{"id":1614,"date":"2025-12-18T16:01:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T16:01:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leyton.majjane.agency\/us\/insights\/articles\/federal-alert-sbir-and-sttr-program-expiration\/"},"modified":"2026-07-26T16:24:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T14:24:33","slug":"federal-alert-sbir-and-sttr-program-expiration","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/leyton.majjane.agency\/us\/insights\/articles\/federal-alert-sbir-and-sttr-program-expiration\/","title":{"rendered":"FEDERAL ALERT: SBIR and STTR Program Expiration"},"content":{"rendered":"

The landscape for American innovation has hit a sudden and significant roadblock. As of midnight on September 30, 2025, the legislative authority for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)<\/strong> and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR)<\/strong> programs officially lapsed. This SBIR <\/strong>and STTR <\/strong>program expiration has triggered immediate and severe consequences for federal innovation and commercialization funding, leaving thousands of small businesses in a state of financial uncertainty.<\/p>\n

NIH: A $1.2 Billion Funding Void<\/h2>\n

In Notice NOT-OD-26-006<\/strong>, issued on November 17, 2025, the NIH announced that all active SBIR\/STTR Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs) are terminated effective October 1, 2025<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

While applications received before the cutoff will still undergo peer review, the agency confirmed there will be no new awards<\/strong> without Congressional reauthorization. <\/p>\n

Furthermore, applications originally due on January 5, 2026<\/strong>, will not be accepted. This halt removes access to over $1.2 billion in funding<\/strong> from the NIH alone, capital that has been essential for many businesses in bridging the “valley of death” between research and the commercialization.<\/p>\n

DoD: Paused Solicitations and Stalled Contracts<\/h2>\n

The Department of Defense (DoD) has taken a similar stance, opting to pause rather than terminate its programs. However, the SBIR <\/strong>and STTR <\/strong>program expirationmeans that new awards and solicitations are currently frozen.<\/p>\n

Agencies will keep topics slated for release on January 7, 2026<\/strong>, in “pre-release” until they achieve reauthorization<\/p>\n

Most critically, even though data protection rules remain in effect, contracting for Phase I and Phase II developments cannot proceed, effectively stalling the defense innovation pipeline.<\/p>\n

The Path to Reauthorization<\/h2>\n

Congress is currently working to address the SBIR <\/strong>and STTR <\/strong>program expiration through several key pieces of legislation:<\/p>\n

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