, the PI’s legal right to work for the company in the United States, and the required effort for the selected route. Confirm that the organization and PI have not exceeded the solicitation’s one-proposal limits.
Complete the Project Pitch when required. Phase I and Fast-Track proposers must submit a Project Pitch and receive an official response by email from NSF program staff. NSF says an invitation is valid for the next two submission deadlines after the initial invitation. It also limits a company to two Project Pitches in a 12-month period and limits the same project or technology to three Project Pitch submissions. Fast-Track teams must submit a full proposal within four months of the invitation.
Prepare the full proposal using the right instructions. NSF says letters of intent and preliminary proposals are not required. Prepare the full proposal under the solicitation and the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide version in effect on the due date. Use the NSF SBIR/STTR proposal instructions linked from the solicitation for route-specific requirements, budget treatment, and submission details.
Submit through Research.gov. NSF requires all NSF SBIR/STTR proposals to be submitted through Research.gov and says they will not be accepted through Grants.gov. Plan for the November 04, 2026 deadline at 5 p.m. in the submitting organization’s local time. Research.gov account, organization, and authorization issues should be resolved before the final submission day.
Make the three review dimensions visible. NSF evaluates SBIR/STTR proposals using Intellectual Merit, Broader Impacts, and Commercial Impact. The technical plan should explain the scientific or engineering advance and the experiments that test it. The broader-impacts discussion should identify who benefits and how. The commercial-impact discussion should show a plausible route from R&D to users, customers, partners, or follow-on financing without replacing the required technical R&D case.
Practical preparation for an instrumentation proposal
Start with the unmet capability rather than with a list of components. Identify what scientists cannot currently measure, automate, reproduce, or scale, and state how the proposed instrument or platform changes that constraint. Then define the smallest set of technical experiments that can establish feasibility during the chosen phase. Each objective should have a measurable result, a schedule, and a fallback if the preferred design fails.
The commercial case should be specific to the instrument’s users. Identify the laboratories, facilities, industrial researchers, or other customers that would adopt the product, and distinguish a research collaboration from a paying customer or strategic partner. Explain manufacturing, integration, calibration, service, data handling, and regulatory or safety work when those issues affect adoption. The goal is not to promise a finished product during Phase I; it is to show that the proposed R&D leads to a product that someone can use and support.
For STTR, describe the research institution’s technical contribution, personnel, facilities, and subaward role. For Phase II or Fast-Track, connect the work to the evidence that will be produced in the earlier stage. For a supplement, show the specific partner or investor requirement that the additional research addresses. In every route, make the budget follow the work rather than treating the maximum award as the starting point.
Finally, check the submission route and invitation status before the proposal is finalized. An otherwise strong instrumentation concept can fail administrative review if it is submitted without the required invitation, by an ineligible company, by a PI who does not meet the employment rule, or through the wrong federal submission system. The official NSF 26-511 solicitation is the controlling source for the active window, eligibility conditions, award limits, and proposal instructions.