Department of Agriculture SBIR FY 2023

  • April 19, 2022

It is never too early to prepare for success. The Department of Agriculture’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program has already released application due dates for 2023, which is great news for businesses that might be a fit. Department of Agriculture SBIR opens annually each July with a due date in early October.

The 2023 deadline is October 6th, 2022. You can read the official Request for Applications (RFA) here to get an idea of what the department requires from applicants.

  • SBIR Phase I grants are limited to $100,000 and duration of 8 months and are open to any small business concern that meets the SBIR eligibility requirements.
  • SBIR Phase II grants are limited to $600,000 and a duration of 24 months and are only open to the previous Phase I awardees.

SBIR program funds are allocated in proportion to the number of proposals received over 10 broad topic areas. Proposals are reviewed through a confidential peer-review process using outside experts from nonprofit organizations. All applicants receive verbatim copies of reviews.

Participation by university faculty or government scientists in SBIR projects is strongly encouraged. They can serve as consultants or can receive a subcontract (in both cases limited to no more than 1/3 of the Phase I award or 1/2 of the Phase II award) and continue to work full time at their institution. University faculty or government scientists can also serve as PI if they reduce employment at their institution to 49 percent for the duration of the grant.

While this opportunity is indeed exciting, it can also be incredibly intimidating. There are so many requirements to be aware of from required federal registrations to documentation and formatting regulations. Project and process management, timeline management, and proposal preparation can be overwhelming especially to founders and small business owners who are often already stretching themselves thin to keep company operations properly managed. Fortunately, a little help can go a long way in making the proposal preparation and submission process manageable.

We can help you.

Throughout every step our team will ensure you are on the path to SBIR success by meeting deadlines, completing proposal documents properly, and sharing our vast repository of industry knowledge and subject matter expertise. Applying to SBIR does not have to be scary with a little bit of support, and the rigors of drafting the proposal itself should never stand in the way of a company that is otherwise qualified for the opportunity to consider applying.

SBIR is one of the more competitive proposals out there and with a Phase I award rate of only about 15% it is never too early to start preparing a competitive proposal. If you think you could be a fit for the Department of Agriculture SBIR next year schedule a consult call today.


We work with high-growth startups and organizations that support the startup and innovation ecosystem. We build highly specific non-dilutive funding menus, provide proposal preparation services, and measure outcomes of funding through evaluation. Schedule a consult call with us HERE.

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