Special Programs

Inside NIH in 2026: Practical Realities for Companies Seeking Federal Funding

Tuesday, Oct 27, 2026 | 12:00 PM-1:00 PM
About the Program

National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for companies has changed more in the past year than in the previous decade. The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) authorization lapsed on October 1, 2025, NIH closed its small business funding announcements in November, and companies went roughly nine months without a way to submit. The programs were reauthorized in April 2026, but the restart has created a logjam: pent-up applications, rescheduled peer review and award timelines that now stretch well into 2027.

At the same time, NIH is funding fewer new awards. The agency now pays for many grants in full up front, has moved away from published paylines, and is processing awards with fewer grants management staff. Foreign-risk due diligence has expanded under the reauthorization, and NIH can now decline an award or act on an active one based on a company's foreign relationships, investors or partners.

This virtual webinar gives executives and their advisors a candid read on the agency as it operates today. The panelists work with companies through every stage of NIH funding, from positioning and submission through award and post-award compliance. They will cover where the pipeline stands, what timelines to plan around, how to prepare for foreign-risk review and when to diversify beyond NIH.

Attendees will leave with:
  • Where the NIH SBIR/STTR pipeline stands after the restart and realistic timelines from submission to award.
  • How multiyear funding and the end of paylines change the odds and the strategy.
  • What staffing changes mean for program officer access and award processing.
  • What foreign-risk due diligence examines and how to prepare your cap table, investors and partners before you apply.
  • When to look beyond NIH, including the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority and other agencies, and how to sequence federal funding with private capital.
Register now