National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
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Volume 16, Number 2 | Spring 2022
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THE CONCEPT
Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer Program
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Hello, Innovators • Key Program Milestones • I-Corps • SBIR Ignite • Phase II-E • Program Webinar • Events • Success Stories • Other Opportunities |
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By now you may have seen our selection announcement for the 2022 SBIR and STTR Phase I solicitations. 333 proposals from 257 companies and 41 research institutions across 39 states and Washington, D.C. were selected to receive Phase I awards totaling nearly $50 million . This year, the maximum amount for Phase I is $150,000—a 20% increase over previous years’ funding to help establish the merit and feasibility of innovations. Phase I awardees will also be eligible for up to $850,000 in Phase II, a $100,000 increase over last year’s Phase II amount.
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I’d like to extend congratulations to all the small business teams who received Phase I awards, including 78 small businesses who are receiving a NASA Phase I award for the first time. Among the selections are four research institutions that participated in our first M-STTR program , a collaboration with NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project offering research planning grants to incentivize partnerships between MSIs and small businesses. In addition, I sincerely thank every team that submitted a proposal to this year’s solicitation. If you submitted a proposal but were not selected for award, I encourage you to review the personalized feedback from the SBIR/STTR review team.
If you are a commercially-focused small business, keep an eye out for the release of our newest funding opportunity, SBIR Ignite, opening this summer. You can find more information in the SBIR Ignite section below. We look forward to seeing your industry-shaping technology proposals!
Jason L. Kessler
NASA SBIR/STTR Program Executive
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*All dates subject to change
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I-Corps for 2022 Phase I Awardees |
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The solicitation for the NASA Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Program, offered in partnership with the National Science Foundation (NSF), is open to 2022 Phase I SBIR and STTR awardees from now until June 14 at 5:00 pm ET.
NASA will provide up to $10,000 for each participating Boot Camp (SBIR) team and $25,000 for each participating National I-Corps (STTR) team.
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I-Corps Webinar
June 8, 2022
11am - 12:30pm ET
Presented by the NASA SBIR/STTR program with guest speaker Dr. Ruth Shuman, NSF I-Corps Program Director, the event will include a presentation and an open Q&A.
On the date and time of the event, click the link below to join the webinar. Pre-registration is not required.
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New Funding Opportunity: NASA SBIR Ignite |
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NASA SBIR Ignite, an exciting new funding opportunity for entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses, is opening in summer 2022. With a greater emphasis on commercialization, SBIR Ignite funds U.S. early-stage, high-risk technology development to help make companies and their technologies more attractive to private sector investors, customers, and partners.
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Phase II Extended (II-E) Opportunity |
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The Phase II-E Option encourages the advancement of innovations developed under Phase II. Under Phase II-E, the NASA SBIR/STTR program will match investor funds up to $375,000 with SBIR/STTR funds, on a 1-for-1 basis, to extend an existing Phase II project to perform additional R/R&D.
The deadline to submit a Phase II-E proposal to be considered for the next award selection meeting is July 6, 2022; if you submit after this deadline, your proposal may be reviewed at the following selection meeting. Note that any applications following this deadline may not be processed until the start of Fiscal Year 2023. The eligibility window for SBIR/STTR Phase II-E proposal submission starts after the 12th month of Phase II performance and ends 60 days before the Phase II contract end date.
Potential Post Phase II Investor: NASA Flight Opportunities
NASA’s Flight Opportunities program is a potential Post Phase II investor in support of suborbital flight testing to advance development or commercialization of technologies.
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June 22, 2022 | 12:00pm – 2:00pm ET | Virtual
Join the NASA SBIR/STTR program for our first interactive learning session of the year. What is the II-E opportunity, and what steps can you take to best position your small business to receive these additional funds? Our NASA SBIR/STTR experts will help answer these questions during this virtual event to be hosted via Zoom. Keep an eye out for more information from our program.
New Program Outreach Events Homepage
On May 6, we launched a new page on our website showcasing a general schedule of all of the virtual sessions we’ll be hosting over the coming months. As each event draws closer, we’ll add event details, links to resources, and information on how to join. These events are part of our “Connections Series,” as each one will serve to connect you with the information and the experts that can help you make the most of the resources available to you on your NASA SBIR/STTR journey.
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Other Events
June 13-15, 2022 | National Harbor, MD
Meet NASA SBIR/STTR program representatives at our booth, where you can learn more about the program and have your unique questions answered. We’ll also be participating in the larger group sessions and presentations, which you can find on the event agenda.
June 15, 2022 | Virtual
Annually the NASA Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) hosts a Small Business Town Hall to share agency updates and priorities, as well as to hear from the small business community. Learn more about OSBP’s Learning series on their website.
June 2, 2022 | 1:00pm - 5:00pm ET | Virtual
Hosted by NASA's Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO), NASA's Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP), and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in partnership with Starburst. Down-selected applicants can present live for a chance to win prize funding and admission into the accelerator program. The event will also feature keynotes and roundtable discussions with industry, NASA program managers, and more.
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NASA Celebrated National Small Business Week with SBIR/STTR |
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The week of May 2nd is recognized by the Small Business Administration as National Small Business Week. NASA celebrated the contributions that small businesses make towards the agency’s missions by highlighting a handful of collaborations with NASA’s Ames Research Center.
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Read about news and successes from some of our SBIR/STTR firms. If you are an SBIR/STTR firm with a success story to share, email us at [email protected].
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Masten Space Systems leveraged NASA SBIR/STTR solicitations to identify and respond to challenges establishing a sustainable presence on the Moon. The company’s developments with the SBIR/STTR program resulted in $2.8 million from NASA Tipping Point. Masten also participated in the NASA SBIR/STTR I-Corps training program to help identify commercial uses for these technologies.
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Area-I, Inc. partnered with the NASA SBIR/STTR program to develop Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UASs) that supported advanced aeronautics research. From the initial seed funding from NASA, Area-I found success with the Department of Defense, leading to the company’s acquisition by Anduril Industries—a $4.6 billion defense technology company—in 2021.
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Space Foundry Inc. boarded a parabolic flight with its plasma jet printer, a technology to create electronic components in space. After the aircraft achieved microgravity, the company’s plasma jet printer failed to perform properly, so the company consulted NASA’s Exploration Research and Technology (ER&T) and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programs. This team effort across programs is one example of how NASA helps foster the commercial space industry and support small businesses across the nation. |
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Other NASA Opportunities and News |
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Mandatory Preliminary Proposals Due June 2
TechFlights offers up to $750,000 to researchers from U.S.-based industry, academia, and private research institutions to rapidly test promising technologies on commercial flight vehicles. In addition to flight testing with commercial suborbital flight providers, NASA’s Small Spacecraft Technology program will allow researchers to propose flight tests of payloads hosted on commercial orbital platforms.
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Responses due June 23
LIVE Thrust focuses on the technology development areas needed to live away from Earth. It includes the capability areas of Power, Thermal, In-situ Resource Utilization, Excavation & Construction & Outfitting, and Advanced Habitation.
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An Industry Day for the LIVE Thrust RFI will be held on June 1st at 3:30pm ET. Experts from the LIVE capability areas will be available to answer questions about their Envisioned Futures.
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