SBIR Highlights

EPA's SBIR and Homeland Security Programs: A Decade of Success (October 2020)
The EPA SBIR program has several focus areas, one of which is homeland security, intended as a complementary program to accompany EPA's Homeland Security Research Program. Through this research program, science and technology are mobililzed to protect public health from both intentional and unintentional threats.

Supporting Small Businesses Through the EPA SBIR Program (August 2020)
Clean burning cookstoves, new biodegradable materials for packaging, software to promote energy efficient buildings, and environmentally friendly coatings for manufacturing: what do these technologies have in common? They were all developed with support from EPA's Small Business Innovation Research program.

EPA Funds Small Business to Develop Environmental Technologies (June 2020)
EPA announced ten Phase II contracts to small businesses to further develop and commercialize innovative technologies to protect the environment through EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program.

EPA Announces Funding for Small Business to Develop Innovative Environmental Technologies (March 2020)
EPA announced $2.3 million in funding for 23 Phase I contracts with small businesses through its Small Business Innovation Research Program to develop technologies that will help protect human health and the environment. 

EPA Awards Funding to Small Business to Commercialize Environmental Technologies (November 2019)
EPA announced $2.7 million in funding to nine small businesses for Phase II contracts to further develop and commercialize innovative technologies that protect the environment while growing the American economy. 

Planting the Seeds of Innovation: EPA Awards Contracts to 13 Small Businesses to Support Environmental Research (December 2016)
We’ve all heard stories of how some of today’s biggest and most lucrative companies got their start in someone’s garage. With little more than the seeds of an idea and a passion to innovate, these small businesses grew to be classic examples of the American dream in action.

Small Business Innovation Research on the Road (September 2016)
The SBIR program is a great resource for innovators. It gives them funds—with no strings attached—to move their technologies through the early stages of development and into commercialization.

First Impressions: an Introduction to U.S. EPA's Small Business Innovation Research Program (May 2016)
The first day of work at a new job can be a daunting, maybe even a mildly-panic-inducing-event. And chances are, every last one of us has experienced the first-day jitters at least a couple times in our lives and the butterflies will likely still be there for our next go around as “the new kid.” 

Molekule Launches the World's First Molecular Air Purifier Exit (May 2016)
SBIR winner Molekule, a science and clean technology company, has introduced the world's first molecular air purifier. Molekule's patented technology brings a fundamentally new approach to air purification by completely eliminating the full spectrum of indoor pollutants, breaking them down on a molecular level.

Sensor Technology for the 21st Century (May 2016)
Small businesses are engines of innovation. They have the flexibility to take risks and try new things. The federal government harnesses some of this ingenuity through the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) programs. U.S. EPA is one of eleven federal agencies that participate in SBIR. Since their inception in 1982, they have awarded more than $26 billion.

Swimming with the Sharks (December 2015)
Director of U.S. EPA's National Center for Environmental Research, Jim Johnson, highlights an SBIR-funded company named Pitt Moss, which developed a fertilizer alternative to peat moss. The company was recently successful on the show Shark Tank and funded $600k by investors.

EPA Blog: Seeding Environmental Innovation  (July 2015)
April Richards, program manager for U.S. EPA’s SBIR program, shares her experiences at the 2015 National SBIR/STTR Conference and meeting environmental entrepreneurs.

U.S. EPA SBIR Award Recipient Receives 2015 Tibbetts Award  (May 2015)
Precision Combustion, Inc. (PCI), a U.S. EPA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award recipient in 1990, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2013 and 2014, received the 2015 Tibbetts Award for developing and manufacturing advanced performance catalytic reactors and systems for energy, defense and environmental applications. 

On the Road from Cajun Country to the Heartland to Seed Small Business Innovation Research (May 2015)
Greg Lank, mechanical engineer at U.S. EPA, highlights his travel and EPA’s participation in the “Seeding America’s Future Innovation” Small Business Administration bus tour for the SBIR and STTR programs. 

SBIR Success Stories You may need a PDF reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA’s About PDF page to learn more.

GVD Corporation - Safer Coatings for Molds Used in Manufacturing (PDF) (2 pp, 343 K)
With support from U.S. EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program, GVD Corporation created a mold-release coating made of high-purity polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) that uses no organic solvents or PFOA. As a result, air quality is improved inside manufacturing facilities. (May 2013)

Green Building Studio, Inc. - Streamlining Green Building Design (PDF) (2 pp, 308 K)
With support from the U.S. EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program, Green Building Studio, Inc., developed a web-based modeling tool to streamline the design of sustainable buildings. The Green Building Studio® web service helps designers and architects analyze water use in a building, eligibility of the LEED® daylight credit, renewable energy potential at the building site (using photovoltaic panels and wind energy), and the natural ventilation potential of the building. (April 2013)

Bridger Photonics - Handheld-Held Sensor for Carbon Dioxide (PDF) (2 pp, 310 K) 
With support from U.S. EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program, Bridger Photonics developed a mid-infrared laser for use in a remote CO₂ sensor with high-range resolution for onsite CO₂ monitoring and spatial mapping from a distance. The sensor will be used to spatially scan CO₂ sequestration or industrial sites for leaks and emissions. (June 2012)

Ecovative Design, LLC - Renewable and Biodegradable Insulation and Packaging Materials (PDF) (2 pp, 368 K)
With support from U.S. EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program, EcovativeDesign, LLC, (Ecovative) has developed two materials: MycoBondTM, a basic material to replace hydrocarbon-derived synthetics in packaging, insulation and structural cores, and GreensulateTM, an insulating application of MycoBondTM. These eco-friendly products can be used for high value packaging materials. (June 2011)