Score your draft
Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs Phase II. Rate your own draft against each scoring criterion in the official notice, the way a reviewer would read it.
A self-check, not a prediction. Reviewers decide the real score. GrantMe doesn't read or rate your writing; you do.
Private by design. Nothing you type or paste on this page is sent to GrantMe or saved anywhere. Reloading or closing the page clears it. Print the page to keep your scores.
Scores listed: 80% (the notice's total wasn't found; check it). Source: the official notice, FY26-SBIR-STTR-PII-NOFO-P.pdf. If the notice describes rating levels for its criteria, use its words when you score.
How to use it
- Read what reviewers look for under each criterion.
- Find the part of your draft that answers it. Paste it in the box to check its length.
- Give yourself a score from 0 to the criterion's points. Start with the lowest scores when you revise.
Scoring criteria
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Phase II Scientific and Technical Feasibility · 20%
What reviewers look for (notice p. 37):
(20%): a. Project objectives and outcomes are clearly described, adequate, and appropriate. All project components (i.e., research and commercialization) are reflected in one or more project objectives; b. Proposed approach, procedures, or methodologies are innovative, original, clearly described, suitable, and feasible; c. Expected results or outcomes are clearly stated, measurable, and achievable within the allotted timeframe; d. Proposed research fills knowledge gaps that are critical to the development of new innovations to address the stated problem of issue; and e. Proposed research is up to date on the current state of the art (i.e., literature reviews have been completed).
of 20%
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Commercial Potential · 20%
What reviewers look for (notice p. 38):
(20%): The commercial potential will be assessed based on how well the following criteria are presented: a. Demonstration of the company’s ability to commercialize the innovation; b. Relevant and current market information for the innovation (stakeholder needs for the innovation, size of the market, potential customers, competition, etc.); c. Strategy for commercializing the innovation, including follow-on commitments from private sector or non-SBIR/STTR funding sources; d. Plans for protection of intellectual property; e. Projected revenue stream and assumptions; and f. Record of commercializing new products and/or services during the last 5 years, especially from prior SBIR and STTR projects. A Commercialization Plan showing that the proposing firm has no prior Phase II awards will not affect the evaluation of an application; the application will be evaluated for commercial potential…
of 20%
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Importance of the Problem · 10%
What reviewers look for (notice p. 38):
(10%): How well the application justifies the importance of the problem. The degree to which the project satisfies a public interest.
of 10%
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Investigator and Resource Qualifications · 10%
What reviewers look for (notice p. 38):
(10%): a. Roles of key personnel are clearly defined; b. Key personnel have sufficient scientific and business expertise to complete the proposed project and, where appropriate, partnerships with other disciplines and institutions are established; c. PD and Co-PD biographic information/resumes provide relevant employment history; d. Support personnel, facilities, and instrumentation are sufficient; e. A clear plan is articulated for project management, including time allocated for attainment of objectives and delivery of products, maintenance of partnerships and collaborations, and a strategy to enhance communication, data sharing, and reporting among members of the project team; f. Consultants, subcontractors, or CRADA cooperators that are involved in the project have provided letters verifying their willingness to participate in the project; and g. Personnel on subcontract(s) and…
of 10%
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Budget · 10%
What reviewers look for (notice p. 38):
(10%): The budget is appropriate for the proposed research plan, and the application provides sufficient budget detail to indicate clearly how the funds in each budget category would be utilized.
of 10%
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Duplication · 10%
What reviewers look for (notice p. 38):
(10%): a. There is no duplication of any ongoing or previous research by the SBC or by other researchers; and b. Application clearly indicates how the proposed technology would differ significantly from existing innovations. Additional factors that will be considered in the review process are whether an SBIR/STTR application involves a CRADA with a USDA or other Federal laboratory or contains a follow-on funding commitment for Phase III. In the event that two or more applications are of approximately equal merit, the existence of a CRADA with a USDA or other Federal laboratory or a follow-on funding commitment for Phase III will be an important consideration to break the tie. The value of any commitment will depend upon the degree of financial commitment made by non-Federal investors, with the greater value resulting from a signed agreement with reasonable terms for an amount at least…
of 10%
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Your total: ______ of 80%
Length limits in this notice
- PS: 250 words max (notice p. 24) “The PS is strictly limited to 250 words with a font size no smaller than 12-point Times New Roman.”
- PN: 20 pages max (notice p. 24) “The PN must not exceed 20 pages of written text, including all figures and tables with line spacing set at 1.5 and at least 1-inch margins with font size no smaller than 12-point Times New Roman (the font size for tables and figures must be no smaller than…”
- Resubmitted Applications: 1 page max (notice p. 25) “The response to previous review is limited to Resubmitted Applications must not exceed 1 page with line spacing set at 1.5 and at least 1-inch margins with font size no smaller than 12-point Times New Roman.”
- Page limit (see quote): 10 pages max (notice p. 31) “The Commercialization Plan must only include information pertaining to the items listed below and must not exceed 10 pages of written text including all figures and tables with line spacing set at 1.5 and at least 1-inch margins with the font size no smaller…”
Page limits can't be checked from pasted text. Check them in your word processor with the notice's font, spacing and margins. A limit marked “suggested” isn't a rule. Word and character counts can differ between tools (and some forms count spaces), so leave some room.
Count any text
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See how others wrote it
Sample proposals agencies have posted. Read them for structure; don't copy their words.
Built from the official notice's scoring section. Criteria, points and quotes come from the notice; the three questions under each criterion are GrantMe's, not the funder's.