# NINDS Awards Highland Instruments Parkinson’s SBIR

On November 9, 2026, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), awarded Highland Instruments a Phase IIB Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award for ESStim™, a noninvasive neuromodulation platform being developed for postural instability and other motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. The award provides approximately $1.5 million in current-year funding, with up to approximately $1.4 million in recommended future-year support, for a potential total of $2.9 million contingent on funding availability and satisfactory progress. Highland says the work will support further clinical and regulatory development.

- **Why this matters:** The award is a concrete example of NIH SBIR funding advancing a small business’s medical technology from development toward further clinical and regulatory work.
- Companies pursuing comparable NIH opportunities can use the award’s Phase IIB structure and conditional future-year funding as relevant context when planning staged research and development budgets.
- Contractors and research organizations may find opportunities to support clinical development or related capabilities, although the signal does not identify a specific subcontract or solicitation.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Healthcare
**Topics:** Grants & Funding
**Published:** November 09, 2026

### Government Entities
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

### Vendors
- Highland Instruments (SBIR award recipient)

### Key Quotes
> ESStim™ has demonstrated encouraging clinical results in patients with moderate PD, particularly for motor symptoms involving gait impairment, postural instability, and bradykinesia.
> — Laura Dipietro, Chief Technology Officer of Highland Instruments

### Sources
- [Highland Instruments Receives NIH NINDS Phase IIB SBIR Award to Advance ESStim™ for Parkinson's Disease -- Highland Instruments | PRLog](https://www.prlog.org/13182020-highland-instruments-receives-nih-ninds-phase-iib-sbir-award-to-advance-esstim-for-parkinsons-disease.html) - PRLog