Report Fraud, Waste, and Abuse
If at any time you become aware of fraud, waste, abuse, or any kind of wrongdoing under any SBIR award, please contact the U.S. Department of Education's (ED) Office of Inspector General (OIG). The ED Office of Inspector General Hotline accepts tips from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in Department of Education programs. The reporting individual should indicate that the fraud, waste and/or abuse concerns an SBIR grant or contract, if relevant. More information is available on the ED OIG website. The ED OIG toll free Hotline number is: 1-800-MIS-USED.
Training Resources for SBIR Applicants, Awardees, and ED Staff
Recipients of an SBIR/STTR award are expected to report known cases of Fraud, Waste, and Abuse to the ED's OIG. IES has worked with the OIG to develop training materials that define fraud, waste, and abuse; provide examples of successful prosecutions of fraud, waste, and abuse involving SBIR awards from other federal agencies; and gives instructions on what to do if you suspect fraudulent activity, waste, or abuse. For more information, please consult the slides from the most recent ED OIG presentation in 2023 on SBIR Fraud Awareness.
SBIR Fraud Cases
To date, there have been no prosecutions of fraud, waste, and abuse involving ED SBIR awardees. (Updated 10/09/2025). For examples of successful prosecutions of fraud, waste, and/or abuse involving SBIR awards from other agencies, please visit the Small Business Administration's SBIR website here.