Technology area

Vaccine

891 funded awards, $589.7M total, FY2023-FY2025.

Data current as of 2026-05-11

Pattern read

Vaccine work in NIH SBIR is overwhelmingly NIAID-driven: 381 of 891 records (43%) sit at NIAID. NCI follows with 206 records, mostly therapeutic cancer vaccines. NIGMS at 83 captures basic mechanism work. The pandemic-era investment in vaccine platforms is still visible in the dataset (the FY2023-FY2025 window includes the trailing edge of COVID-related funding). Median award is $639K. R44 share (465) is dominant. STTR (R41 at 113) is meaningful. Concentration is moderate at 5.2%.

Fit indicators

  • NIAID dominant (~43% of tag). Infectious-disease vaccines are the canonical fit.
  • NCI's 206 records show therapeutic cancer vaccines as the clear second lane.

Watchouts

  • Post-pandemic NIAID volume is dropping. Do not assume the trailing three-year averages reflect the current funding tempo.
  • 'Platform' vaccine pitches without a lead antigen/indication have historically been weak in reviewer feedback.

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 381 $463,597
CA (NCI) National Cancer Institute 206 $745,612
GM (NIGMS) National Institute of General Medical Sciences 83 $612,291
DK (NIDDK) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases 43 $929,940
NS (NINDS) National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke 29 $666,640
HL (NHLBI) National Heart Lung and Blood Institute 29 $635,475
TR (NCATS) National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences 28 $349,954
AG (NIA) National Institute on Aging 23 $500,000
AR (NIAMS) National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases 11 $296,256
HD (NICHD) Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development 11 $485,502
EY (NEI) National Eye Institute 9 $300,016
HG (NHGRI) National Human Genome Research Institute 7 $983,775
ES (NIEHS) National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences 7 $295,734
DE (NIDCR) National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research 5 $306,391
DA (NIDA) National Institute on Drug Abuse 5 $399,230
MH (NIMH) National Institute of Mental Health 5 $300,083
OD NIH Office of the Director 3 $999,973
AA (NIAAA) National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 2 $691,428
DC (NIDCD) National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders 2 $968,800
NR (NINR) National Institute of Nursing Research 1 $378,893
AT (NCCIH) National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health 1 $335,257

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 247
PA-23-230 unknown 136
PA-21-259 unknown 116
PA-24-245 unknown 63
PA-22-178 unknown 50
PA-23-232 unknown 37
PA-20-260 unknown 34
PA-24-247 unknown 29
PA-21-262 unknown 28
PA-20-265 unknown 20
PA-19-272 unknown 18
PA-22-177 unknown 10
PA-24-246 unknown 9
PA-20-047 unknown 8
PA-20-272 unknown 8
PA-23-231 unknown 6
RFA-CA-21-001 unknown 5
PAS-22-197 unknown 5
PA-21-260 unknown 5
PAR-22-073 unknown 5
PAS-22-196 unknown 4
PA-18-574 unknown 4
PA-20-262 unknown 3
PAS-19-317 unknown 3
RFA-CA-20-033 unknown 2
PA-23-233 unknown 2
RFA-CA-23-034 unknown 2
PA-24-248 unknown 2
PA-22-179 unknown 2
PAR-21-266 unknown 2
RFA-NS-20-009 unknown 2
PA-21-345 unknown 2
RFA-DK-21-021 unknown 2
RFA-DK-21-012 unknown 2
RFA-HL-23-008 unknown 1
RFA-CA-24-023 unknown 1
PAR-24-131 expired 1
PA-25-212 unknown 1
RFA-DA-25-050 unknown 1
PAR-23-311 expired 1
PA-24-254 unknown 1
RFA-DA-23-021 unknown 1
PA-19-273 unknown 1
RFA-NS-20-011 unknown 1
RFA-HL-19-017 unknown 1
PAR-21-247 unknown 1
PAR-20-098 unknown 1
PA-19-270 unknown 1
PAS-19-316 unknown 1
PAR-18-801 unknown 1
PA-21-261 unknown 1
RFA-ES-22-006 unknown 1

Comparable funded projects

ApplIDFYICTitleOrganizationAmount
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
10850989 2025 CA CCR4-IL2 Bispecific Immunotoxin for Targeted Therapy of Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma ROCK IMMUNE, INC. $248,336
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
10932102 2025 NS Next-generation nanomedicine for acute ischemic stroke NANOMUSE, LLC $351,461
10997344 2025 AI A Vaccine for Lymphatic Filariasis, LFGuard™ PAI LIFE SCIENCES, INC. $452,996
10997404 2025 AI Recombinant Outer Membrane Vesicles as a Novel Adjuvant for a Malaria Vaccine VERSATOPE THERAPEUTICS, INC. $999,993
11003734 2025 AI Chikungunya Recombinant Subunit Vaccine HAWAII BIOTECH, INC. $998,229
11012831 2025 EY Combating Corneal HSV Infection with Novel Dynasore Analogues MEDCHEM PARTNERS, LLC $178,554

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

Want help with your NIH SBIR application?

Get started with Aims First →