Department of Education Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase IB 2026: Solicitation

The Department of Education is soliciting proposals under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase IB program for fiscal year 2026 through Solicitation 91990026R0004, a Total Small Business Set-Aside under FAR 19.5 targeting NAICS code 541720 for research and development in education technology. The solicitation, released on April 30, 2026, and posted publicly on June 3, 2026, requires proposals to be submitted no later than 11:00 a.m. ET on June 29, 2026. Proposals must be emailed as a single PDF or Word document under the naming convention “CompanyName.PhaseIB.ProposalTitle.pdf” or “.doc(x)”, with a maximum file size of 25MB, and must include a YouTube video demonstrating the significance of an existing education technology prototype and a newly integrated component, along with a letter from an education setting. The funding opportunity is limited to small businesses that are registered in SAM.gov with a valid Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and have submitted a PDF of their SBIR.gov SBC Registration Control ID Form. Offerors must certify the accuracy of all information submitted and acknowledge potential criminal, civil, and administrative penalties for misrepresentation under U.S.C. 1001, the False Claims Act, and the Program Fraud Civil Remedies Act. The contract will fund successful applicants for a fixed-price award of $250,000 over a nine-month period of performance from October 5, 2026, through July 4, 2027, to develop and evaluate a prototype component designed for integration into existing education technology used by learners, educators, or administrators. Evaluation will be based primarily on the significance of the proposed innovation, as demonstrated in the submitted video, with additional consideration given to the Phase I R&D plan, project team qualifications, budget, and prior SBIR success since 2010. The government intends to make awards without discussions, relying solely on proposals ranked by average score out of 100 points, with funding allocations based on available appropriations. Successful contractors must comply with Department of Education security vetting requirements, including personnel screening for access to IT systems, facilities, or sensitive data, and are obligated to report any conduct issues affecting suitability. Invoicing must be submitted electronically through the Invoice Processing Platform using a