Navigating federal R&D funding can feel overwhelming. Programs like SBIR/STTR have complex applications, strict compliance requirements, and long timelines, making success feel uncertain. Many promising technologies stall at this critical phase simply due to the intricate process involved.
MNSBIR provides clear guidance to startups and small businesses, helping them break through barriers and increase the chances that their great projects secure the funding needed to drive real-world impact.
MNSBIR offers free guidance and resources to help eligible Minnesota companies navigate federal R&D funding. From application preparation to compliance and commercialization, we guide you through the process step by step. With our support, you’ll confidently secure funding, manage your projects effectively, and successfully bring your ideas to market.
Once your firm is accepted into our Catalyst Program, we provide comprehensive, end-to-end support to help you pursue SBIR/STTR or other federal R&D funding. This funding can be a powerful catalyst for advancing your research, developing innovative technologies, and scaling your business. With our expert guidance, these opportunities become strategic steppingstones toward meaningful impact and long-term commercial success.
We understand that navigating federal funding can feel overwhelming—especially when so much is on the line. Our team brings years of experience supporting startups and small businesses like you and knows the unique challenges that come with the process. That’s why we’re committed to demystifying federal funding and equipping you with the tools, knowledge, and guidance you need to succeed.
Partner with us to move forward with clarity and confidence—every step of the way.
Download our guides and access a library of free resources.
Register for an Ask Us Anything session to participate in a live Q&A.
Determine your company’s eligibility and apply to the Catalyst Program.
Since 1982, over 460 Minnesota companies have received federal R&D funding for their innovations.
Minnesota companies have secured almost $1B in SBIR/STTR investments.
SBIR/STTR funding is non-dilutive meaning funded companies retain 100% equity in their company.
Discover how Minnesota entrepreneurs have leveraged federal R&D funding to transform ideas into market-ready innovations with MNSBIR’s expert guidance.
Navigating my first SBIR grant would have been so overwhelming without the support of the MNSBIR Catalyst program. The weekly calls kept our team on track and helped ensure we were setting up our grant for the greatest chance of success.
MNSBIR is the accessible resource to assist us to better understand the SBIR grant process and their support was critical to our efforts to submit a $2M competitive proposal to the US Army.
Our team is extremely grateful to the MNSBIR team for their guidance, support, and insights throughout this process. As a first time applicant for NIH funding, let alone for small business awards, the Catalyst Program was so helpful to understand the process and get 1:1 coaching to help improve our application materials.
MNSBIR is the premier support organization for innovative startups in Minnesota. The non-dilutive funding they help startups access are the foundation of the capital stack and an essential tool for de-risking early-stage technology.
MNSBIR, Inc. was an invaluable resource in navigating the complexities of preparing a competitive SBIR proposal. I highly recommend MNSBIR to any Minnesota innovator or small business pursuing SBIR funding. Their knowledge, dedication, and support can turn a great idea into a fully realized, fundable proposal.
Optimal Mobility would not have been able to submit our $1.5M SBIR Direct to Phase II without the support of the MNSBIR team. The Catalyst Program provided valuable step by step learning and assist to navigate the complicated steps for a federal grant submission. Thank you!
We have found your workshops to be extremely informative in helping describe the various forms of potential governmental funding, your feedback on our grant applications to be highly constructive and especially timely when under the crunch of a submission deadline, and your enthusiastic consistently accessible participation to be reassuringly supportive throughout the application process. You provide a tremendous resource that we’ve regularly called upon and will continue to call upon. Thanks for all of your direct support and for supporting the larger entrepreneurial community.
MNSBIR has been invaluable in guiding us through the SBIR requirements. We consider Pat Dillon as part of our team, with her being involved in understanding our technology to propose business strategies and align our proposal with SBIR requirements. She has never been shy to ask probing questions or point out if we are on the wrong path. Her ability to visualize our project in the context of the larger SBIR mission has enabled us a 75% success rate.
Pat Dillon and MNSBIR are a valuable resource for small businesses in Minnesota. The US government has a set-aside program for small businesses called the Small Business Innovation Research program that can provide over $1 million in non-dilutive funding to support innovation and the ability for sole source US government sales beyond that funding. The process can be overwhelming for businesses just starting. Pat helped Adventium Labs navigate the process 17 years ago and remains an important resource as we continue to leverage the SBIR program. I frequently send CEOs of small businesses to Pat to help them understand how the program can fit into their overall funding strategy.
Whether it is the numerous and differing funding agency requirements, the many unwritten rules or providing and recommending experts to help Pat Dillon and her team at MNSBIR have been and continue to be essential partners in securing SBIR Phase I, Phase II and beyond for Champaign Imaging LLC.
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