Don't let undisclosed foreign ties jeopardize your SBIR award.
Federal agencies now screen every SBIR/STTR applicant for foreign influence risks — before they read your technical proposal. IPTalons identifies and documents those risks so you can submit with confidence.
S. 3971 changed the rules. Is your team prepared?
Comprehensive Vetting
Agencies are now legally mandated to conduct exhaustive screenings on all personnel and entities listed in every grant proposal.
Open-Source Scrubbing
Federal reviewers actively search publication records, patent filings, and affiliations for undisclosed high-risk foreign connections.
Summary Rejection
Agencies possess explicit authority to deny grants solely on the basis of research security risks — completely bypassing the technical evaluation of your proposal.
The Blind Risk
The government retains full discretion on whether to disclose the specific nature of a flagged foreign influence. You may never learn why your proposal was rejected.
What proactive screening changes
Undisclosed foreign ties surface during federal review
No documentation to contextualize legitimate collaborations
Agency interprets gaps as a lack of institutional control
Proposal rejected on research security grounds — technical merit never reviewed
Commercialization timeline set back 6–12 months
All foreign collaborations identified and documented before submission
Risk Mitigation Plan ready to attach as a proposal appendix
NSPM-33 certified researchers with CSR credentials on ORCID
Agency sees proactive compliance posture — proposal advances to technical review
Funding secured on schedule, R&D milestones maintained
A strong proposal, an unexpected rejection.
The Situation
A biotech small business submitted a Phase II SBIR proposal to a federal defense agency. The technical approach was strong, the team was experienced, and the company had direct stakeholder interest from the end-user command. By all technical measures, the proposal was highly competitive.
During administrative review, the agency's research security team identified that the Principal Investigator had co-authored publications with researchers at institutions affiliated with a foreign Country of Concern. The PI also had undisclosed advisory roles and participation in a foreign talent program. None of this had been examined or documented prior to submission.
The Consequence
The proposal was rejected on research security grounds. The technical evaluation was never completed. The company lost access to $1.5M in potential funding, faced reputational damage with the sponsoring agency, and saw its commercialization timeline set back by over a year.
What IPTalons Would Have Changed
A pre-submission FIRS screening would have identified the PI's foreign collaborations, flagged the talent program participation, and produced a Risk Mitigation Plan documenting the context and controls in place. The proposal would have arrived with a proactive compliance posture — and the technical merits would have been reviewed.
How prepared is your team?
Answer four quick questions to get a preliminary sense of your research security posture before your next SBIR/STTR submission.
Do any key personnel on your SBIR/STTR team have co-authored publications with researchers at institutions in Countries of Concern (China, Russia, Iran, North Korea)?
Moderate Indicated Risk
Your team may have foreign collaborations or compliance gaps that could trigger administrative review. A FIRS screening will identify, contextualize, and document these factors before the agency does.
This is a preliminary indicator only. A full FIRS screening analyzes publication records, watchlists, and institutional affiliations at the individual level.
Screen. Certify. Submit.
A streamlined process that mirrors federal review — so you see exactly what they see, before they see it.
Foreign Influence Risk Screening
Using the same open-source publication data federal agencies use, we identify, contextualize, and document every foreign collaboration in your researchers' records. Each researcher receives a branded FIRS report with a risk indicator gauge, watchlist analysis, and publication-level mapping.
Certified Secure Researcher
Researchers complete NSPM-33 certification through our microcourse series, review their flagged collaborations with guided questions, and receive their Certified Secure Researcher credential — pushable directly to their ORCID profile.
Proposal-Ready Documentation
Risk Mitigation Plans, screening reports, NSPM-33 certificates, CVs, biosketches, and all compliance documentation — organized in one audit-ready digital file cabinet, ready to attach as appendices or provide during JIT requests.
A comprehensive, proposal-ready screening report.
Every screened researcher receives a branded Foreign Influence Risk Screening (FIRS) report — designed to attach directly to your SBIR/STTR submission.
Three-Layer Risk Algorithm
FIG collaboration percentage, recency weighting, and watchlist overrides (Entity List or Section 1286 flags automatically escalate to Critical status).
Reviewer Simulation
Shows you exactly how a federal reviewer would interpret the researcher's profile — so there are no surprises during administrative review.
Actionable Recommendations
Tailored next steps for each researcher, including whether a Risk Mitigation Plan is needed, and how to advance through the CSR certification process.
Subject has 4 publication items co-authored with researchers listed under Entity List watchlists in the last 24 months. Immediate mitigation required.
✓ Watchlist precision checks: Entity List & Section 1286
✓ ORCID profile credential sync: Ready
✓ Risk Mitigation Plan (RMP): Appended
SBIR Consulting Firms
Screen entire proposal teams across multiple clients. Streamlined intake, consolidated reporting, and priority turnaround for firms managing multiple simultaneous submissions.
Polished PDFs
Every FIRS screening report is delivered as a polished, client-ready PDF — designed to attach directly to your clients' SBIR/STTR proposals as evidence of proactive compliance.
Offer research security screening as part of your proposal services.
Your clients trust you to prepare winning proposals. With IPTalons, you can add Foreign Influence Risk Screening and CSR certification to your service offering — ensuring your clients' proposals clear administrative review before they reach technical evaluation.
✓ Priority queueing for concurrent deadlines
✓ Branding options for consulting agencies
✓ Automated researcher certification trackers
✓ Compliance differentiation that separates your firm from competitors
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to Secure Your Next SBIR/STTR Submission?
Vetting your personnel and establishing NSPM-33 compliance takes days, not weeks. Start screening with IPTalons today.