NASA Selects Small Business Research and Technology Projects
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WASHINGTON -- NASA selected 152 proposals for negotiation of Phase 2
contract awards in the Small Business Innovation Research program, or
SBIR. The selected projects have a total value of approximately $91
million. NASA will award the contracts to 126 small high technology
firms in 27 states.
The SBIR program works with NASA's mission directorates to
competitively select ventures that address research and technology
needs for agency programs and projects.
The effort addresses specific technology gaps in mission programs and
strives to complement other agency research investments. Program
results have benefited numerous NASA efforts, including modern air
traffic control systems, Earth observing spacecraft, the space
shuttle, the International Space Station and Mars rovers.
Innovative research areas among the selected proposals include:
- Advanced aerospace adhesives to minimize aging and increase
durability of aircraft
- Novel computational tools to improve designs of future
hypersonic spacecraft
- New approaches to fire suppression in spacecraft environments
- Technologies to monitor crew health and well-being using very
small scale testing devices
- New instruments for small lunar rovers or landers to enable
critical mineralogical analysis for studying moon regolith, rock,
ice, and dust samples
- Advanced transmitters for deep space communications
The SBIR program is a highly competitive, 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 1 is a feasibility study to evaluate the scientific and
technical merit of an idea. Awards are for as long as six months in
amounts up to $100,000. Phase 2 expands on the results of the
developments in Phase 1, providing awards for as long as two years in
amounts up to $600,000. Phase 3 is for the commercialization of the
results of Phase 2 and requires the use of private sector or non-SBIR
federal funding.
Participants submitted 332 Phase 2 proposals. The criteria used to
select the winning proposals included technical merit and innovation,
Phase 1 results, value to NASA, commercial potential and company
capabilities.
NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., manages the
program for the Innovative Partnership Program office. NASA's
Innovative Partnerships Program 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 a list of the selected companies and proposals, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/offices/
For more information about NASA's Innovative Partnership Program,
visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/offices/
