Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) Phase II | HHS 2019 ACL NIDILRR BISB 0353

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2019 ACL NIDILRR BISB 0353

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II opportunity is a discretionary federal grant program run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Administration for Community Living (ACL), specifically the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). Its broader SBIR purpose is to drive technological innovation in the private sector and strengthen the ability of small businesses to help meet federal research and research-and-development needs. Within that larger SBIR framework, NIDILRRs focus is more targeted: it aims to move disability-related research and development closer to real-world commercial use, so that the results of federally supported R and D translate into practical products and services that improve outcomes for people with disabilities and deliver a stronger return on the governments research investments.

This Phase II competition is designed for projects that are ready to build directly on Phase I work. In other words, it is not intended for brand-new concepts that have not been tested under SBIR Phase I. Instead, Phase II supports continued development, refinement, and progression toward commercialization for approaches that already showed enough promise during Phase I to justify a larger investment. A key requirement is that Phase II applicants must be Phase I grantees, and the Phase II proposal must be grounded in Phase I results that suggest the technology or solution can realistically move forward.

All projects funded under NIDILRRs SBIR program must clearly address the needs of individuals with disabilities. The expected impact is not purely technical; the work must connect to tangible disability-related outcomes, including improving health and function, supporting community living, or improving employment outcomes. That means proposals should be oriented toward solutions that can make a measurable difference in daily life, participation, independence, and work, rather than research that remains primarily academic or exploratory. Because NIDILRR emphasizes commercial application, Phase II efforts typically align with advancing prototypes, validating performance, preparing for manufacturing or deployment, strengthening usability and accessibility, and building a credible pathway to market adoption in disability and rehabilitation-related contexts.

From an administrative and funding standpoint, this opportunity is listed as Funding Opportunity Number HHS-2019-ACL-NIDILRR-BISB-0353 under CFDA 93.433, within the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category. The funding instrument is a grant. Eligible applicants include small businesses, with the notice also referencing additional eligibility clarification in the full announcement text. The award ceiling is $575,000, and the program anticipated making about 4 awards under this competition. The opportunity was created on May 2, 2019, with an original closing date of July 1, 2019, and electronic submissions were required by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date.

Overall, this SBIR Phase II opportunity is best understood as a continuation and scale-up stage for small businesses that have already demonstrated early feasibility under NIDILRR SBIR Phase I and are now positioned to push the work further toward a market-ready product or service that directly improves health, function, independent/community living, or employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) Phase II" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.433.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 02, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 01, 2019 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $575,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for HHS 2019 ACL NIDILRR BISB 0353

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