SBIR & STTR Topics for Biotech Companies in Virginia

There are 15 open federal SBIR/STTR topics right now that match Biotech capabilities, across DOD, NIH, NSF, DOE, NASA, USDA, and 5 other agencies. Below: the current open topic list, recent Biotech winners headquartered in Virginia, the Virginia SBDC SBIR contact, and how TopicScout compares to SBIR.gov / Grants.gov / HigherGov / Instrumentl for finding the next topic to apply to.

Open Biotech topics (15)

1. Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) (K12 Clinical Trial Optional) — National Institutes of Health · closes 2026-05-28
   The NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) and participating NIH Institutes and Centers invite institutional career development award applications for Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH)…
2. Cooperative Agreement for Affiliated Partner with the Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) — Geological Survey · closes 2026-05-30
   The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Southwest Biological Science Center (SBSC) seeks to provide financial assistance to help build a program focusing on reclamation sciences to support energy development, critical minerals, and streamlining r…
3. Antarctic Research Not Requiring U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) Field Support — U.S. National Science Foundation · closes 2026-06-01
   Through this solicitation, the Antarctic Sciences Section (ANT) of the Office of Polar Programs (OPP) funds cutting-edge research that: Improves understanding of interactions among the Antarctic region and global systems. Improves understan…
4. Antarctic Research Requiring U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) Support for Fieldwork — U.S. National Science Foundation · closes 2026-06-01
   Through this solicitation, the Antarctic Sciences Section (ANT) of the Office of Polar Programs (OPP) funds cutting-edge research that requires logistical support from the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP)and: Improves understanding of interact…
5. Preclinical Proof of Concept Studies for Rare Diseases (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) — National Institutes of Health · closes 2026-06-02
   This notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) provides funding to conduct efficacy studies in an established rare disease preclinical model to demonstrate that a proposed therapeutic agent warrants further development. In addition to preclinica…
6. Impact of Initial Influenza Exposure on Immunity in Infants (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) — National Institutes of Health · closes 2026-06-04
   The purpose of this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is to support the establishment or continuation of longitudinal infant cohorts to determine and compare how initial and repeated natural influenza infections and/or influenza vaccinat…
7. Identify and Evaluate Potential Risk Factors for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA · closes 2026-06-10
   CDC/ATSDR is inviting research proposals to study risk factors for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Studies on military service, contact sports, traumatic brain injury, neuroinflammation, and infections agents and exposures are encourag…
8. Alfalfa Seed and Alfalfa Forage Systems — National Institute of Food and Agriculture · closes 2026-06-12
   In FY 2026, under Assistance Listing 10.330, ASAFS will support the development of improved alfalfa seed and forage production systems, practices, and supporting technologies. NIFA is soliciting applications for FY 2026 under the following …
9. Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with the Desert Southwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit — Geological Survey · closes 2026-06-14
   The U.S. Geological Survey Southwest Biological Science Center (SBSC) seeks to provide financial assistance for a research project to help build a program to use new remote sensing platforms to improve understanding of how southwestern U.S.…
10. Novel Approaches to Support Therapeutic Development in Ultra-Rare Cancers — Food and Drug Administration · closes 2026-06-15
    Background The FDA Oncology Center of Excellence (OCE) aims to advance the development and regulation of oncology products for patients with cancer. The Pediatric Oncology Program and Rare Cancers Program were established to facilitate and …
11. BRAIN Initiative: New Technologies and Novel Approaches for Recording and Modulation in the Nervous System (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) — National Institutes of Health · closes 2026-06-16
    This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) seeks applications for proof-of-concept testing and development of new technologies and novel approaches for recording and modulation of neural cells and circuits, to address major challenges and en…
12. BRAIN Initiative: Optimization of Instrumentation and Device Technologies for Recording and Modulation in the Nervous System (U01 Clinical Trials Not Allowed) — National Institutes of Health · closes 2026-06-16
    This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) seeks applications to optimize instrumentation and device technologies for recording and modulation of neural cells and circuits, to address major challenges and to enable transformative understandi…
13. FY 2026 Competitive Academic Agreement Program (CAAP) — Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Admin · closes 2026-06-19
    The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration¿s (PHMSA) FY 2026 CAAP NOFO solicits research proposals from nonprofit institutions of higher education for the Pipeline Safety Research and Development (R&D) Program. This…
14. Enhancing Understanding of and Preparedness for Public Health Threats Through Research in Kenya — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA · closes 2026-06-22
    This notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) supports research, implementation science, and public health evaluations to inform best practices for preventing and responding to infectious disease threats in Kenya, while strengthening local rese…
15. Agricultural Genome to Phenome Initiative - Research Grants — National Institute of Food and Agriculture-eRA · closes 2026-06-29
    The National Institute of Food and Agriculture"s Agricultural Genome to Phenome Initiative (AG2PI), Assistance Listing 10.332, is intended to: Study agriculturally significant crops and animals in production environments to achieve via…

Recent Biotech SBIR winners in Virginia

1. Virongy Biosciences, Inc. (MANASSAS, Virginia) — Department of Health and Human Services Phase I 2023, $273,181
   Development of a SARS-CoV-2 emerging variant infectivity and immune evasion panel to quantify the efficacy of vaccine bo
2. THE TINY CARGO COMPANY (Roanoke, Virginia) — Department of Health and Human Services Phase I 2023, $400,000
   Novel Drug Delivery Platform as Medical Countermeasure for treatment of Gastrointestinal Radiation Damage
3. Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Blacksburg, Virginia) — Department of Health and Human Services Phase I 2023, $295,294
   A First-in-class Topical Immunoregulatory Therapeutic for Psoriasis
4. LUNA LABS USA LLC (Charlottesville, Virginia) — Department of Health and Human Services Phase I 2023, $270,731
   Sprayable Hydrogel Barrier for the Delivery of Adhesion-Preventing Therapeutics
5. Covenant Therapeutics LLC (Charlottesville, Virginia) — Department of Health and Human Services Phase I 2023, $249,965
   Designing safe, potent, and cost-effective small peptide erythropoietin analogs
6. PARABON NANOLABS, INC. (Reston, Virginia) — Department of Health and Human Services Phase II 2023, $917,300
   Novel whole-genome analysis methods for Alzheimer's risk prediction
7. TAMUROBIO INC (McLean, Virginia) — Department of Health and Human Services Phase II 2023, $997,344
   IND Enabling Studies for the Development of NASH Therapeutic TB-019

How to find SBIR topics: TopicScout vs alternatives

SBIR.gov is the canonical source — every SBIR/STTR topic posts there first. TopicScout's value isn't access; it's the cap-statement scoring + weekly digest so you stop scanning portals by hand. Try the free matcher against your statement — takes a paragraph, no signup.

FAQ

How do I find open SBIR topics for a Biotech company in Virginia?

The canonical source is SBIR.gov, which lists every open SBIR/STTR topic across all 11 federal agencies. To filter to Biotech-relevant topics that match your specific tech, paste your capability statement into TopicScout's free matcher — it scores all open topics against your cap statement in ~60 seconds. Virginia SBIR firms also get help from the Virginia SBDC and state matching-fund programs.

What's the best SBIR matching tool for Biotech startups?

For solo founders: TopicScout's $29/mo plan covers all 11 agencies with weekly AI-scored digests. For consulting firms supporting multiple clients: TopicScout institutional plan ($500–2k/mo flat) or HigherGov ($500–5k/yr). For nonprofits (not SBIR-eligible): Instrumentl. SBIR.gov itself is free but requires manual scanning.

Which agencies fund the most Biotech SBIR/STTR work?

Based on the current open topic list, the top agencies for Biotech are visible in the topic list above. Historically: DARPA + AFWERX + Navy SBIR for defense-adjacent Biotech, NIH + CDC for health-adjacent, NSF + DOE for foundational R&D.