ACL/NIDILRR’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program

September 2021

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The Rehabilitation Research program was created in 1954, through an Amendment to the Vocational Rehabilitation Act.  

NIDRR was originally called the National Institute of Handicapped Research when it was formally created by the 1978 amendments to the Rehabilitation Act.  At that time, we were situated in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.

In 1980, the NIHR moved from HEW to U.S. Dept. of ED under the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS).

In 1986, our name was changed to the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), by that year’s Amendments to the Rehabilitation Act.  

In the summer of 2014, the Rehabilitation Act was reauthorized as part of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).  This reauthorization changed our name to the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).   It also changed our administrative home from the Department of Education, to the Department of Health and Human Services. 

ACL & NIDILRR are not part of the NIH.

Brief History

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NIDILRR holds one Phase I competition each year at the beginning of the year, and one Phase II competition sometime in the spring.

NIDILRR’s SBIR program is unique in that its sole purpose is to fund small business grants to perform research and development designed to improve the lives of people with disabilities. 	

NIDILRR’s SBIR budget is approximately $3.2 million per year.

NIDILRR’s Unique SBIR Program

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Phase I

Develop prototypes, models, proofs-of-concept

Up to $100,000 for six months

10 awards per year

40 to 50 applications 

Phase II

Further research and development to bring Phase I concepts to commercialization

Successful Phase I grantees invited to apply 

$575,000 over two years ($200,000−$300,000 per year)

Awards for two years

4 to 5 awards per year  

14-17 applications (Phase I grantees throughout federal government are eligible to apply)

8 +/- active awards

Phases

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No mobile apps (we fund an App Factory separately)

No: Fast Track, Direct to Phase II, Phase IIB, or TABA

If no indirect cost rate agreement exists, indirect costs are limited to 10%

Indirect costs and fees come out of grant funds

Prior Phase I awards

Prior Phase II awards (commercial success rate over 50%)

Examples: low vision (navigation, readers, tactile devices), mobile apps (scheduling, employment, monitoring), prosthetics and fitting,  portable dialysis, switches for severe mobility impairments, learning software for hearing, hearing aid software (signing, etc.), wheelchair navigation & propulsion, telerehabilitation, etc.

More Information

2017: 66 applications, ten funded 10/66 = 15 percent

2018: 46 applications, ten funded 10/46 = 22 percent

2019: 41 applications, ten funded 10/41 = 24 percent

2020: 17 applications, ten funded 10/17 = 59 percent*

2021: 32 applications, ten funded 10/32 = 31 percent

Five-year average 50/202 = 25 percent

* Restriction on mobile applications introduced

Phase I Chances of Success:

2017: 14 applications, four funded 4/14 = 29 percent

2018: 14 applications, four funded 4/14 = 29 percent

2019: 15 applications, four funded 4/15 = 27 percent

2020: 15 applications, four funded 4/15 = 27 percent

2021: 14 applications, four funded 4/15 = 29 percent

Five-year average 20/72 = 28 percent

Phase II commercialization success rate > 50 percent

Phase II Chances of Success:

Applying for a NIDILRR Grant 

Grant Opportunities: 

https://www.grants.gov/ (link to Grants.gov)

Subscribe to this Grants.gov search: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/search-grants.html?keywords=nidilrr

Working with a NIDILRR Grant:

Maintaining and amending at Grant Solutions: https://home.grantsolutions.gov/home/

NIDILRR Reporting: https://nidilrr.rti.org/

TA Resources:

Life Sciences: https://sbir.nih.gov/resources/lifescience-state-contacts

Local assistance: https://www.sbir.gov/local-assistance

Federal And State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program: https://www.sbir.gov/about-fast

Other Links:

NIDILRR’s SBIR Program: https://acl.gov/programs/research-and-development/small-business-innovation-research-program

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Other links Continued:

ACL’s Home Page: https://acl.gov/

About NIDILRR (includes other NIDILRR funding mechanisms): https://acl.gov/about-acl/about-national-institute-disability-independent-living-and-rehabilitation-research

NARIC: https://naric.com/ (subscribe to this newsletter)

NIDILRR’s Project Database: https://naric.com/?q=en/ProgramDatabase (past awards)

Donate Your Brain to Science – Peer reviewer training module: https://naricforms.naric.com/?q=Peer%20Review%20OrientationThis will give you some valuable insight into preparing an application for NIDILRR.  Our review process is very different from the NIH.

This link shows all of NIDILRR’s current announcements: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/search-grants.html?keywords=nidilrr

This link shows all of ACL’s current announcements:  https://www.acl.gov/grants/open-opportunities

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Tips for Success

Meet the needs of people with disabilities (just to be eligible)

Identify your population, the problem they experience, and present your solution

This is field initiated (see first bullet), but send me an email to vet ideas

Follow criteria format

Get most recent Funding Opportunity Announcement to get started *

Write to person on the street (avoid jargon, explain concepts)

Know the current state of the art (What’s out there? Why is yours better?)

Cite knowledge, don't just speak from personal knowledge or experience

* https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/search-grants.html?keywords=nidilrr  (subscribe to this search)

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Peer reviewer training module: https://naricforms.naric.com/?q=Peer%20Review%20Orientation

This will give you valuable insight into preparing an application for NIDILRR.  Our review process is different from the NIH.

Donate Your Brain to Science

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Questions?

Brian BardSBIR Program CoordinatorNational Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation ResearchAdministration for Community LivingU.S. Department of Health and Human ServicesWashington, DC 20201202-795-7298brian.bard@acl.hhs.gov

Contact Info:

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