South Carolina Research Authority Receives Grant From SBA

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that it awarded more than $8 million in grants to 50 organizations, including the South Carolina Research Authority, through the Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program.

The FAST Program provides small businesses and startups with specialized training, mentoring, and technical assistance to compete for research and development funding through America’s Seed Fund. Grant recipients are eligible for awards of up to $180,000 each.

“America’s economic and national security depends on our ability to continue to out-innovate, out-build, and out-compete every nation in the world,” said SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler. “The Trump SBA is expanding America’s small businesses’ seat at the table in building the technologies and supply chains that are strengthening our industrial and economic future. These FAST awards will help innovators across the country turn breakthrough ideas into American jobs, stronger communities, and the next generation of commercial and national-security leadership.”

America’s Seed Fund, which includes the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, is the nation’s largest source of early-stage, non-dilutive funding for technology startups. These programs help American innovators take bold ideas from research and development to commercialization, strengthening U.S. leadership in critical technologies and supporting breakthroughs in defense, energy, agriculture, health sciences, biotechnology, space, and other strategic industries.

The FAST Program strengthens the entrepreneurial support system that connects innovators to SBIR and STTR opportunities. FAST awardee organizations work locally to provide person-to-person guidance, training, mentorship, and technical assistance that can help small businesses identify relevant opportunities, develop competitive applications, and navigate the path from research to commercialization.

This year, the FAST Program expanded its geographic footprint and increased engagement with innovators nationwide. FAST awardee organizations will provide support across 49 states and Puerto Rico, ensuring that entrepreneurs outside traditional technology hubs have greater access to the country’s largest source of early-stage research and development funding. The SBA announced that 43 FAST awardees from the 2026 cohort were selected for an additional year of funding. Seven new entities have also been added to the program.

The FAST Program provides awards for a base period of 12 months, beginning on Sept. 30. These grants ensure that America’s innovative small businesses, wherever they are located, have the tools and trusted local support to compete for federal R&D funding, commercialize breakthrough technologies, create jobs, and build the industrial base of the future.