Deadline: 18-Jan-22
The Administrator of the Administration for Community Living (ACL) is pleased to announce the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program to stimulate technological innovation in the private sector, strengthen the role of small business in meeting Federal research or research and development (R/R&D) needs, and improve the return on investment from Federally-funded research for economic and social benefits to the nation.
The specific purpose of National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research’s (NIDILRR) SBIR program is to improve the lives of people with disabilities through R/R&D products generated by small businesses, and to increase the commercial application of NIDILRR-supported research results and development products.
Priorities
Applicants may address topics that support NIDILRR’s mission. For FY 2022, there are several invitational priorities of interest to the agency. They do not give an application that meets one of these invitational priorities a competitive or absolute preference over other applications.
- NIDILRR seeks to enhance opportunities for individuals with disabilities of all types to engage in employment. One barrier to this goal identified by the partners at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) is the lack of accessibility of technologies used by employers in all aspects of recruiting and hiring, including online job applications and pre-employment testing. Therefore, NIDILRR is particularly interested in SBIR applications that focus on making the processes of reading, understanding, accessing, and completing online job applications and preemployment tests accessible to people with all types of disabilities.
- Increased independence of individuals with disabilities in community settings through the development of technology to support access to these settings.
- Enhanced sensory or motor function of individuals with disabilities through the development of technology to support improved functional capacity.
- Enhanced workforce participation through the development of technology to increase access to employment, promote sustained employment, and support employment advancement for individuals with disabilities.
- Enhanced community living and participation for individuals with disabilities through the development of voting technology that improves access for individuals with disabilities.
- Improved health-care interventions through the development of technology to support independent access to community health-care services for individuals with disabilities.
- Technology that increases access to caregiving for individuals with disabilities. This can include access to personal care assistants.
Funding Information
- Estimated Total Funding: $1,000,000
- Expected Number of Awards: 10
- Award Ceiling: $100,000 Per Budget Period
- Award Floor: $95,000 Per Budget Period
- Additional Information on Project Periods and Explanation of ‘Other’: 6 month project period.
Eligibility Criteria
- Each organization submitting an application must qualify at the time of the award as a small business concern as defined by the Small Business Administration.
- In addition, the primary employment of the principal investigator must be with the small business firm at the time of award and during the conduct of the proposed research. That is, more than one-half of the principal investigator’s working time must be spent with the small business firm during the period of performance. The research or R&D work must be performed in the United States.
- Joint ventures are permitted, provided that the business entity created qualifies as a small business in accordance with the Small Business Act.
- For Phase I, the proposing firm must perform at least two-thirds of the research and/or analytic effort. Furthermore, the total of all consultant fees, facility leases or usage fees, and other subcontract.
- SBIR Eligibility Checklist
- For-profit small business concern.
- At least 51% U.S.-owned and independently operated.
- Small business located in the U.S.
- Principal investigator’s primary employment with small business during the project.
- 500 or fewer employees.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=334820
