NIH SBIR/STTR Funded-Pattern Map

Technology area

Small-molecule therapeutic

2,232 funded awards, $1.50B total, FY2023-FY2025.

Data current as of 2026-05-11

Pattern read

Small molecule therapeutic is essentially tied with research_tool_or_assay as the largest tag: 2,232 records and $1.50B. The IC mix is canonical: NIAID at 442 (anti-infectives), NCI at 408 (oncology small molecules), NHLBI at 252 (cardiopulmonary), NINDS and NIGMS following. Concentration is the second-lowest of any tag (1.9%), so the small-molecule discovery and development space in NIH SBIR is genuinely open. Mechanism mix is canonical: 1,172 R44 + 555 R43 + 299 R41. Median award is $557K. STTR participation is one of the strongest in the dataset at 299 records, reflecting heavy academic-medicinal-chemistry origins.

Fit indicators

  • Largest tag by funding ($1.50B). The space is wide.
  • Strong STTR share (299 R41). Academic medicinal-chemistry origin patterns are common and viable.
  • Very low concentration (1.9%). No dominant incumbents in NIH SBIR data.

Watchouts

  • The tag is broad enough that any mention of small-molecule mechanism triggers it. Many records here are hybrid (formulation, delivery, combination). The tag is a starting point, not a diagnosis.
  • Lead asset and indication need to be specific in the title and aims. 'Discovery of novel inhibitors' framing has historically been weak.

Where the money sat, by Institute / Center

IC funding decisions are set by portfolio priorities, NOFO scope, and program-officer judgment. These are funded records, not predictions of future funding.

ICNameRecordsMedian award
AI (NIAID) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases 442 $317,613
CA (NCI) National Cancer Institute 408 $840,313
HL (NHLBI) National Heart Lung and Blood Institute 252 $687,049
GM (NIGMS) National Institute of General Medical Sciences 204 $481,182
DK (NIDDK) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases 161 $497,143
AG (NIA) National Institute on Aging 159 $504,505
NS (NINDS) National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke 117 $499,863
DA (NIDA) National Institute on Drug Abuse 102 $399,448
EY (NEI) National Eye Institute 54 $552,125
AR (NIAMS) National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases 53 $312,323
TR (NCATS) National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences 52 $350,698
HD (NICHD) Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development 47 $385,272
MH (NIMH) National Institute of Mental Health 32 $784,336
ES (NIEHS) National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences 29 $727,312
DE (NIDCR) National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research 22 $409,897
AA (NIAAA) National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 18 $693,094
DC (NIDCD) National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders 18 $545,035
EB (NIBIB) National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering 15 $751,525
OD NIH Office of the Director 12 $933,787
AT (NCCIH) National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health 12 $321,064
MD (NIMHD) National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities 12 $911,800
HG (NHGRI) National Human Genome Research Institute 9 $383,482
NR (NINR) National Institute of Nursing Research 1 $225,609
LM (NLM) National Library of Medicine 1 $313,819

FOA / NOFO routes

Opportunity number prefixes: PA = Parent Announcement (broad, omnibus, multiple ICs), PAR = Parent with Special Review, PAS = Parent with set-aside funds, RFA = Request for Applications (targeted, single-IC, fixed budget). Status unknown means the pipeline has not verified whether the FOA is currently posting awards; the SBIR omnibus has been in reauthorization gap during this window. See the glossary for full definitions.

OpportunityStatusRecords
PA-22-176 unknown 490
PA-23-230 unknown 332
PA-21-259 unknown 249
PA-24-245 unknown 155
PA-22-178 unknown 141
PA-23-232 unknown 87
PA-21-262 unknown 68
PA-20-260 unknown 56
PA-24-247 unknown 51
PA-20-272 unknown 44
PAS-22-196 unknown 42
PA-22-177 unknown 36
PAS-19-316 unknown 30
PA-20-265 unknown 28
PA-23-231 unknown 28
RFA-DA-23-021 unknown 26
PA-21-260 unknown 25
PA-19-272 unknown 25
PAS-22-197 unknown 20
PA-21-345 unknown 20
PAR-22-073 unknown 18
PA-24-246 unknown 15
RFA-NS-23-006 unknown 11
RFA-NS-20-009 unknown 9
PAS-19-317 unknown 9
RFA-DA-19-019 unknown 8
RFA-CA-23-034 unknown 8
PAR-24-131 expired 8
RFA-NS-23-007 unknown 8
PA-20-262 unknown 8
RFA-CA-22-025 unknown 7
PA-23-233 unknown 7
RFA-DA-19-020 unknown 7
PA-20-047 unknown 7
RFA-CA-21-001 unknown 7
PA-22-179 unknown 7
RFA-HL-23-008 unknown 6
RFA-NS-20-010 unknown 6
RFA-CA-23-035 unknown 6
PA-18-574 unknown 6
PA-19-270 unknown 6
RFA-NS-20-011 unknown 6
RFA-DA-24-038 unknown 5
PA-25-212 unknown 5
PAR-21-225 unknown 4
RFA-DA-22-023 unknown 4
RFA-ES-23-008 unknown 4
PAR-21-114 unknown 4
RFA-CA-20-033 unknown 3
RFA-MD-23-003 unknown 3
PA-21-261 unknown 3
RFA-DA-23-017 unknown 3
RFA-DA-25-053 unknown 2
RFA-CA-24-022 unknown 2
RFA-CA-24-023 unknown 2
RFA-AG-24-042 unknown 2
PAR-23-311 expired 2
RFA-HL-23-009 unknown 2
PA-18-819 unknown 2
PA-19-271 unknown 2
PAR-21-030 unknown 2
PA-18-871 unknown 2
PAR-21-266 unknown 2
PA-20-261 unknown 2
PA-19-273 unknown 2
RFA-ES-20-008 unknown 2
RFA-HL-19-017 unknown 2
RFA-ES-22-006 unknown 2
PA-21-071 unknown 2
RFA-DA-25-052 unknown 1
PAR-21-265 unknown 1
RFA-AA-24-001 unknown 1
RFA-AA-24-002 unknown 1
RFA-MD-24-007 unknown 1
RFA-DA-25-054 unknown 1
RFA-DA-25-050 unknown 1
PAR-24-222 expired 1
PA-24-248 unknown 1
PA-24-254 unknown 1
PAR-23-213 unknown 1
RFA-DA-24-017 unknown 1
RFA-DA-24-018 unknown 1
PA-18-591 unknown 1
PAR-18-108 unknown 1
PAR-19-333 unknown 1
RFA-HG-20-016 unknown 1
RFA-DK-21-021 unknown 1
RFA-DA-22-018 unknown 1
PA-18-566 unknown 1
RFA-CA-21-036 unknown 1
RFA-MD-22-004 unknown 1
RFA-CA-16-008 unknown 1
PA-18-573 unknown 1
PA-18-575 unknown 1
PAR-20-244 unknown 1
PA-21-268 unknown 1

Comparable funded projects

ApplIDFYICTitleOrganizationAmount
10598447 2025 CA Early clinical development of a novel IL-7R antibody for treating children with relapsed T-cell leukemia FANNIN PARTNERS, LLC $999,997
10813104 2025 CA Sonodynamic therapy using MRI-guided focused ultrasound in combination with 5-aminolevulinic acid to treat recurrent glioblastoma multiforme SONALASENSE INC $796,215
10825409 2025 OD Tools and Methods for Producing High Quality Functional Protein Microarrays for Biomarker Discovery SPOC PROTEOMICS INC. $1,370,834
10850989 2025 CA CCR4-IL2 Bispecific Immunotoxin for Targeted Therapy of Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma ROCK IMMUNE, INC. $248,336
10907583 2025 CA Development of a Universal Assay for Minimal Residual Disease in Acute Myeloid Leukemia using Duplex Sequencing TWINSTRAND BIOSCIENCES, INC. $1,985,831
10918037 2025 CA Phase 1b/2a Trial of QBS-72S for the Treatment of Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma Multiforme in Patients with Unmethylated MGMT Promoters QUADRIGA BIOSCIENCES, INC. $1,307,447
10931496 2025 CA Aerosolized Epigenetic Therapy for Metastatic Lung Cancer NOB HILL THERAPEUTICS, INC. $1,138,913
10932102 2025 NS Next-generation nanomedicine for acute ischemic stroke NANOMUSE, LLC $351,461

Review panels that have appeared on these records

Panel names use NIH's Center for Scientific Review (CSR) format: a 2-4 letter study-section code plus a meeting-cycle number in parentheses (e.g. ISB (12) = Instrumentation and Systems Development, cycle 12). SBIR/STTR review groups are temporary, meeting-specific bodies. The names below describe panels that have appeared on the cited funded-project records, not where future applications get assigned. NIH assigns panels at the time of submission based on the application content.

Limitations

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