What changed in the 2026 SBIR/STTR parent solicitations.

PA-27-100 (SBIR) and PA-27-102 (STTR) reissue PA-24-245/246 as single Clinical Trial Optional announcements — the separate CT-required and CT-not-allowed solicitations are gone. Components that do not accept clinical trials under the parent: NIAMS, NIDCR, NCATS, ORIP, and all FDA components. Always confirm your IC's participation in the announcement's component table.

Budget ceilings now vary by IC. Phase I runs up to $700,000 at several ICs (including NCI, NIA, NIAID, NIGMS, NIMH, NINDS, NCCIH); Phase II runs up to $3,000,000 at several ICs (including NHLBI, NIA, NIAID, NIDCD, NIGMS, NIMH, NINDS); other ICs cap at the SBA guideline. Examples from the IC table: NCI $700,000 Phase I / $2,500,000 Phase II; NHLBI $400,000 Phase I / $3,000,000 Phase II. Approved waiver topics may exceed these amounts. Check the IC table in the announcement before you budget.

Posted May 28, 2026. Earliest submission August 5, 2026. Due dates: September 5, 2026 · January 5, 2027 · April 5, 2027, each by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization. The announcement expires April 6, 2027.

"No late applications will be accepted for this Notice of Funding Opportunity." Plan registrations and internal deadlines accordingly — see the Registration Runway Planner.

NIH will no longer issue awards involving foreign subawards or subcontracts; applications that include them are deemed noncompliant and will not be considered for funding. Still permitted: unfunded international collaborations, foreign consultants, and procurement of unique equipment or supplies from foreign vendors.

Applicants under consideration for funding must complete the SBA Required Disclosures of Foreign Affiliations form covering all owners and covered individuals. Awards are denied — without an opportunity to cure — if a security risk is found (e.g., participation in a malign foreign talent recruitment program, or a parent/subsidiary in a foreign country of concern).

Available at NIH (not CDC/FDA) for projects that have demonstrated feasibility without a prior Phase I SBIR/STTR — and NIH accepts that feasibility evidence regardless of its funding source (investor-funded, university, or internal R&D).