It is time to reintroduce our shout out section to celebrate Montana small businesses' success with SBIR. First up is recent NASA SBIR Ignite Phase II awardee, MagDrive Technologies!
MagDrive Technologies, based in Bozeman, Montana, is one of only seven small businesses in the nation that received Phase II contracts through the NASA SBIR Ignite initiative for their "E-Drive: Electromagnetic Zero-Emission Valve Drive" project. MagDrive's leak-free cryogenic valves will have broad applications to aerospace and terrestrial markets.
NASA SBIR Ignite focuses on technologies with significant commercial potential and each small business awardee receives up to $850,000 to continue developing their technologies.
Learn more about MagDrive Technologies here and check out the full list of NASA awards here.
(Check out some news about NASA's plans for their FY26 SBIR/STTR program below.)
SBIR Reauthorization update
On September 2, 2025, Congressman Roger Williams introduced a bill (H.R. 5100) to extend the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs virtually as-is through September 30, 2026. As you know, without other actions, the SBIR/STTR programs are set to expire on September 30, 2025.
This legislative move is intended to maintain uninterrupted support for one more year of these federal R&D programs that contribute significantly to American innovation. If this bill is passed, it will allow more time for comprehensive reauthorization discussions and a consensus between the Senate and House bills introduced this spring and summer.
Montana's Representative Troy Downing has signed on as a co-sponsor of H.R. 5100. The SBIR and STTR programs are crucial for fueling economic growth and technological advancement driven by small businesses. This one year extension is critical as stakeholders work towards a long-term solution to strengthen these programs further.
We will share more SBIR Reauthorization updates on LinkedIn and in our next newsletter. Stay tuned.
September 2025 Events
Join us this month for some extraordinary opportunities to learn and build community.
Innovate Here 2025 is On!
September 25, 2025
The second annual Innovate Here Conference highlights advancements in technologies driving Montana and national innovations. This one-day, fully virtual conference offers extraordinary key notes from Montana small businesses driving AI-innovations in aerospace and life sciences and about the super-power of stress resiliency, Q&A roundtables with regional and national leaders to discuss private and federal investment strategies and fostering the next generation of Montana innovators and skilled workforce. And, of course, we will offer sessions about getting started with SBIR and commercializing your technology.
Who should be there:
You. You should be there.
Join us! We can't wait to see you! Save your spot by registering today.
Meet with Dr. Ela Mirowski, Program Officer with America's Seed Fund at the National Science Foundation
September 17 in Bozeman and September 18 in Missoula
Meet Dr. Ela Mirowski with NSF's SBIR/STTR programs next week in Bozeman or Missoula! Dr. Mirowski will discuss America's Seed Fund at NSF, success tactics, practice your Project Pitch, and some participants will have a chance to discuss their project one-one with Dr. Mirowski in the afternoon. Spots are filling fast so register today for either Bozeman or Missoula below!
DARPA Program Managers, Contract Management, Small Business Programs Office & more will share how to engage with the agency -- andfunding pathways to bring your most innovative ideas forward.
The 2025 Headwaters Tech Hub Summit starts today! Register now to join leaders from across the country who share how regional tech hubs are shaping America’s innovation future. Starting tonight in Bozeman! Don't miss these three days of conversations, collaboration, and learning from leaders in deep tech.
APEX Accelerator Procurement Readiness Academy
Starting October 3, 2025
A must for any Montana business looking to pursue government contracts! Do it! Learn more and sign up today here. Questions? Email Lynnette Engelhardt at lynnette@bigskyeda.org
Current SBIR/STTR Solicitations
Please refer to each agency site for up-to-date information and application instructions.Contact MTIP for no-cost coaching, resources, and proposal reviews from expert MTIP consultants.
Make sure your registrations are in order! A downloadable copy of our Essential Registrations for SBIR/STTR Applicants Guide is available here.
ARPA-Ehas two SBIR/STTR funding opportunity announcements released now. Concept papers for interested applicants are due September 24 and 25 respectively for the following:
Department of Defense services and components currently have 44 topics in pre-release or open and three xTech opportunities (xTech requires previous invitations). Release 11 topics are due September 24 and Release 12 topics are due October 22. (Breaking: If you follow Steve Blank, he has released a new list of PEOs for 2025. Visit his Substack here.)
NASA does not have any current solicitations but they have recently announced that they are moving to a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) model, similar to DoD, in FY26. This is going to be great. Topics will be issued on a rolling basis throughout the year. Learn more here. We'll hold a webinar/seminar in early fall to share more details about this new approach and how to be successful with NASA SBIR/STTR in FY26.
The current National Science Foundation SBIR/STTR solicitation window closes November 5, 2025. Plan to join us in Bozeman on September 17 to meet with Dr. Ela Mirowski. Learn about America's Seed Fund at NSF, practice your Project Pitch, and schedule a 1:1 with Dr. Mirowski to discuss your innovation.
The next HHS/NIH SBIR/STTR standard due date is January 5, 2026; however some of the Specific Funding Opportunities have due dates in October. Review all current HHS/NIH SBIR funding announcements here.
USDA SBIR/STTR Phase II RFA is open to previously funded USDA Phase I awardees and resubmissions may be accepted. Proposals are due September 22.
No other agencies have SBIR/STTR solicitations open or in pre-release right now. But now is always a great time to plan ahead and get to know more about specific agency programs. Check out https://www.sbir.gov/topics for a calendar with approximate timelines for agency announcements.
Interested in any of these opportunities? Sign up for the agencies' email lists to receive email notifications about newly posted opportunities and webinars and reach out to us to receive free expert guidance and resources to help you prepare your most competitive proposal.
SAM.gov is required for all SBIR or STTR applications. Start early! Your regional Montana APEX Accelerator procurement advisor can help with SAM registration and all things related to government contracting. Find yours here.
Thanks for reading and sharing. Book time with me here for help with identifying topics, planning your proposal strategy, and for expert coaching with one of MTIP's consultants.
Best,
Ann Peterson, Program Director
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