Note 1 - Description of Business (FY)	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
Note 1 - Description of Business (FY)	Sep. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Description of Business [Abstract]
Description of Business	1. Description of Business Cleveland BioLabs, Inc. ("CBLI" or the "Company") is an innovative biopharmaceutical company developing novel approaches to activate the immune system and address serious medical needs. Our proprietary platform of Toll-like immune receptor ("TLR") activators has applications in radiation protection and oncology. We combine our proven scientific expertise and our depth of knowledge about our products’ mechanisms of action into a passion for developing drugs to save lives. Our most advanced product candidate is entolimod, an immune-stimulatory agent, which we are developing as a medical radiation countermeasure and other indications in radiation oncology. CBLI was incorporated in Delaware in June 2003 and is headquartered in Buffalo, New York. CBLI conducts business in the United States ("U.S.") directly and in the Russian Federation ("Russia") through two subsidiaries: one wholly owned subsidiary, BioLab 612, LLC ("BioLab 612"), which began operations in 2012 and which the Company at a September 2019 Board meeting decided to dissolve; and Panacela Labs, Inc. ("Panacela"), which was formed by us and Joint Stock Company "RUSNANO" ("RUSNANO"), our financial partner in the venture, in 2011. Unless otherwise noted, references to the "Company," "we," "us," and "our" refer to Cleveland BioLabs, Inc. together with its subsidiaries. In addition, the Company has an investment in Genome Protection, Inc. ("GPI") that is recorded under the equity method of accounting in the accompanying financial statements. The Company has not recorded its 50% share of the losses of GPI through September 30, 2020 as the impact would have reduced the Company's equity method investment in GPI below zero, and there are no requirements to fund the Company's share of these losses or contribute additional capital as of the date of these statements.	1. Description of Business Cleveland BioLabs, Inc. ("CBLI" or the "Company") is an innovative biopharmaceutical company developing novel approaches to activate the immune system and address serious medical needs. Our proprietary platform of Toll-like immune receptor ("TLR") activators has applications in radiation protection and oncology. We combine our proven scientific expertise and our depth of knowledge about our products’ mechanisms of action into a passion for developing drugs to save lives. Our most advanced product candidate is entolimod, an immune-stimulatory agent, which we are developing as a medical radiation countermeasure and other indications in radiation oncology. CBLI was incorporated in Delaware in June 2003 and is headquartered in Buffalo, New York. CBLI conducts business in the United States ("U.S.") and in the Russian Federation ("Russia") through two subsidiaries: one wholly-owned subsidiary, BioLab 612, LLC ("BioLab 612"), which began operations in 2012; and Panacela Labs, Inc. ("Panacela"), which was formed by us and Joint Stock Company "RUSNANO" ("Rusnano"), our financial partner in the venture, in 2011. Unless otherwise noted, references to the "Company," "we," "us," and "our" refer to Cleveland BioLabs, Inc. together with its subsidiaries. The Company also has an investment in Genome Protection, Inc. ("GPI") that is recorded under the equity method of accounting in the accompanying financial statements. The Company has not recorded its 50% share of the losses of GPI through December 31, 2019 as the impact would have reduced the Company's equity method investment in GPI below zero, and there are no requirements to fund the Company's share of these losses or contribute additional capital as of the date of these statements.