Name | Type | Posted | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
2026 SBIR Phase IB 91990026R0004 Presolicitation.pdf | Apr 14, 2026 |
Department of Education Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase IB 2026: Pre-Solicitation
Contact and place of performance
David Yadeta
Not specified
The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and the U.S. Department of Education (ED) anticipate the release of a 2026 Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) Phase IB solicitation #91990026R0004, on or about April 30, 2026. The proposal submission date will be in late June 2026, approximately 60 days after the solicitation release. The program, known as ED/IES SBIR, provides aw...
View morePRIORITY AREA IB: A New Component to be Integrated with an Existing Education Technology Prototype of Product for Use by Learners, Educators or Administrators (or Other School Personnel)
Successful Phase IB awardees under the solicitation will be eligible to apply for a Phase II award for $1,000,000 in 2027, to fully develop and evaluate the new component to be integrated with the education technology prototype or product over a period of 2 years and to prepare for commercialization. The result from Phase IB and the subsequent Phase II funding under this solicitation will be a novel education technology product.
Three other 2026 ED/IES SBIR solicitations will be released on the same day as the Phase IB solicitation:
The Phase IA program solicitation 91990026R0003 will request proposals for the development and evaluation of a prototype of an entirely novel education technology product (where no or limited previous development has occurred) over a period of 9 months. The goal of the Phase IA track is to solicit proposals for ground-breaking high-risk high reward approaches to solve pressing problems in education.
The Direct to Phase II program solicitation #91990026R0005 will request proposals for the development of new education technology products to ready existing evidence-based innovations (e.g., products, interventions, tools) for commercial use at scale. Awards will be for $1,000,000 over a period of 2 years. The existing evidence-based innovation is required to have originally been conceptualized and developed by an academic researcher while at an academic institution or by a researcher at a non-profit education research organization. One or more of the academic researchers that originally created the innovation are required to participate in the project team. Projects that focus on advancing innovations that are not evidence-based will not be eligible for the Direct to Phase II program.
Important Notes:
Offerors will not be permitted to submit the same or similar proposals under the 2026 Phase IA, IB, Direct to Phase II or Phase II solicitations. Any duplicate or similar proposals that are submitted under more than one of these 2026 solicitations will be rejected without review.
For more information and specifications, please refer to the Phase IA, Phase IB, Direct to Phase II or Phase II solicitations after release.
About the ED/IES SBIR Program
The purpose of the SBIR program is to stimulate technological innovation in the private sector, strengthen the role of small business in meeting Department research and development needs, increase the commercial potential of Department-supported research results, and improve the return on investment from Federally funded research for economic and social benefits to the Nation. ED/IES SBIR provides awards to eligible for-profit businesses and partners for the research and development and evaluation of new, commercially viable education technology products (“products”). The ED/IES SBIR portfolio consists of research-based and commercially viable products that are widely deployed to address pressing needs in education. ED/IES SBIR is a highly competitive program – historically about 5 to 7% of submitted proposals resulted in a Phase I award, about 10% result in a Direct to Phase II award, and about 50% of Phase I awardees have won a Phase II award the following year. For more information about the ED/IES SBIR program, please see: www.ies.ed.gov/sbir Please note: the primary means of communication with Department personnel is via email.
Please review the FAQ page to assist you in the preparation and submission of your proposal. FAQ page: https://ies.ed.gov/small-business-innovation-research-sbir/edies-sbir-frequently-asked-questions
This notice is not a request for proposals at this time. Interested parties should continue to monitor this posting for updates.
The Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) intends to release a pre-solicitation for the 2026 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase IB program under solicitation number 91990026R0004. This initiative provides $250,000 contracts to eligible for-profit small businesses and partners to develop and evaluate prototypes for new components designed to integrate with existing education technology. The program focuses on high-risk, high-reward approaches to solving pressing educational problems through Priority Area IB, which targets products for use by learners, educators, administrators, or other school personnel. Successful Phase IB awardees will subsequently become eligible to apply for Phase II funding in 2027, which offers $1,000,000 over two years to fully develop and commercialize the integrated technology.
The solicitation is expected to be released around April 30, 2026, with proposals due approximately 60 days later in late June 2026. The performance period for the Phase IB contract is nine months. This opportunity is classified under NAICS 541720 for Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities and PSC AF11 for Education, Training, Employment, & Social Svcs R&D Svcs; Education Svcs R&D; Basic Research. The procurement is designated as an SBA set-aside. Interested parties may reference one attached document titled 2026 SBIR Phase IB 91990026R0004 Presolicitation.pdf for additional details.
The SBIR program aims to stimulate private sector innovation and increase the commercial potential of federally funded research. In addition to Phase IB, the agency plans to concurrently release solicitations for Phase IA, which focuses on entirely novel products, and Direct to Phase II, which targets the scaling of existing evidence-based innovations. Offerors are prohibited from submitting the same or similar proposals across these different 2026 SBIR solicitations; any duplicate submissions will be rejected without review. David Yadeta serves as the primary point of contact for this pre-solicitation notice.
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