NOAA SBIR FY 2023 Phase I | NOAA OAR TPO 2023 2007691

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA OAR TPO 2023 2007691

The NOAA SBIR FY 2023 Phase I opportunity is a federal grant competition run by the Department of Commerce through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It invites eligible small business concerns to submit research and development proposals that align with NOAA needs, specifically within the research topic areas identified in the announcement (referenced as Section 9.0). The core aim is to fund early-stage, high-potential technical innovation that can be developed into products or services with a realistic path to commercialization, while also supporting NOAA mission needs in science, technology, and applied research.

This solicitation is only for FY 2023 Phase I proposals. Phase I is the entry point and is meant to support feasibility work: proving the concept, reducing technical risk, and establishing enough evidence to justify a larger follow-on effort. Importantly, Phase II proposals are not accepted under this notice. NOAA indicates it expects to publish a separate Phase II funding opportunity roughly 30 days before the end of the prior year’s Phase I period of performance. Only firms that received Phase I awards from the applicable prior cycle would be eligible to apply to that later Phase II competition, and that Phase II notice would include the detailed submission instructions and deadlines.

The program operates under the broader Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) framework, created by Congress in 1982 and reauthorized multiple times, with the most recent extension running through 2025. Under SBIR rules, federal agencies that exceed a threshold level of extramural research and development spending are required to set aside a statutory percentage of those R&D funds for awards to small businesses. NOAA’s SBIR program is therefore part of a government-wide effort to channel a portion of federal R&D investment into the small business sector, both to generate innovation and to move those innovations into the marketplace.

The stated objectives reflect the classic SBIR mission: stimulate private-sector technological innovation, strengthen the role of small business in meeting federal research and development needs, and increase commercialization of innovations that originate with federally funded R&D. The notice also highlights participation goals for groups that have historically been underrepresented in innovation funding, including socially and economically disadvantaged and women-owned small businesses. NOAA ties this emphasis to its broader diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility commitments and to congressional interest in expanding participation in the scientific and technical workforce.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant opportunity in the Business and Commerce and Science and Technology/R&D activity categories. The eligible applicants are small businesses. The opportunity is identified as NOAA OAR TPO 2023 2007691, with CFDA 11.021. The notice was created on December 2, 2022, and the original closing date listed is March 17, 2023. NOAA indicates an award ceiling of $175,000 for Phase I and anticipates making about 25 awards, which suggests a competitive selection process focused on technical merit, relevance to NOAA topics, and the credibility of the commercialization plan.

One practical boundary NOAA makes clear is that SBIR is not a substitute channel for unsolicited proposals. In other words, companies cannot use this program to submit unrelated ideas outside the defined SBIR topics or to bypass other NOAA proposal mechanisms. Proposals must respond to the specific SBIR topics in the announcement, and unsolicited proposals are not accepted under SBIR. The overall message of the opportunity is that NOAA is looking for small businesses that can do rigorous early-stage R&D in NOAA-relevant areas and can credibly turn successful results into commercially viable offerings.

• The Department of Commerce in the business and commerce, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NOAA SBIR FY 2023 Phase I" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.021.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 02, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 17, 2023. (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 $175,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 25 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Small businesses.

Apply for NOAA OAR TPO 2023 2007691

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