Small Business Eligibility Requirements

Find out below if you’re eligible to apply for NIA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) funding.

Is your business a U.S. for-profit company?

Eligible businesses must be for-profit entities located in the United States; operating within the United States; or making a significant contribution to the U.S. economy through payment of taxes or use of American products, materials, or labor.

Eligible businesses must be in the legal form of an individual proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company, corporation, joint venture, association, trust or cooperative, except that where the form is a joint venture, there must be less than 50% participation by foreign business entities.

Does your business have fewer than 500 employees?

Eligible businesses must have 500 or fewer employees, including affiliates.

Is your business wholly owned by eligible entities?

Eligible businesses must be more than 50% directly owned and controlled by (a) one or more individuals who are citizens or permanent resident aliens of the United States, (b) other businesses, each of which is more than 50% directly owned and controlled by individuals who are U.S. citizens or permanent resident aliens of the United States, or (c) any combination of these.

To be eligible for SBIR, the business may be more than 50% owned by multiple venture capital operating companies, hedge funds, private equity firms, or any combination of these. No single venture capital operating company, hedge fund, or private equity firm may own more than 50% of the concern.

If an Employee Stock Ownership Plan owns all or part of the small business, each stock trustee and plan member is considered an owner. If a trust owns all or part of the small business, each trustee and trust beneficiary is considered an owner.

Learn more about the application process

Return to the NIA Small Business Main Page.