Oral Diseases and Disorders Research – SBIR/STTR

NIDCR extramural research provides research funds to support basic, translational, and clinical research in dental, oral, and craniofacial health and disease through small business grants and cooperative agreements that support scientists working in institutions throughout the United States and internationally. The extramural Small Business Research Projects (SBIR/STTR) programs plan, develop, and manage scientific priorities through portfolio analyses and consultation with stakeholders, encouraging the most promising discoveries and emerging technologies for rapid translation to clinical applications. The Integrative Biology and Infectious Diseases programs support basic and translational research programs on oral microbiology; salivary biology and immunology; oral and salivary gland cancers; neuroscience of orofacial pain and temporomandibular disorders; mineralized tissue physiology; dental biomaterials; and tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The branch aims to accelerate progress in basic and translational research in these areas and further stimulate the discovery pipeline based on clinical needs. The Translational Genomics Research programs support basic and translational research in genetics, genomics, developmental biology, and data science toward the goal of improving dental, oral, and craniofacial health. The focus is on deciphering the genetic, molecular, and cellular mechanisms underlying dental, oral, and craniofacial development and anomalies. The Behavioral and Social Sciences Research programs support basic and applied research to promote oral health, to prevent oral diseases and related disabilities, and to improve management of craniofacial conditions, disorders, and injury. The program prioritizes mechanistic research that contributes to a cumulative science of behavior change, to maximize the rigor, relevance, and dissemination of efficacious behavior change interventions. The Clinical Research programs supports patient-oriented, population, and community based research aimed at improving the dental, oral, and craniofacial health of the nation.

SBIR and STTR grants can be awarded only to domestic small business concerns that meet the following criteria: 1) Is organized for profit, with a place of business located in the United States, which operates primarily within the United States or which makes a significant contribution to the United States economy through payment of taxes or use of American products, materials or labor; 2) Is in the legal form of an individual proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company, corporation, joint venture, association, trust or cooperative, except where the form is a joint venture, there must be less than 50 percent participation by foreign business entities in the joint venture; 3) Be a concern which is more than 50% directly owned and controlled by one or more individuals (who are citizens or permanent resident aliens of the United States), other business concerns (each of which is more than 50% directly owned and controlled by individuals who are citizens or permanent resident aliens of the United States), or any combination of these; no single venture capital operating company, hedge fund, or private equity firm may own more than 50% of the concern, 4) Has, including its affiliates, not more than 500 employees, and 5) meets the other regulatory requirements found in 13 C.F.R. Part 121. For STTR awards, the small business must "partner" with a research institution in a cooperative research and development project. In both Phase I and Phase II for both SBIR and STTR, the research must be performed in the U.S. and its possessions. To be eligible for funding, all grant applications must be evaluated for scientific merit and program relevance by a scientific peer review group and the National Advisory Dental and Craniofacial Research Council.

All accepted SBIR/STTR applications are evaluated for scientific and technical merit by an appropriate initial review group and by the National Advisory Dental and Craniofacial Research Council (NADCRC). All applications receiving a priority score compete for available SBIR/STTR set-aside funds on the basis of scientific and technical merit and commercial potential of the proposed research, program relevance, and program balance among the areas of research.