This web page on sensor technology is designed to help sensor developers locate SBIR and/or STTR funding opportunities across federal agencies. The U.S. Government is a significant driver of sensor innovation: investing in low cost, portable, easy-to-use technologies to facilitate the collection of real time, reliable measurement information.
You may be surprised to see how many different SBIR and/or STTR research topics relate to sensor technology development. Federal agencies are supporting sensor research and development, purchasing and using sensors, making sensor data and data products available to the public, and investigating how application of sensor technologies can help accomplish the agencies’ goals. The information below will help you explore funding opportunities beyond the announcements you might normally investigate.
Some agencies allow Phase II application submissions from Phase I projects that were funded by a different agency, if the Phase I project is within the scope of the Phase II agency’s goals. The information presented in the table below may help you to identify such opportunities. Grants.gov provides additional information on federal funding opportunities as well as the federal grants lifecycle, policies on grants management, and profiles on grant-making agencies.
For more information, please review table below:
Agency | Agency Interest in Sensor Technology | Grant or Contract | Recent or upcoming solicitation | Success Stories | Program Contact |
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) |
EPA seeks sensors that can detect Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act Priority Pollutants with high accuracy and precision, in real time, at low cost. These sensors should either be easily portable or deployable in the field for unattended operation. They should supplement, extend, or improve on existing methods to comply with regulatory requirements, or should make it possible for non-regulated parties (e.g. nonprofit organizations, small businesses, members of the public) to monitor their environment. |
Contract |
EPA releases one solicitation per year. The Phase I Solicitation typically opens in June. Visit SBIR Funding Opportunities for more information. For reference, the 2020-2021 sensor topics included: TOPICS: 2. Air Quality |
1) Indoor Formaldehyde Detection by a Low-Cost Chemical Sensor Based on Organic Nanofibers 2) Innovative measurement tools for ground level air pollution levels from wildland fires:
3) Hand-Held Sensor for Carbon Dioxide
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April Richards; EPA SBIR Website: |
Agency | Agency Interest in Sensor Technology | Grant or Contract | Recent or upcoming solicitation | Success Stories | Program Contact |
Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) |
NIST seeks advancement of sensor technology in areas of measurement and standards to support U.S. industry and trade. |
Grant |
One annual solicitation. The Phase I solicitation generally opens in January. |
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Mary Clague; NIST SBIR Website: |
Agency | Agency Interest in Sensor Technology | Grant or Contract | Recent or upcoming solicitation | Success Stories | Program Contact |
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) |
NOAA seeks sensors for detecting and/or accurately and precisely measuring physical, chemical, and biological targets of interest in oceanic (including Great Lakes) and atmospheric systems to provide real- or near real-time data in support of the Agency’s mission to understand and predict changes in climate, weather, oceans, and coasts. |
Contract |
One solicitation annually, usually opening in October or November. For additional information, see: https://www.techpartnerships.noaa.gov/SBIR Examples of subtopics in FY19 solicitation include: SUBTOPIC: Water-Born Algal Toxins Detection (9.2.03) SUBTOPIC: Low-cost Oceanic & Atmospheric Sensors and Observing Systems (9.6.01) SUBTOPIC: Mapping & Imagery of Seafloor and the Deep Ocean (9.6.03) |
Desert Star Systems LLC develops innovative SeaTag: Electronic Tags of the Future
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Kelly Wright NOAA SBIR Website: http://www.techpartn... |
Agency | Agency Interest in Sensor Technology | Grant or Contract | Recent or upcoming solicitation | Success Stories | Program Contact |
US Department of Energy |
DOE funds sensor R&D for a broad range of scientific instruments, for the production or delivery of energy, and for applications in nuclear security. Examples include radiation detection for the study of materials and fundamental particles, environmental monitoring to understand climate change and subsurface processes, process monitoring for oil and gas production, and systems for the recording, processing, storage, distribution, and analysis of experimental data. |
Grant |
DOE posts two Phase I funding opportunities each FY and offers a myriad of sensor R&D topics in both solicitations. Those topics can be found here: https://science.osti.gov/sbir/Funding-Opportunities.24c. Advanced Subsurface Energy Technologies 29a. Technologies For Hydrobiogeochemical Measurements In Coastal Systems 30a. Atmospheric Measurement Technology 30b. Atmospheric Measurement Technology 36c. Nuclear Physics Electronics Design And Fabrication 38c. Nuclear Physics Instrumentation, Detection Systems And Techniques |
A Diode Laser Sensor for High Precision CO2 and H2O Flux Measurements Breakthrough Monitoring Technology Reduces Time and Expense in Solar Cell Manufacturing Process
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Chris O’Gwin, DOE SBIR Website: https://science.osti.gov/sbir |
Agency | Agency Interest in Sensor Technology | Grant or Contract | Recent or upcoming solicitation | Success Stories | Program Contact |
National Science Foundation (NSF) |
The NSF SBIR Program encourages small businesses to submit ideas across all areas of science and engineering (except drug development). Small businesses are required to submit a Project Pitch to determine whether their proposed project is a good fit for the program’s objectives to support (i) innovative technologies that show promise of commercial and/or societal impact and (ii) involve a level of technical risk. Once invited to submit a full proposal, a small business’s Phase I proposal should be to demonstrate technical feasibility of the proposed innovation and thereby bring the innovation closer to commercialization. Similar to the Project Pitch, invited full proposals should describe the development of an innovation that demonstrates the following characteristics:
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Grant |
Typically, there are quarterly submission windows with proposals accepted any time. Project Pitches are accepted anytime. For program information and submission deadlines, see https://seedfund.nsf.gov/ Related topics: Sensors (SE) topic |
See https://seedfund.nsf.gov/showcase/ New monitoring technology helps farmers in drought-stricken areas better manage crops (also - All-in-one weather and crop monitor delivers agricultural insight to farmers – CES 2018) Low-cost environmental and pollution sensors -- Access Sensor Technologies IoT sensor to reduce emissions – K&A Wireless |
Feel free to submit a Project Pitch via the below links in order to determine best topic and point of contact: Project Pitch Contents: https://seedfund.nsf.gov/project-pitch/ Project Pitch Submission Portal: https://nsfgov.secure.force.com/sbir/ Program Director bios and portfolio areas are listed here: https://seedfund.nsf.gov/contact/ |
Agency | Agency Interest in Sensor Technology | Grant or Contract | Recent or upcoming solicitation | Success Stories | Program Contact |
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) |
The mission of NIEHS is to discover how the environment affects people in order to promote healthier lives. NIEHS supports the development of sensors that can assess personal exposure in population studies using either networks of fixed site or wearable monitors that can measure exposure in real-time with high sensitivity and specificity and/or low cost. NIEHS is also particularly interested in personal sensors that measure multiple analytes simultaneously or ones that pair exposure assessment with physiological response. The NIEHS Superfund Research Program supports sensors for real-time monitoring and detection of toxic chemicals in the environment that are of high relevance to Superfund or other hazardous waste sites (not interested in viruses, agricultural pollutants, petroleum etc). |
Grant |
RFA-ES-20-016 – NIEHS SBIR Phase IIB Validation of Sensors for Improved Environmental Exposure Assessment (R44) - Clinical Trial Not Allowed. SBCs that have completed relevant Phase II grants or contacts on environmental sensor technologies funded by NIH Institutes or other US federal agencies within the last 36 months are eligible to apply to this FOA. Letter of Intent due date: November 4, 2020 Application due date: December 4, 2020 • 5:00 p.m., local time of applicant organization
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1) Personal Ozone Monitor (POM) 2) Hand-Held Fluorimeter and DNA Powered Sensors for Rapid On-Site Analysis of Heavy Metals in Water 3) Personal Exposure Monitor for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) 4) Personal Exposure Monitoring of the Air Pollutants as a K-12 Educational Tool 5) Portable Condensation Particle Counter for Ultrafine Airborne Particle Concentration Measurement 6) Aerosol Particle Collector for Chemical and Biological Analysis 7) Gold Nanoparticle-Based Sensor to Measure Mercury in Liquid or Aqueous Samples (Superfund) 8) Rapid, Real-Time, Mobile Trace Gas Detector (Superfund) 9) Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy-based analyzers enable fast, laboratory-grade water analysis 10) Test Kit for Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Water |
Daniel T. Shaughnessy, Ph.D. Lingamanaidu V. Ravichandran, |
Agency | Agency Interest in Sensor Technology | Grant or Contract | Recent or upcoming solicitation | Success Stories | Program Contact |
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) |
The mission of the NIOSH is to generate new knowledge in the field of occupational safety and health and to transfer that knowledge into practice for the betterment of workers. NIOSH is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). NIOSH development and application of sensors addresses hazards and exposures ranging from noise, chemicals, and radiation to stress, ergonomics, and work flows. For all types of hazards in the workplace, the objective is to enable operators to anticipate and quickly identify potential overexposures and implement interventions to prevent these overexposures. In May 2014, NIOSH created the Center for Direct Reading and Sensor Technologies. The primary goals of the Center are to develop guidance for appropriate use, validation, and interpretation of direct reading and sensor technologies and will also focus on coordinating a national agenda for their effective application in occupational safety and health. |
Grant |
Current NIOSH extramural research grants in the area of sensors include biosensors for different chemical exposures, wearable monitors for a variety of work sites, monitors that can be used in exposure characterization studies for ultrafine and nanoparticles, and noise dosimeters. Three SBIR solicitatons annually Examples of specific research areas of interest include, but are not limited to: Real-time sensors capable of reliably detecting nanoparticles and providing information on size distribution and count, that can be used for personal monitoring; Additionally, the following NIOSH standing research announcement includes interests in sensors and sensor technologies: Additional information about NIOSH SBIR funding opportunities can be found at: |
Thermal precipitator description and success story from the NIOSH small grant (R03OH009381, 2008-2010) awarded to Prof. John Volckens (CSU) Flexible, Graphene-based Detector Arrays for Petrochemical Exposure Monitoring; Size-Resolved Measurement of Ultrafine and Nanometer Particle Concentrations. |
Steve Dearwent, PhD, MPH Tel: 404-498-6382 Emanuele Cauda, Phd Tel: 412-386-4518 |
Agency | Agency Interest in Sensor Technology | Grant or Contract | Recent or upcoming solicitation | Success Stories | Program Contact |
U.S. Department of Agriculture |
USDA seeks sensors and sensor networks that can provide high spatial resolution and temporal monitoring of specialty crops and detect and monitors nutrients, contaminants, gases and pathogens in water, soils and air. |
Grant |
Two solicitations annually. Phase I RFAs are generally released every year in July with due dates in October. Phase II RFAs are generally released every year in December with due dates in February. Current Solicitation can be found at: https://nifa.usda.gov/funding-opportunity/small-business-innovation-research-program-phase-i Examples of topics in FY21 solicitation include: Research Priorities: 1. Water Quality and Quantity 8.13 Plant Production and Protection (Engineering) Research Priorities 1. Improved crop production methods or strategies 2. Plant protection against abiotic and/or biotics stresses 3. Pollinators and crop production |
1. Handheld and Field Sensors for DICAMBA and Other Herbicides 2. Swedar - An Automated Low-Power Snow Water Equivalent Sensor |
USDA SBIR Website: EMAIL: sbir@usda.gov |
Agency | Agency Interest in Sensor Technology | Grant or Contract | Recent or upcoming solicitation | Success Stories | Program Contact |
Joint Science and Technology Office for Chemical and Biological Defense (JSTO-CBD) |
The Chemical and Biological Defense (CBD) SBIR and STTR Programs require sensor technologies for chemical and biological detection for both point and stand-off capabilities; medical diagnostics: disease surveillance/detection. Technical challenges regarding chemical agents (and Toxic Industrial Chemicals) include low detection limits (parts per trillion/low parts per billion); low volatility compounds; sensor operation in harsh environments; Size, Weight & Power (SWaP) considerations; minimize false positive/false negative results; easy to interpret data; identify low target analyte concentrations within complex environmental backgrounds and matrices. Biological Threat Materials have a similar set of unique detection and identification challenges. |
Contract |
View recent or upcoming CBD SBIR & CBD STTR Announcements at: CBD SBIR will participate in one or more Department of Defense (DoD) Announcements annually (actual number of announcements based on funding availability). Approximately five to ten CBD SBIR topics annually, and one CBD STTR topic biennially (once every other year). First set of topics are typically released in November/December timeframe with the formal Announcement opening 30-days after the start of the 'Pre-Release' period, and closing with proposals due in February. Exact milestone dates for the three annual DoD Announcement cycles are posted on the DoD SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal (DSIP) at |
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Larry Pollack |
Agency | Agency Interest in Sensor Technology | Grant or Contract | Recent or upcoming solicitation | Success Stories | Program Contact |
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) |
The NASA SBIR and STTR programs fund the research, development, and demonstration of innovative technologies that fulfill NASA needs and have significant potential for successful commercialization. NASA is interested in a wide range of sensor technologies across its Aeronautics Research, Human Exploration and Operations, Science, and Space Technology Mission Directorates. Sensors are sought for deployment in a wide range of environments including on satellites and space vehicles, in test chambers, in telescopes, in extreme environments, and on earth. |
Contract |
One solicitation annually. The SBIR/STTR solicitation generally opens in January, but the 2021 solicitation opens November 9, 2020-January 8, 2021. See https://sbir.nasa.gov/solicitations for past and current solicitations. Examples of Sensor-related topics in 2020 include: A1.03: Low Emissions/Clean Power - Environmentally Responsible Propulsion (SBIR) Lead Center: GRC A1.08: Aeronautics Ground Test and Measurement Technologies (SBIR) Lead Center: LaRC A1.09: Inflight Icing Hazard Mitigation Technology (SBIR) Lead Center: GRC A2.01: Flight Test and Measurement Technologies (SBIR) Lead Center: AFRC A2.02: Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Technologies (SBIR) Lead Center: AFRC H3.02: Microbial Monitoring for Spacecraft Cabins (SBIR) Lead Center: JPL H3.03: Lunar Dust Management Technology for Spacecraft Atmospheres and Spacesuits (SBIR) Lead Center: GRC H9.01: Long Range Optical Telecommunications (SBIR) Lead Center: JPL H10.02: Autonomous Operations Technologies for Ground and Launch Systems (SBIR) Lead Center: KSC S1.01: Lidar Remote Sensing Technologies (SBIR) Lead Center: LaRC S1.02: Technologies for Active Microwave Remote Sensing (SBIR) Lead Center: JPL S1.03: Technologies for Passive Microwave Remote Sensing (SBIR) Lead Center: GSFC S1.04: Sensor and Detector Technologies for Visible, IR, Far-IR, and Submillimeter (SBIR) Lead Center: JPL S1.05: Detector Technologies for UV, X-Ray, Gamma-Ray Instruments (SBIR) Lead Center: JPL S1.06: Particles and Fields Sensors & Instrument Enabling Technologies (SBIR) Lead Center: GSFC S1.07: In Situ Instruments/Technologies for Lunar and Planetary Science (SBIR) Lead Center: JPL S1.08: Suborbital Instruments and Sensor Systems for Earth Science Measurements (SBIR) Lead Center: LaRC S1.09: Cryogenic Systems for Sensors and Detectors (SBIR) Lead Center: GSFC S1.10: Atomic Interferometry (SBIR) Lead Center: GSFC S1.11: In Situ Instruments/Technologies and Plume Sampling Systems for Ocean Worlds Life Detection (SBIR) Lead Center: JPL S1.12: Remote Sensing Instrument Technologies for Heliophysics (SBIR) Lead Center: GSFC S2.01: Proximity Glare Suppression for Astronomical Direct Detection of Exoplanets (SBIR) Lead Center: JPL S2.03: Advanced Optical Systems and Fabrication/Testing/Control Technologies for EUV/Optical and IR Telescope (SBIR) Lead Center: MSFC S3.04: Guidance, Navigation, and Control (SBIR) Lead Center: GSFC S4.02: Robotic Mobility, Manipulation and Sampling (SBIR) Lead Center: JPL S4.04; Extreme Environments Technology (SBIR) Lead Center: JPL S5.05: Fault Management Technologies (SBIR) Lead Center: JPL Z1.05: Lunar & Planetary Surface Power Management & Distribution (SBIR) Lead Center: GRC Z3.05: Satellite Servicing Technologies (SBIR) Lead Center: GSFC Z4.04: Real Time Defect Detection, Identification and Correction in Wire-Feed Additive Manufacturing Processes (SBIR) Lead Center: LaRC Z4.05: Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) Sensors, Modeling, and Analysis (SBIR) Lead Center: LaRC Z5.04: Technologies for Intra-Vehicular Activity Robotics (SBIR) Lead Center: ARC Z7.01: Entry Descent & Landing Sensors for Environment Characterization, Vehicle Performance, and Guidance, Navigation and Control (SBIR) Lead Center: ARC Z7.06: Diagnostic tools for high enthalpy and high temperature materials testing and analysis (SBIR) Lead Center: ARC Z8.10: Wireless Communication for Avionics and Sensors for Space Applications (SBIR) Lead Center: ARC Z10.03: Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (SBIR) Lead Center: MSFC T4.01: Information Technologies for Intelligent and Adaptive Space Robotics (STTR) Lead Center: ARC T4.03: Coordination and Control of Swarms of Space Vehicles (STTR) Lead Center: JPL T5.04: Quantum Communications (STTR) Lead Center: GRC T6.06: Spacecraft Water Sustainability through Nanotechnology (STTR) Lead Center: JSC T6.07: Space Exploration Plant Growth (STTR) Lead Center: KSC T8.04: Metamaterials and Metasurfaces Technology for Remote Sensing Applications (STTR) Lead Center: GSFC T8.06: Quantum Sensing and Measurement (STTR) Lead Center: GSFC T13.01: Intelligent Sensor Systems (STTR) Lead Center: SSC
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(1) Advanced Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Improved Communications (https://sbir.nasa.gov/success-stories/aerial-vehicles-for-improved-communication) (2) Easy and Non-intrusive Nanoscale Diagnostic Platform (https://sbir.nasa.gov/success-stories/easy-and-non-intrusive-nanoscale-diagnostic-platform) (3) Electronic Scanning Multi-Frequency Radar for Climate Research (https://sbir.nasa.gov/success-stories/electronic-scanning-multi-frequency-radar-climate-research) (4) Automated Radiation Measurements for Aerospace Safety (ARMAS) (https://sbir.nasa.gov/success-stories/automated-radiation-measurements-aerospace-safety-armas) |
NASA SBIR Website: NASA SBIR Program Contacts: Ames Research Center (ARC): Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC): Glenn Research Center (GRCC) Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC): Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL): Johnson Space Center (JSC): Kennedy Space Center (KSC): Langley Research Center (LaRC): Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC): Stennis Space Center (SSC): |
Last Updated on October 07, 2020