SBIR/STTR topics and grants
Two screens in Find work cover funding that is not a contract for work. SBIR/STTR lists the research problems agencies want solved — non-dilutive funding where you keep the intellectual property. Grants lists funding for a purpose. Both are also searchable from Discovery's SBIR/STTR and Grants categories, in the same search as contract notices, and both are pursued like any other opportunity: save them, start a pursuit, and work them on the pipeline.
TL;DR — Open Find work → SBIR/STTR or Find work → Grants (or pick either category in Discovery), filter by closing date and the program details, and read the Before you can bid or Who may apply column before anything else. Save opportunity or Start pursuit on the ones worth chasing.
Where the data comes from
| Field | What it does | Accepted values / default |
|---|---|---|
| SBIR/STTR topics | The Department of Defense SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal (DSIP) — open and pre-release topics. | Refreshed daily. Topics from other agencies, published through SBIR.gov, are not collected yet. |
| Grants | Grants.gov — posted federal grant opportunities. | Refreshed daily. |
Each screen shows the version and date of the reference data it read. See Where the data comes from.
SBIR/STTR topics
| Field | What it does | Accepted values / default |
|---|---|---|
| Topic / Agency | The research problem and who published it. | |
| Program | SBIR or STTR. | Filter on one, or both. |
| Phase | Phase I, Phase II, Phase I or II, or Phase III. | Filter with Any phase or one phase. |
| Closes | Days left, with a band. | Closing at 7 days or fewer; Open at 8–30 days; Opens early beyond 30; Closed once past. Closed topics stay listed — they show what an agency buys and when it comes round again. |
| Before you can bid | What the topic needs that you may not have. | Needs a research partner for STTR — a university or federal laboratory with a minimum share of the work, which takes weeks to line up. Usually needs a Phase I win for Phase II, though some agencies run Direct-to-Phase-II. Otherwise Open to anyone eligible. |
Filter by Technology area, closing date range and Open topics only, or search the topic text.
Grants
| Field | What it does | Accepted values / default |
|---|---|---|
| Grant / Agency | The opportunity and who funds it. | |
| Who may apply | Eligibility as the notice states it. | Read this first: many federal grants are open only to nonprofits, universities or public bodies. Not stated means check the notice before spending anything. |
| Award range | The smallest and largest award. | Not stated when the notice gives none. |
| Awards expected | How many awards the agency intends to make. | A single award means one winner — weigh it before committing effort. Many awards means a strong application has a realistic chance. |
| Closes | Days left, with a band. | Closing at 14 days or fewer; Open at 15–60 days; Opens early beyond 60; Closed once past. |
Filter by Category, Assistance listing number, closing date range and Open grants only, or search the grant text.
One topic or one grant
Every topic and grant has its own address. A Discovery row, a saved topic or grant in My opportunities, and a pursuit's View the topic / View the grant button all open the screen with that record shown in full under This topic or This grant — the same columns and actions as the list, plus its description — above the list. All topics / All grants returns to the list. A record the source no longer carries says so instead.
How well does this topic fit us?
On a topic you opened, Assess fit asks AI to judge how well the topic's technical problem matches what your company says it does — its capability statement, capabilities, keywords, NAICS codes and past performance on Company essentials. It answers Strong fit, Possible fit or Weak fit with the reasons behind it, and is asked for one topic at a time, never for the whole list.
It judges fit, never eligibility. Whether you may respond at all — Phase II after the matching Phase I, or the research partner STTR needs — is shown in the topic's own columns from what the agency published. The answer is not saved; ask again after updating your profile. It needs the Advanced or Enterprise plan and the workspace AI switch, and a Capture Administrator can turn it off in Capture settings. See AI features.
From Discovery
Discovery's SBIR/STTR and Grants categories search these same records with the same search box: the words you type, the agency, the closing date (Discovery's Deadline from / to) and Open or Closed. The program details — phase, program, technology area, assistance listing, category — are filters on these screens only, and search by meaning reads contract notices only. See Discovery.
Saving and pursuing
Business Development Users and above see Save opportunity and Start pursuit on each row, here and in Discovery. A saved topic or grant appears in My opportunities; a pursuit goes on the pipeline at Discovered with its closing date as the response deadline, so it appears in What's due and gets deadline alerts like any other pursuit. Rows already saved or on the board say so. See My opportunities and What's due.
Common gotchas
- "Only DoD topics appear." Correct for now — SBIR.gov, which carries every other agency's topics, is not collected yet.
- "Discovery's SBIR/STTR category shows fewer filters." It searches the same topics by their words, agency, closing date and status; for phase, program and technology area, use this screen.
- "We're a for-profit and the grant looked perfect." Check Who may apply. Many grants exclude for-profit companies entirely.
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