NASA Sustainable Business Model Challenge
This grant is provided by NASA
Grant Amount
$10KApplication Deadline
June 13, 2025
About This Grant
The NASA Sustainable Business Model Challenge is an innovation competition encouraging entrepreneurs, researchers, startups, and innovators to develop sustainable business models utilizing NASA’s publicly available Earth system science data. The challenge aims to foster resilient infrastructure by leveraging NASA’s extensive datasets, encouraging solutions that are both technologically sound and commercially viable and scalable. Participants submit business concepts and commercialization plans, with the top solutions receiving cash prizes, feedback, and access to further training and support.
A panel of Earth science data experts will evaluate submissions. Up to 10 winners will be awarded cash prizes of $10,000 each and receive the following additional benefits:
- A tailored assessment of their readiness to submit a NASA SBIR proposal
- Admission to a 10-week capability development training designed to strengthen their NASA SBIR Phase I proposal submissions
How You Can Use the Funds
- There are no specific restrictions outlined in the rules about how the $10,000 prize must be used. However, the goal of the challenge is to support the development and eventual scaling of the proposed business model, ideally moving toward a successful NASA SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) proposal or commercialization plan. Funds should logically support business development, prototyping, or commercialization activities aligned with the proposed project.
Documents Required
- Sign up for Freelancer.com and create an account.
- Fill out the registration form.
- The registration form requires: Team lead and member names, nationalities, contact info, proof of U.S. citizenship/permanent residency, and challenge category selection.
- Business Concept Paper must be 10 pages or less (excluding the title page and table of contents).
Eligibility Requirements
- Be U.S. citizens or entities based in the United States (as clarified in questions on the challenge board).
- Submit a solution that incorporates at least one NASA Earth science data resource (e.g., climate data, projections, models) into a commercially viable business model.
- Be entrepreneurs, startups, researchers, or innovators; new and diverse entrepreneurial talent is encouraged.
- Note: International applicants are not eligible for this specific contest.