May 20, 2026
UW SBIR/STTR Update
In April of 2026, Congress re-authorized the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs through September 30, 2031.
The newly authorized programs have more stringent foreign risk assessment and disclosure requirements for the small business concern. Some of these include:
- Research security reviews that require federal agencies to assess national security risks and prohibit awards to small businesses with certain foreign ties or other identified security concerns.
- Due diligence requirements around cybersecurity practices, patent analysis, employee background checks, and risks related to foreign countries of concern etc.
These new requirements are similar to what the UW undergoes when we receive federal funding. Make sure you build in enough time to address these requirements for SBIR/STTR proposals.
These new requirements also apply to existing awards.
UW Approved SBIR/STTR Agreement Templates
The University of Washington has SBIR/STTR agreement templates. Using our standard templates can streamline the agreement process.
Please include a comment in your eGC1 or Award Setup Request in SAGE indicating you would like to use the UW’s standard templates for the SBIR/STTR programs.
New Startup Commercializing UW Innovations?
Interested in applying to SBIR/STTR to help launch a new startup to commercialize a UW innovation? Learn more at CoMotion.
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