NASA Selects Small Business Research And Tech Projects

"The SBIR and STTR programs help facilitate innovative research and
technology development among America's most creative small
businesses," said Bobby Braun, NASA chief technologist at the
agency's Headquarters in Washington. "These Phase 1 awards will serve
as seed funds for transformative research and technology projects
that have the potential to mature new products and services of great
benefit to NASA and the nation."

The SBIR program selected 450 proposals for negotiation of Phase 1
contracts with a total value of approximately $45 million. The STTR
program chose 45 proposals for negotiation of Phase 1 contracts with
a total value of approximately $4.5 million. The SBIR contracts will
be awarded to 309 small, high technology firms in 37 states. The STTR
contracts will be awarded to 41 small high technology firms in 16
states. As part of the STTR program, the firms will partner with 41
universities or research institutions in 22 states. For a complete
list of selected companies, visit:

http://sbir.nasa.gov

Innovative research areas among these selected proposals include:
- Analytical and experimental methodologies for reliably predicting
the effects of aeroelasticity and its impact on aircraft performance,
flight dynamics, and safety of flight;
- Advanced photovoltaic systems to enable low cost, low mass, high
reliability and efficient power generation systems for a wide variety
of deep space exploration missions;
- Innovative technologies for accurate measurements of atmospheric
parameters and surface topography of the Earth, Mars, the moon and
other planetary bodies;
- Technologies that provide innovative ways to leverage existing
International Space Station facilities for new scientific payloads
and on orbit analysis to enhance capabilities and reduce sample
return requirements.

The programs address specific technology gaps in NASA missions while
striving to complement other agency research investments. Program
results have benefited numerous NASA efforts, including air traffic
control systems, Earth observing spacecraft, the space shuttle and
International Space Station, and robotic explorers.

The highly competitive SBIR/STTR program is a three-phase award
system. It provides qualified small businesses with opportunities to
propose unique ideas that meet specific research and development
needs of the federal government.

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 twelve months for the STTR contracts, in
amounts up to $100,000. Firms successfully completing a Phase I are
eligible to submit a Phase II proposal expanding on the results of
the developments in Phase I, providing awards for as long as two
years in amounts up to $750,000. Phase III is for the
commercialization of the results of Phase II and requires the use of
private sector or non-SBIR federal funding.

NASA received 1,876 Phase I proposals. The winners were selected based
on technical merit and feasibility, experience, qualifications and
facilities, effectiveness of the work plan and commercial potential
and feasibility.

NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., manages the SBIR
and STTR programs for NASA's Office of the Chief Technologist. NASA
collaborates with U.S. industry to develop pioneering technologies,
infuse them into agency missions and transition them into
commercially available products and services. NASA's 10 field centers
manage individual projects.

For more information about NASA's Office of the Chief Technologist, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/oct

Source: NASA

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