Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) 2020 Awards
The Small Business Innovation Research program at the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences' (ED/IES SBIR) provides funding to small business firms and partners for the research and development of commercially viable education technology products designed to support student learning, teacher practice, or school administration in education or special education.
A total of 24 new contracts have been awarded for FY 2020.
Phase I Awards
Phase I projects allow teams to develop, refine, and test usability and initial feasibility of prototypes of commercially viable education technology products. 16 Phase I awards were made in amounts up to $200,000 for 8 months. These projects are designed to support student learning, teacher practice, or school administration in education or special education. These awardees will be eligible to apply for Phase II funding in Fiscal Year 2021.
The Phase I awards are:
Accessible Learning through a Multi-Sensory Augmented Reality Interface for Physical Manipulatives
Alchemie, Julia Winter
Early Reading Diagnostic Profiler
Analytic Measures Inc., Jared Burnstein
GoManage
Attainment Company, Inc., Carol Stanger
vCoder and AI-Assisted Learning
Beach Day Studios, LLC, Angela Patterson
Interactive Audio Technology to Build Phonological Awareness and Early Childhood Literacy
Hoogalit, Aparna Ramanathan
LoomVue Browser: Supporting Language Learning With a Dynamic Diglot Weave
Kings Peak Technology, Inc., Grant Rowberry
Pictoword School: Combining AI (Machine Learning) and Game-Based Learning to Support English Learners
KooApps, Chun-Kai Wang
Sustainable Systems-Level Change for Literacy Outcomes
Learning Ovations, Inc., Sarah Siegal
Coding Bridge: Bridging Computer Science for Girls
Liminal eSports, LLC, James Collins
A User-Friendly Tier-II Behavior Intervention
LiveSchool, Inc., Matthew Rubenstein
Using Connected Play to Engage Learners in Computational Thinking Practices Through Collaborative Problem Solving
Makefully, LLC, Anna Jordan-Douglass
ACE — A Music Creation Engine to Improve Algebra Readiness
Muzology, LLC, Lana Israel
AI-Driven Formative Assessments for Hands-On Science
Myriad Sensors, Inc., Clifton Roozeboom
Teachley Math Practice Kits: Transmedia Resources to Support Students’ Metacognitive Math Reasoning
Teachley, LLC, Dana Pager
Teachley Problem-Solving Assessment to Support Teachers to Assess and Promote Students’ Mathematical Thinking
Teachley, LLC, Kara Carpenter
An Innovative Digital Tool to Inform Educators’ Decisions About OERs to Support More Efficient and Effective Evaluation and Ongoing Use of OERs to Improve Math Skills
Zuni Learning Tree, Tina McCord
Phase II Awards (standard topics)
Phase II projects support further research and development of prototypes of education technology products that were funded by 2019 ED/IES SBIR Phase I awards. In the Phase II project, the teams will complete the development of the product, and conduct a pilot study in schools to demonstrate the usability and feasibility, fidelity of implementation, and the promise of the product to improve the intended outcomes. Six Phase II awards were made for amounts up to $900,000 for 2 years.
The Phase II awards are:
An Augmented Reality-Based Design Puzzle Sandbox for use in Early Elementary STEM Instruction
Parametric Studios, Inc., Christopher Whitmer
LabAR: An Augmented Reality Learning System for STEM
LightUp, Inc., Joshua Chan
Learn-Implementation Exchange in Context (Learn-IXC)
LearnPlatform, Inc., Daniel Stanhope
A Navigation System for Early Childhood Assessment and Instruction
Cognitive Toybox, Tammy Kwan
Powerskills Game Lab: Improving High School Career Readiness Competencies
Hats & Ladders, Inc., Scott Brewster
Verdant: VR-enhanced Immersive Science Investigations into Biology and Genetics
Lighthaus, Inc., David Sarno
Phase II Awards (special topic in postsecondary education)
Two Phase II awards were made in amounts up to $200,000 for 8 months for projects to fully develop a commercially viable tool and user interface to measure and present information on the return on investment (ROI) of educational and training programs to inform decision making by prospective postsecondary students.
The Training, Education, and Apprenticeship Program Outcomes Toolkit
BrightHive, Inc., Matt Gee
Development of an Education Return-on-Investment (ROI) Web Application Called Return on College (ROC)
Vantage Point Consultants, Jeffrey Carpenter
