Companies Must Address NASA's Research, Technology Needs
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, California.,
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.