SBIR E-learning for HAZMAT and Emergency Response (R43/R44) | RFA ES 16 006

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA ES 16 006

The SBIR E-learning for HAZMAT and Emergency Response (R43/R44) funding opportunity (RFA-ES-16-006) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant solicitation that supports small businesses developing advanced, technology-driven training products for workers and responders who face hazardous materials and disaster-related health risks. Run through the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), this FOA is focused on practical tools that improve how health and safety training is delivered, experienced, assessed, and updated for high-risk occupations. The overall aim is prevention: helping workers learn how to protect themselves and the public from exposure to hazardous substances and the downstream health consequences that can follow environmental incidents.

At the center of the announcement is the concept of Advanced Technology Training (ATT), as defined by the NIEHS Worker Training Program (WTP). ATT is meant broadly and can include online learning platforms, virtual reality or simulation-based instruction, serious games, interactive courseware, and other digital tools that strengthen training across its full lifecycle, from content development and delivery to evaluation and performance measurement. The FOA is not limited to any single training format; it invites innovation in whatever technology approach most effectively enhances readiness, competency, and safe work practices for hazardous environments.

The target audiences are wide-ranging but clearly grounded in hazardous materials and emergency response work. That includes HAZMAT workers, skilled support personnel, and emergency responders who need biosafety response capabilities, infectious disease training, and post-incident cleanup skills. It also covers responders and workers involved in disaster response and resiliency-related activities, where conditions can be unpredictable and risks can shift rapidly. In addition, the FOA explicitly includes training needs for workers involved in environmental restoration, waste treatment, and emergency response activities at sites within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear weapons complex, reflecting the specialized hazards and long-term stewardship challenges associated with those locations.

Beyond training delivery, the FOA also welcomes ATT tools that assist research into the acute and long-term health effects of environmental disasters. In other words, proposed products can extend past workforce instruction alone and support data collection, evaluation, and learning systems that help the broader community understand health outcomes linked to environmental exposures. This creates room for training-related technologies that also contribute to evidence-building, such as improved assessment methods, learner analytics that inform safety program effectiveness, or digital tools that better capture exposure-relevant information during or after incidents.

The funding mechanism is the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program using the NIH R43/R44 structure, which generally aligns with a phased pathway from early-stage feasibility and prototype development (Phase I, R43) to more advanced development and potential commercialization or broader deployment (Phase II, R44). The funding activity area is Environment and Health, and the CFDA listing is 93.142. Financial support for awards under this initiative comes directly from NIEHS Worker Education and Training Branch SBIR funds, tying the solicitation closely to WTP priorities and on-the-ground worker protection goals.

Eligibility is limited to small business concerns. Non-U.S. (foreign) institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible. However, the FOA notes that foreign components, as defined under the NIH Grants Policy Statement, may be allowed in some circumstances, meaning certain discrete project elements could potentially involve foreign collaboration if NIH policy requirements are met and the arrangement is justified. The original closing date for the opportunity was August 29, 2016, and the FOA is categorized as a discretionary grant opportunity.

In practical terms, this opportunity was designed for small companies that can build or advance modern training technologies that measurably improve hazardous materials safety and emergency response readiness. Successful projects would be expected to align with NIEHS WTP goals by strengthening worker competence, reducing injuries and exposures, and improving protection of communities during routine hazardous work as well as during infectious disease events, disasters, and complex cleanup operations.

• The National Institutes of Health in the environment, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "SBIR E-learning for HAZMAT and Emergency Response (R43/R44)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.142.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2016-06-28.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-08-29. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Small businesses.

Apply for RFA ES 16 006

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