By Outrider Editorial Team · Updated August 20, 2026
Official definition
This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in conducting nanotechnology research and experimental development. Nanotechnology research and experimental development involves the study of matter at the nanoscale (i.e., a scale of about 1 to 100 nanometers). This research and development in nanotechnology may result in development of new nanotechnology processes or in prototypes of new or altered materials and/or products that may be reproduced, utilized, or implemented by various industries.
NAICS 541713 obligated $318 million in FY2025 across 544 contract actions. DoD is $194 million, NASA $93 million, HHS $27 million, Interior $3 million. NASA's 29 percent share is the second highest civil-space concentration in this reference set, and it reflects materials and sensor research where nanoscale properties are the point rather than an incidental feature.
What belongs here
Nanotechnology research and experimental development: study of matter at roughly the 1 to 100 nanometer scale, which may produce new nanotechnology processes or prototypes.
- Physical, engineering, and life sciences research outside nanotechnology and biotechnology is 541715.
- Biotechnology research other than nanobiotechnology is 541714.
- Behavioral and economic research is 541720.
One reconciliation note: NAICS 2017 carved this code out of 541712, and federal systems still obligated $9.1 billion against that retired code in FY2025 against $318 million here. Check both when you size nanotechnology research spending, and confirm which code your existing awards carry in SAM.
Competing in this code
12 IDVs across the entire code is the thinnest vehicle coverage anywhere in this set, and it is good news for a research company. There is essentially no gatekeeping vehicle to join. Work is awarded through open research announcements, SBIR and STTR, and directed contracts where technical merit and prior publication carry the evaluation. The 1,000-employee size standard is effectively irrelevant, since almost every credible offeror is far below it. What decides awards is characterization capability and the ability to show a path from laboratory result to a manufacturable process, which is where most nanotechnology proposals fail.
Frequently Asked
NAICS 541713 questions, answered.
What is the SBA size standard for NAICS 541713?
SBA sets it at 1,000 employees, counted as a 24-month average headcount across your company and every affiliate, not revenue. At or under that number you are small on NAICS 541713 solicitations and eligible for the set-asides in this code.
Which agencies buy nanotechnology research under NAICS 541713?
FY2025 obligations: DoD ($194 million), NASA ($93 million), HHS ($27 million), Interior ($3 million). NASA at 29 percent is the distinctive buyer, funding materials and sensor research where nanoscale behavior is the objective, not a side effect.
How is nanotechnology research awarded in this code?
Through open research announcements, SBIR and STTR, and directed contracts, not through vehicles. Only 12 IDVs cover the entire code's 544 FY2025 actions, which means technical merit and prior results carry the evaluation. Contract position does not enter into it. That is unusually open for federal work.
Where does 541713 spending overlap with the retired 541712?
NAICS 2017 carved 541713, 541714, and 541715 out of the older 541712. Federal systems still obligate heavily against 541712, which took in $9.1 billion in FY2025 against $318 million for 541713. Market research on nanotechnology research spending has to account for work still recorded under the legacy code.
Register Under NAICS 541713
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