Information on the Fiscal Year 2024 ED/IES SBIR Program Solicitations

Updated: November 21, 2023

The US Department of Education and Institute of Education Sciences' Small Business Innovation Research Program (ED/IES SBIR) provides awards to for-profit small businesses and partners to develop and evaluate new research-based commercially viable education technology products.

FY 2024 Phase IA and Phase IB Solicitations

The ED/IES SBIR Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Phase IA and IB solicitations are anticipated to open on or about December 4, 2023, with a due date 45-days later on or about January 18, 2024.

• Phase IA solicitation #91990024R0010 will request proposals for $250,000 awards for 8-months for the research and development (R&D) and evaluation of prototypes of entirely new education technology products where no or limited previous technological development has previously occurred. The goal of the Phase IA track is to stimulate novel (i.e., first of its kind) approaches to solve pressing problems in education. Successful Phase IA awardees will be eligible to apply for a Phase II award for $1,000,000 in FY2025 to fully develop and evaluate the new education technology product over a period of 2 years and to prepare for commercialization. A pre-solicitation notice has been posted on this website page on SAM.gov. The solicitation will be on this same page after release.
• Phase IB solicitation #91990024R0011 will request proposals for $250,000 awards for 8-months for R&D and evaluation of prototypes of a new component to be added to an existing research-based education technology prototype or product. The goal of the Phase IB track is to strengthen existing research-based prototypes or products in addressing pressing problems in education. Successful Phase I awardees will be eligible to apply for a Phase II award for $1,000,000 in FY 2025, to fully develop and evaluate the component and the existing education technology product over a period of 2 years and to prepare for commercialization of a new version of the product. A pre-solicitation notice has been posted on this website page on SAM.gov. The solicitation will be on this same page after release.

FY 2024 Direct to Phase II Solicitation

An ED/IES SBIR FY2024 Direct to Phase II solicitation #91990024R0012 is anticipated to open in January, 2024 with a due date 60-days later.

• Direct to Phase II solicitation #91990024R0012 will be a request for proposals for $1,000,000 for 2-years for R&D and evaluation of new education technology products to ready existing researcher-developed evidence-based innovations (products, interventions, practices) for use at scale, and to plan for commercialization. Projects that focus on advancing innovations that are not evidence-based will not be eligible for the Direct to Phase II program. The existing education innovation is required to have originally been created by researchers at either universities (or other academic institutions) or non-profit education research organizations. Direct to Phase II projects are awarded without a prior Phase I award. A URL link to the pre-solicitation on SAM.gov will be posted here two weeks before the release of the solicitation.

Notes

• Offerors will not be permitted to submit a duplicate or similar proposals under the FY2024 ED/IES SBIR Phase IA, IB, or the Direct to Phase II solicitations. Any duplicate or similar proposals that are submitted under more than one solicitation will be rejected without review. (Offerors are permitted to submit multiple proposals to one or more of the ED/IES SBIR solicitations, provided the focus of and R&D to be conducted in each proposal is different.)
• Offerors should refer to the FY2024 Phase IA, Phase IB, and Direct to Phase II solicitations after release for more information and specifications.
• The now CLOSED FY2023 ED/IES SBIR solicitations are still available to download on SAM.gov and can be viewed for informational purposes only.
• Phase IA solicitation #91990023R0001
• Phase IB solicitation #91990022R0011
• Direct to Phase II solicitation #91990022R0012

For more information prior to the release of the solicitations, contact the ED/IES SBIR Program Manager at Edward.Metz@ed.gov and the ED/IES SBIR Program Analyst Laurie.Hobbs@ed.gov.