Funding For 18 Proposals Adds Up to $11 Million
NASA has selected 18 innovative technology proposals for
negotiation of Phase 2 contract awards in the Small Business
Technology Transfer program, or "STTR." The selected projects have
a total value of approximately $11 million. The contracts will be
awarded to 18 high technology firms that are partnering with 15
universities in 12 states.
As an investment opportunity, STTR innovations address specific
technology gaps in mission programs, provide a foundation for
future technology needs, and are complementary to other NASA
research investments. Examples of some STTR technologies being
pursued in current selected proposals include:
- An autonomous health monitoring system for improved stability,
safety, and performance of advanced aerospace vehicles under
adverse conditions.
- Advanced components for direct-detection LIDAR (Light Detection
And Ranging) that can be used on new unmanned aircraft systems or
aircraft platforms. LIDAR instruments will be required for remote
sensing measurements from future Earth science missions.
- Development of novel fabrication techniques for high efficiency
thermo-electric devices. More efficient thermo-electric devices
which convert heat directly into electricity are of interest to
NASA for extracting power from "wasted heat" - heat energy from
turbine engines, the hot side of spacecraft, or even the body heat
of astronauts.
Participating firms and research institutions submitted 31 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.
The STTR program is a highly competitive, three-phase award
system. It provides qualified small businesses -- including
women-owned and disadvantaged firms -- with opportunities to
propose innovative ideas that meet specific research and
development needs of the federal government. In addition, the STTR
program requires a collaborative research effort between small
businesses and research institutions.
Phase 1 is a feasibility study to evaluate the scientific and
technical merit of an idea. Awards are for up to 12 months in
amounts up to $100,000. Phase 2 expands on the results of the
development in Phase 1. Awards are for up to 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-STTR
federal funding. Wednesday's NASA awards are for the second-phase
in this competitive process.
NASA's Office of the Chief Technologist, through its Innovative
Partnerships Program, has oversight of the STTR program as part of
its focus on emerging technologies and efforts to advance
technological innovation for agency purposes. NASA partners with
U.S. industry to infuse innovative technologies that result from
the STTR program into agency missions and help transition
technologies into commercially available products and services for
other markets.
NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, CA, manages the
STTR program, with individual projects managed at each of NASA's
field centers.
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