NASA SELECTS INNOVATIVE SMALL BUSINESS PROJECTS

NASA has selected 125 research proposals for negotiation of Phase 2 contract awards for NASA’s 2003 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The selected projects have a total value of approximately $75 million. The SBIR contracts will be awarded to 112 small high-technology firms in 31 states.

The goals of the NASA SBIR program are to stimulate
technological innovation, increase the use of small business — including women-owned and disadvantaged firms — in meeting federal research and development needs, and increase private sector commercialization of innovations derived from federally funded research.

SBIR contractors submitted a total of 297 Phase 2 SBIR proposals. These proposals were evaluated to determine that they meet SBIR Phase 1 objectives and are feasible research innovations for meeting agency needs.

Phase 2 continues development of the most promising Phase 1 projects. Selection criteria include technical merit and innovation, Phase 1 results, value to NASA, commercial potential and company capabilities. Funding for Phase 2 contracts could be up to $600,000 for a two-year performance period.

The NASA SBIR/STTR Program Manager is located at the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., with executive oversight by NASA’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, Washington. Individual SBIR and STTR projects are managed by NASA’s ten field installations.

A listing of the selected companies can be accessed on the Internet at URL:

http://sbir.nasa.gov