For Immediate Release
Alaska SBIR/STTR Grant Program Announced
Thursday, February 16, 2023 (ANCHORAGE, AK) – The Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (DCCED) has announced the opening of a new state grant program for small businesses operating under a currently active federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant.
The Department was appropriated $125,000 by the Legislature in the FY23 budget to provide state grants to eligible Alaskan businesses to further advance and commercialize the technology developed with federal SBIR/STTR funding. Federal SBIR/STTR programs are competitive federal grant programs that provide almost $4 billion in grants and contracts each year to domestic small businesses to develop new or enhanced products and services based on advanced technologies. Through these programs, federal agencies encourage U.S. small businesses to solve broad challenges by engaging in research and development with the potential for commercialization.
“By leveraging the federal funding already available, Alaska SBIR/STTR grants will help stimulate additional business growth, expansion, and increase competitiveness for our Alaskan innovators,” said DCCED Commissioner Julie Sande. “What better place for innovation and industry disruption than Alaska? We are the last frontier, where invention thrives out of our resourcefulness. The work of these small businesses who are engaging in critical research and development will be invaluable to Alaska’s future.”
The Department will begin accepting applications for the Alaska SBIR/STTR Grant Program immediately. Successful applicants will be granted an initial award of up to $25,000. Once the application period closes and all initial awards have been made under the program, the Department will evaluate existing awards and may supplement awards to grantees with a Phase II Federal SBIR/STTR award up to a total award of $100,000, dependent on the total amount of remaining funding.
Information on Federal SBIR/STTR Programs can be found online at https://www.sbir.gov/about. Information on the Alaska SBIR/STTR Grant Program – including eligibility requirements, use of funds, and the grant application – can be found on the DCCED program webpage at https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/dcra/GrantsSection/SBIR-STTRGrant.aspx. The deadline to submit applications is Monday, May 15, 2023.