It does this by supporting the discovery of new knowledge and the enhancement of a skilled workforce.
Industry can outline new technical challenges and assist in the support of academic institutions.
By serving as a catalyst for industry-university partnerships, NSF helps ensure that intellectual capital and emerging technologies are brought together in ways that promote economic growth and an improved quality of life. Currently, ten Federal agencies have SBIR programs. The proposed research must be responsive to the NSF program interests stated in the topic descriptions of this Solicitation. The NSF SBIR Program does not support projects that are primarily for demonstration, technical assistance, literature survey, and market research. Patent application and patent litigation costs are not supported under NSF SBIR awards.