2026 Request for White Papers: NASA SBIR Phase II Sequential Awards
NASA is collecting white papers from current or prior SBIR small business participants to help identify Phase II technologies that might be invited for a future Sequential Phase II award to further develop and infuse into NASA programs.
RESTRICTED TO: SMALL BUSINESS SBIR STTR
⚑ white paper call only; not a funding opportunity or formal competition · no financial responsibility for white paper preparation · future invitations, if any, are contingent on NASA program needs and funds · limited to small business SBIR participants under a federal contract set-aside
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 100 strong | SBIR/STTR — core Hub pipeline (faculty founders + small-business partners); funds commercialization; prototyping/demonstration stage; deep-tech content |
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 45 partial | technical depth: central; funds commercialization (capped) |
| IPPRA | 17 none | peripheral portfolio topic: energy; social/behavioral work is none; funds commercialization — not a research fit; university can only partner, not lead |
Description
NASA is considering inviting companies to propose for Sequential Phase II awards with higher award values ranging between $2.5 Million to $4 Million through the Agency’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program in 2027. These awards would facilitate rapid post Phase II development of technologies with the goal to infuse key technologies that reach specific milestones into specific NASA programs. Purpose Why is NASA requesting this information? The NASA SBIR program is performing a portfolio evaluation exercise with the aim of determining what NASA SBIR Phase II technologies show the promise of risk reduction for key programs and what firms are capable candidates for further investment through a potential Sequential Phase II award. NASA has a large SBIR Phase II portfolio to evaluate, and this exercise will help accomplish two objectives: 1. Highlight and map SBIR Phase II technologies to key programs with white papers providing additional context and details about opportunities for small business technology development. 2. Provide a participatory method for interested parties to communicate that they are engaged and ready to support a subset of NASA’s priorities that may be appropriate for small business participation, as described in this call for white papers. Disclaimer NASA reserves the right to use the information received from these white papers in any way it chooses, including determinations to invite companies to propose for a Phase II Sequential award. A Phase II awardee may receive one additional, sequential Phase II award to continue the work of an initial Phase II award without additional competition. Responding to this call for white papers is not a prerequisite to participating in any post-Phase II program. This white paper can be used for programmatic planning to assess the state of small business capability and does not constitute a funding opportunity or a formal competition. Respondents should be advised that NASA takes no financial responsibility for any expenses incurred for responding to the white paper call. Respondents should not expect to receive feedback or response to their submission. Future awards (if any) will be subject to and contingent upon the availability of funds. If proposal invitations do occur, NASA notionally anticipates reaching out to firms around January 2027.
Eligibility
Applicant restrictions (federal contract). Set-aside: Small Business Set Aside - Total. Notice type: Special Notice. Organization: NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION / NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION / NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION.
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Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · Federal (generic) conventions SEE A FEDERAL EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — Federal (generic)'s document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.