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§ Grant
USDA Small Business Innovation Research grants. Phase I up to $100K, Phase II up to $600K for agricultural innovation.
USDA SBIR provides up to $183K (Phase I) and $650K (Phase II) to U.S. small businesses developing agricultural technology innovations across food, farming, forestry, and rural economies.
U.S. for-profit small businesses under 500 employees, majority U.S.-owned, with the principal investigator employed by the company, working in agricultural technology.
Phase I: up to $183,000 for 6-8 months of feasibility. Phase II: up to $650,000 for ~2 years of full R&D. Companies retain IP rights.
Apply through Grants.gov responding to the annual solicitation (typically fall). Submit research plans, budgets, and commercialization strategies for peer review on scientific merit and innovation.
Precision farming equipment, biological crop protection, food processing tech, animal diagnostics, sustainable forestry tools, and rural broadband, many now widely commercialized.
The USDA SBIR Program is a competitive grant initiative administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture under the United States Department of Agriculture to fund small businesses developing innovative agricultural technologies. The program provides Phase I awards of up to $183,000 for eight-month feasibility studies and Phase II awards of up to $650,000 for two-year development projects across ten topic areas, including plant production, animal production, forest resources, aquaculture, and rural development. Annual funding totals approximately $22.75 million, with proposals evaluated through a single annual solicitation cycle. Applicants must be U.S.-owned small businesses with fewer than 500 employees, and the program operates alongside the USDA STTR program requiring formal research institution partnerships.
The USDA SBIR Program provides up to $183,000 in Phase I and up to $650,000 in Phase II to U.S. small businesses developing agricultural technology innovations. Administered by the USDA, this program is part of the federal government's broader SBIR initiative, channeling research dollars specifically toward innovations that strengthen American agriculture, food systems, forestry, and rural economies.
U.S. small businesses with fewer than 500 employees working in agricultural technology are eligible. Companies must be for-profit, majority U.S.-owned, and the principal investigator must be employed by the applicant company. Research topics encompass the full breadth of agricultural innovation including crop and animal production, food safety, natural resources, bioenergy, rural development, and agricultural economics.
Phase I awards up to $183,000 for six to eight months of feasibility research. Phase II awards up to $650,000 for approximately two years of full research and development. Companies retain ownership of intellectual property developed with SBIR funding. USDA also provides commercialization support, connections to agricultural industry stakeholders, and access to Extension Service networks that can facilitate technology adoption across American farms and food businesses.
Applications are submitted through Grants.gov in response to USDA's annual SBIR solicitation, typically published in the fall. The solicitation specifies research topics across multiple categories. Proposals must include a detailed research plan, budget, team qualifications, and commercialization strategy. Peer review panels evaluate applications on scientific and technical merit, innovation, commercial potential, and investigator qualifications. Phase II requires prior Phase I completion.
USDA SBIR has funded agricultural innovations spanning precision farming equipment, biological crop protection products, food processing technologies, animal health diagnostics, sustainable forestry tools, and rural broadband solutions. The program has produced numerous commercialized products that are now widely used in American agriculture, from soil sensors to food safety testing platforms.