---
title: The Five Requirements to Qualify for SBIR
description: There are a couple administrative hurdles your company has to clear to get federal R&D funding.
image: https://www.fedscout.com/hubfs/Banners+no+text.004.jpeg
---

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 Jan 31, 2020

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## The Five Requirements to Qualify for SBIR

**Time to read:** 1 min

There are a couple administrative hurdles your company has to clear to get federal R&D funding. 

1. It has to be a for-profit company
2. It has to be an American company
3. It has to be owned by Americans (people)

1. 1. If your company is owned, in whole or in part, by another company you still qualify as long as those companies are owned by Americans (people not companies)
     2. If investors own a significant portion of your company, then talk to a lawyer. You’re probably ok but this can be an issue
2. The person leading product development (the so-called PI or Principal Investigator) has to be eligible to work in the US and has to be primarily employed (>50% of their time) on this project
3. The company has to have 500 or fewer employees

 

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If you don’t qualify reach out, there are some exceptions to these rules

**Foreign companies:** Foreign companies can not directly apply for SBIR. However, they can establish an American company which can apply. If you’re in this situation reach out, we know lawyers who do this.

But that’s it, pretty low bar

 

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