ACL Awards Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program Grants

September 16, 2024

ACL's National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) is announcing several 2024 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program grant awards.

The purpose of the SBIR program is to stimulate technological innovation in the private sector, strengthen the role of small businesses in meeting federal research or research and development needs, and improve the return on investment from federally funded research for economic and social benefits to the nation. The goal is to improve the lives of people with disabilities through research and development of products generated by small businesses and to increase the commercial application of NIDILRR-supported research results and development products. All SBIR projects funded by NIDILRR must address the needs of individuals with disabilities and promote their health and function, community living, or employment outcomes.

SBIR awards are given for two types of projects:

• Phase I is for projects to determine the scientific or technical merit and feasibility of proposed research or development efforts that appear to have commercial potential.
• Phase II projects expand on the results of and further pursue the development of Phase I projects.

SBIR Phase I Grant Recipients

Twelve grants were awarded for Phase I projects for an estimated funding amount of $100,000 for a six-month time period.

See Notice of Funding Opportunity: HHS-2024-ACL-NIDILRR-BISA-0069, "Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, Phase I," posted October 18, 2023.

• Adapy Smart Mobility Harness Research & Development: Adapy, Inc.
• Addressing Reading Disparities for Students with Disabilities by Building Background and
• Vocabulary Knowledge: Charmtech Labs LLC
• Development of Adapted and Accessible Online Prevent T2 Program for Diabetes Prevention in People with Disabilities: Kamin Consulting
• Development of a Person-Centered System for Emergency Preparedness for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Assistech Systems LLC
• INTEGRA: Generative Intelligent Video Modeling to Support the Participation of Latino English Learners (LELs) with Disabilities: Closed Caption Latina
• GOALS - Goal Oriented Automated Learning System to Enhance the Communication of Task Assignments from Supervisors to Employees with an Intellectual Disability: CreateAblity Concepts
• Inclusive STEM Learning for Blind & Visually Impaired Students Through Enhanced Accessibility in Tyto Online: Immersed Games, Inc.
• Kids Like Me Bookshelf to Provide Role-Model Stories to Help Build Self-Esteem and Self-Efficacy for Students with a Vision Impairment: Objective Ed, Inc.
• Lotus Ring Wearable Technology for Independence at Home - Pilot: Lotus Laboratories, Inc.
• Reimagining Mobility for Adolescents with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) User-Centric Development of Exoskeletons as Next-Gen Alternatives to Traditional Ankle-foot Orthoses (AFOs): Results Group LLC
• Simplifying Alternative Control to Increase Independence in Mobility and Digital Access for People with Tetraplegia: Kinemo
• The Sign Language Detection for Videoconferencing (SLDVC) Project: GoVoBo

SBIR Phase II Grant Recipients

Four grants were awarded for Phase II for an estimated funding amount of $287,500 per year for two years.

See Notice of Funding Opportunity: HHS-2024-ACL-NIDILRR-BISB-0070, "Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) Phase II," posted January 5, 2024.

• Development of a Next-Generation Smart Wheelchair Seat Cushion for Pressure Relief and the Prevention of Pressure Injuries: Kalogon, Inc.
• FIDDLE - Fit (for) Intellectual Developmental Determinations (for) Longterm Employment: CreateAbility Concepts, Inc.
• Improved Hand and Arm Function in Children with Cerebral Palsy Through Increased Access to Affordable and User-Friendly Exergaming Technologies: NeuroTechR3, Inc.
  • Note: This grant starts September 1, 2024.
• Middle School Social Stories to Improve Social Skills for Students Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision: ObjectiveEd, Inc.

Contact [email protected] at NIDILRR if you have questions about the SBIR Program.

To stay current on NIDILRR grant opportunities, please visit grants.gov and search: NIDILRR or 93.433.

NIDILRR, part of ACL, generates new knowledge and promotes its effective use so that people with disabilities can perform activities of their choice in the community. NIDILRR also works to expand society's capacity to provide full opportunities and accommodations for people with disabilities.