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0 to 1 · Research note · 19 Oct 2026

25 Education Department small-business R&D contracts start on 30 September 2026: every Phase I is $250,000, every Phase II is $1,000,000

Public contract records in Svatantra.ai's signal database show 25 Department of Education SBIR contracts, the ED/IES SBIR 2026 cohort, with a start date of 30 September 2026. They went to 25 firms. The 15 Phase I contracts are each $250,000 for nine months; the 10 Phase II contracts are each $1,000,000 for two years. This note sets out the counts, six of the named records, the program's own stated odds of winning each rung, its 2025 announcement for context, the SBIR windows open this autumn, and what the data does not show.

By Jayprakash Mistry, Founder, Svatantra.ai

One email with the PDF attached. You will be on the list for future notes and can unsubscribe from any of them. The list is not sold or shared.

Every number, and where it comes from

The first five figures in the note.

The full table has 16 rows. Each figure is as published on the date shown, with its denominator.

FigureWhat it measuresSource
25Department of Education contracts with an award description beginning 'SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) 2026' and a period-of-performance start date of 30 September 2026. 25 distinct award IDs, 25 distinct source recordsSvatantra.ai signal database, count at 16 Oct 2026
25Distinct recipient firms (unique entity identifiers) across the 25 contractsSvatantra.ai signal database, count at 16 Oct 2026
15Contracts labeled Phase I: 9 Phase IA and 6 Phase IBSvatantra.ai signal database, count at 16 Oct 2026
10Contracts labeled Phase II: 9 Phase II and 1 Direct to Phase IISvatantra.ai signal database, count at 16 Oct 2026
$250,000Value as printed on each of the 15 Phase I contracts (minimum and maximum both $250,000). Period 30 September 2026 to 30 June 2027 on all 15Svatantra.ai signal database, count at 16 Oct 2026

11 more figures in the PDF, each with its source.

Sources

12 primary releases.

  1. USASpending.gov, TEACHLEY, LLC, award 91990026C0017 (Start 30 September 2026)
    Verbatim description: "SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) 2026 PHASE IA AWARD". Obligation $250,000.00. Signed 2026-09-28. Period of performance 2026-09-30 to 2027-06-30. Awarding agency: Department of Education.
    usaspending.gov
  2. USASpending.gov, CHARMTECH LABS LLC, award 91990026C0021 (Start 30 September 2026)
    Verbatim description: "SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) 2026 PHASE IB AWARD". Obligation $250,000.00. Signed 2026-09-28. Period of performance 2026-09-30 to 2027-06-30. Awarding agency: Department of Education.
    usaspending.gov
  3. USASpending.gov, MYRIAD SENSORS, INC., award 91990026C0015 (Start 30 September 2026)
    Verbatim description: "SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) 2026 PHASE IA AWARD". Obligation $250,000.00. Signed 2026-09-28. Period of performance 2026-09-30 to 2027-06-30. Awarding agency: Department of Education.
    usaspending.gov
  4. USASpending.gov, CURIOSITY AI LLC, award 91990026C0034 (Start 30 September 2026)
    Verbatim description: "SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) 2026 PHASE II AWARD". Obligation $1,000,000.00. Signed 2026-09-28. Period of performance 2026-09-30 to 2028-09-29. Awarding agency: Department of Education.
    usaspending.gov
  5. USASpending.gov, OBJECTIVE ED, INC., award 91990026C0030 (Start 30 September 2026)
    Verbatim description: "SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) 2026 PHASE II AWARD". Obligation $1,000,000.00. Signed 2026-09-28. Period of performance 2026-09-30 to 2028-09-29. Awarding agency: Department of Education.
    usaspending.gov
  6. USASpending.gov, ALTITUT LLC, award 91990026C0037 (Start 30 September 2026)
    Verbatim description: "SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) 2026 DIRECT TO PHASE II AWARD". Obligation $1,000,000.00. Signed 2026-09-28. Period of performance 2026-09-30 to 2028-09-29. Awarding agency: Department of Education.
    usaspending.gov
  7. Institute of Education Sciences, US Department of Education, Fiscal Year 2026 ED/IES SBIR Program Solicitation Information (Accessed 16 October 2026)
    "On April 30, 2026, ED/IES SBIR released its FY2026 Phase IA, Phase IB, and Direct to Phase II solicitations." Phase IA and IB: "is a request for proposals for $250,000 awards for 9 months". Direct to Phase II: "is a request for proposals for $1,000,000 awards for 2 years". "Deadline for Phase IA and Phase IB proposals: June 29, 2026 at 11AM EDT."
    ies.ed.gov
  8. Institute of Education Sciences, US Department of Education, ED/IES SBIR: Frequently Asked Questions (Accessed 16 October 2026)
    "ED/IES SBIR is a highly competitive program, typically around 5 to 7% of Phase I proposals receive awards each year, around 9% of Direct to Phase II proposals received awards in 2022-2024, and around 50% of Phase II proposals receive awards." "Only SBIR ED/ IES SBIR Phase I awardees are eligible to apply to this solicitation." Phase II: "$1M awards for 2-year projects for the full-scale development and pilot evaluation" of products begun in the prior year's Phase IA or IB projects.
    ies.ed.gov
  9. Institute of Education Sciences via NCES blog, IES Announces 2025 SBIR Awards to Advance Technology for Education and Special Education (20 January 2026)
    "IES awarded 26 SBIR projects in 2025, including 16 Phase I awards, 8 Phase II awards, and 2 Direct to Phase II awards."
    nces.ed.gov
  10. US Environmental Protection Agency, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program (Page last updated 24 September 2026)
    "The EPA SBIR 2026 Phase I Solicitation is open as of September 24, 2026, and will close on November 8, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET."
    epa.gov
  11. Crowell & Moring, SBIR/STTR Programs Reauthorized After Six-Month Lapse (14 April 2026)
    Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act of 2026 (S. 3971) signed 13 April 2026. "Beginning in fiscal year 2027, federal agencies will set their own limits on the number of proposals" a company may submit, to be set "no later than 90 days before the start of fiscal year 2027".
    crowell.com
  12. Svatantra.ai, Signal database (16 October 2026)
    Counted: signals from public federal contract records with awarding agency Department of Education, an award description beginning 'SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) 2026', and a contract start date in September 2026 (all 25 on 30 September 2026). 25 records, 25 distinct award IDs, 25 distinct recipient identifiers. Phase read from the award description. Counts at 16 October 2026.
    svatantra.ai