Will Evaluate Programs For Possible Contract Awards
NASA has selected 300 small business proposals to enter into
negotiations for possible contract awards through the agency's
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Small Business
Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. These competitive awards-based
programs encourage U.S. small businesses and research institutions
to engage in federal research, development and commercialization.
The programs enable teams to explore technological potential while
providing the incentive to profit from new commercial products and
services.
The SBIR program selected 260 proposals, which have a combined
value of approximately $33 million, for negotiation of Phase I
feasibility study contracts. The STTR program selected 40
proposals, with a combined value of approximately $5 million, for
negotiation of Phase I contracts.
"NASA's partnerships with small businesses and universities
through these programs brings space technologies to the
marketplace, helping start-ups and small businesses create new jobs
and grow our economy while meeting NASA's current and future
mission needs," said Michael Gazarik, director of NASA's Space
Technology. "Breakthroughs in technology for space exploration
create the foundation for new industries. We're excited to work
with these new partners and look forward to seeing their
technologies mature into commercially viable products."
The SBIR and STTR programs address specific technology gaps in
NASA missions, while striving to complement other agency research
investments. Program results have benefited many NASA efforts,
including modern air traffic control systems, Earth-observing
spacecraft, the International Space Station and the Mars
rovers.
Innovative research areas among proposals include:
- Improved technologies related to in-flight airframe and engine
icing hazards for piloted and drone vehicles to prevent encounters
with hazardous conditions and mitigation of their effects when they
occur
- Design of electronics, hardened for radiation and thermal
cycling, which are capable of enduring the extreme temperature and
radiation environments of deep space, and the lunar and Martian
surfaces
- Development of small, low-cost remote sensing and in situ
instruments to enable science measurement capabilities with smaller
or more affordable spacecraft that meet multiple mission needs
while making the best use of limited resources
- Innovative research in the areas of positioning, navigation and
timing that will enable accurate and precise determination of
location and orientation of spacecraft to allow corrections to
course, orientation and velocity to attain a desired
destination
The highly competitive programs are based on a three-phase award
system. Phase I is a feasibility study to evaluate the scientific
and technical merit of an idea. Awards are typically for six months
for the SBIR contracts and 12 months for the STTR contracts, in
amounts up to $125,000. Firms successfully completing Phase I are
eligible to submit Phase II proposals, expanding on the results of
Phase I. Phase III includes commercialization of the results of
Phase II, and requires the use of private sector or non-SBIR
federal funding as innovations move from the laboratory to the
marketplace.
The selected SBIR proposals were submitted by 196 small, high
technology firms in 37 states. The selected STTR proposals were
submitted by 36 small high technology firms in 13 states. As part
of the STTR program, the firms proposed to partner with 34
universities or research institutions in 16 states.
NASA received 1,878 qualified Phase I proposals. The criteria
used to choose these selected proposals included technical merit
and feasibility; experience, qualifications and facilities;
effectiveness of the work plan; and, commercial potential and
feasibility.
NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., manages
the SBIR program for the agency's Space Technology Program. NASA's
10 field centers manage individual projects.
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