Frequently Asked Questions: CHIPS Metrology SBIR Funding Opportunity

June 14, 2024:  Full Applications must be received at Grants.gov no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, June 14, 2024. Applications received after this deadline will not be reviewed or considered.

NIST expects to complete its review, selection of successful applicants, and award processing by August 2024. NIST expects the earliest start date for awards under this NOFO to be September 2024.
 

Organizations must register with both SAM.gov and Grants.gov.

Applications must be submitted using Grants.gov. Paper applications will not be accepted.

CHIPS for America is funding the Metrology SBIR NOFO awardees the maximum amount. 
For each grant the following funding is available:

• For Phase I, funding up to $283,500, with an additional $6,500 for Technical and Business Assistance will be available. 
• For Phase II, funding up to $1,910,000 with up to $50,000 for Technical and Business Assistance will be available. 
   

Awards will be given for both Open Topic and Closed Topic proposals. 

For Open Topic Proposals, we expect two funding awards for each Grand Challenge for an expected total of up to 14 awards. 

A total of up to 10 funding awards is expected for Closed Topic Proposals.  

There are a total of 7 open topics, each topic is expected to fund up to two awards. 
The open topic areas:

• Topic areas focused on addressing the CHIPS Metrology Grand Challenges, sourced by industry.
• Small businesses share how their work aligns with a Grand Challenge and how they will conduct R&D to address the Path Forward Element for that Grand Challenge.
• Looking for innovation from companies.
   

A closed topic is a narrow solicitation that targets a particular problem or need. The closed topic section in this SBIR NOFO requires applicants to address a predefined problem or need that the CHIPS Metrology has identified. 

Applicants must submit the Small Business Administration (SBA) Company Registry Form found on SBIR.gov.

This funding opportunity included in the SBIR award is to help small businesses commercialize their technology, by either funding vendors directly, or providing funds to the small business awardees to contract their own vendors or consultants.

No. There is not set provider at NIST with whom applicants will receive assistance. Applicants may propose TABA funds and describe what they plan to do with it, and for which provider they’d receive it from by including a requested letter of commitment. More details are in section 5.12 of the NOFO. 

Applicants must qualify as a Small Business Concern for Research/Research and Development (R/R&D) purposes, as defined in Section 1.05 of this NOFO, at the time of award. 

In addition, the primary employment of the principal investigator must be with the small business at the time of the award and during the conduct of the proposed research. 

Primary employment means that more than one-half of the principal investigator's time is spent working with the small business. Primary employment with a small business precludes full-time employment with another organization.

For a business to qualify for an SBIR award, they must qualify as a Small Business Concern for Research/Research and Development (R/R&D):

• A for-profit business, located in the United States, and structured as an individual proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company, corporation, joint venture, association, trust, or cooperative
• Under 500 employees, including affiliates
• More than 50% of equity owned and controlled by:
  • One or more individuals who are United States citizens or permanent residents
  • Other for-profit small business concerns also owned and controlled by either U.S. citizens or permanent residents
  • Combination of the two above
• Awardees also must pass a research security/due diligence review (described in Section 2.04 of the NOFO). 
• A “foreign entity of concern” (defined in 15 U.S.C. § 4651 and implemented by the final rule entitled Preventing the Improper Use of CHIPS Act Funding, 88 FR 65600 (Sept. 25, 2023), codified at 15 C.F.R. 231.104) is ineligible to for an award and to participate in an award as an unfunded collaborator.

No. NIST has elected to not use the authority that would allow venture capital operating companies (VCOCs), hedge funds or private equity firms to participate in the SBIR Program. Therefore, applications in which work is performed by VCOCs will not be considered for award. 

The statement of work of an SBIR award made under this NOFO cannot overlap with the statement of work of an existing NIST Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the awardee. NIST will consider the issue of any potential overlap on a case-by-case basis. 

No. For the closed topics, applications for just the Phase II award will be considered from entities that have received and successfully completed a related SBIR Phase I from NIST or another federal agency. Therefore, if you’ve already been awarded a Phase II from NIST or another federal agency, you are not eligible for this Phase II award.

Yes, the Notice of Funding Opportunity does allow for collaborators, subrecipients and/or subcontractors. The lead applicant must perform at least two-thirds (66 2/3%) of the research in Phase I and at least half (50%) of the research in Phase II.  Please see additional requirements about consultants, contracts, and subawards on page 41, section 3.04.02 Technical Content requirements (9) of the NOFO.  

All applicants to the open topics should propose innovation that relates to an outlined path forward element. The Path Forward elements for Grand Challenge 3 can be found on pages 81-82 of the NOFO.

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is a highly competitive program that encourages domestic small businesses to engage in federal research & development (R&D) with the potential for commercialization. 

Eleven federal government agencies operate a competitive awards-based SBIR program, which  enables small businesses to explore their technological potential and provide the incentive to profit from its commercialization. It also fosters participation in innovation by socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses. 

The U.S. Small Business Administration serves as the coordinating agency for the SBIR program.
 

The SBIR Program has three phases: 

• Phase I – awardees must establish the technical merit, feasibility, and commercial potential of their proposed efforts. 
• Phase II – awardees are subjected to a technical review and evaluation process of Phase I efforts to determine if eligible for Phase II funding. If awarded, awardees continue the work conducted during Phase I.
• Phase III – Small businesses will pursue commercialization objects from Phase I and II activities. Phase III is not funded by this SBIR NOFO. 

Phase I lasts six months, with one month allocated after to prepare and submit a final report for Phase II funding consideration.

Phase II is up to 24 months.

• The NIST Technology Partnerships Office has a page dedicated to SBIR questions. You can find those questions here. 
• For programmatic application questions, email askchips [at] chips.gov (askchips[at]chips[dot]gov)  with "2024-NIST-CHIPS-Metrology SBIR Questions" in subject. 
• For electronic application submission assistance, please contact grants.gov at support [at] grants.gov (support[at]grants[dot]gov) 
• For grant rules and regulations, please contact dean.iwasaki [at] nist.gov (dean[dot]iwasaki[at]nist[dot]gov) 
  
   

The Fast-Track program consists of a submission and review process in which both Phase I and Phase II applications are submitted together as one application to reduce or eliminate the funding gap between phases. 

For the closed topics, applications for only the Phase II award will be considered from entities that have received and successfully completed a related SBIR Phase I from NIST or another federal agency.