You’ve got questions. We’ve got answers.
The following reflect the frequently asked questions we’ve received from applicants. Aside from the general questions on this page, we have answers to questions about eligibility, technical and business assistance, and various forms required for your SBIR/STTR application.
If you have a question not answered on these pages, please email us at sbir@usda.gov.
General Questions
- Who should I contact?
- Can I be PD/PI or Co-PD/PI on more than one project?
- Can you tell me about the review process for applications?
Who should I contact?
Grants.gov issue
Online Support: Grants.gov online support; Telephone Support: 800-518-4726 (Toll Free) or 606-545-5035; Email Support: support@grants.gov; Self-service customer-based support: Grants.gov iPortal
Key information: Customer service business hours 24/7, except federal holidays.
NIFA Application Support
Email Support: grantapplicationquestions@usda.gov
Key information: Business hours Monday through Friday, 7 am to 5 pm Eastern Time, except federal holidays.
To assess fit to a specific SBIR/STTR program area: After reviewing the program area descriptions from the RFA (Part I.C), contact the specified Program Area National Program Leader found in the RFA. If you are undecided about which topic area may be a good fit, then you may want to reach out to the SBIR/STTR National Program Leader, Dave Songstad, at david.songstad@usda.gov. When contacting an NPL for a meeting, it is best to write up a one paragraph summary of your research/innovation. Most NPL meetings are scheduled for about 20 minutes.
USDA SBIR/STTR Application-Specific Support: sbir@usda.gov. Key information: Business hours Monday through Friday, 7 am to 5 pm Central Time, except federal holidays.
Can I be PD/PI or Co-PD/PI on more than one project?
While it is not prohibited to do so, SBIR/STTR programs discourage the same individual from submitting more than one application as lead/first PD/PI. Because of the competitive nature of the SBIR/STTR programs, it is often best to select one project and put the time into writing the strongest application you can. However, there is no prohibition against more than one grant being recommended to a single PD/PI. For Co-PD/PIs and collaborators, there is also no prohibition on being on more than one project. All Co-PDs and PDs must remember to include all pending applications in their Current & Pending form to confirm they would have enough time to work on all grants if all the listed applications receive awards.
Can you tell me about the review process for applications?
USDA SBIR/STTR uses a peer review process to evaluate grants. You can find general information about the NIFA peer review process in this fact sheet, and information specific to SBIR/STTR peer review guidelines is found in the RFA Evaluation Criteria (RFA Part V.B).
