The NASA SBIR and STTR programs fund the research, development, and demonstration of innovative technologies that fulfill NASA needs as described in the annual Solicitations and have significant potential for successful commercialization. If you are a small business concern (SBC) with 500 or fewer employees or a non-profit RI such as a university or a research laboratory with ties to an SBC, then NASA encourages you to learn more about the SBIR and STTR programs as a potential source of seed funding for the development of your innovations.
The SBIR and STTR programs have 3 phases:
The SBIR and STTR Phase I contracts last for 6 months with a maximum funding of $125,000, and Phase II contracts last for 24 months with a maximum funding of $750,000 - $1.5 million.
Opportunity for Continued Technology Development Post-Phase II:
The NASA SBIR/STTR Program currently has in place two initiatives for supporting its small business partners past the basic Phase I and Phase II elements of the program that emphasize opportunities for commercialization. Specifically, the NASA SBIR/STTR Program has the Phase II Enhancement (Phase II-E) and Phase II eXpanded (Phase II-X) contract options.
Please review the links below to obtain more information on the SBIR/STTR programs.
Provides an overview of the SBIR and STTR programs as implemented by NASA
Provides access to the annual SBIR/STTR Solicitations containing detailed information on the program eligibility requirements, proposal instructions and research topics and subtopics
Schedule and links for the SBIR/STTR solicitations and selection announcements
Federal and non-Federal sources of assistance for small business
Search our complete archive of awarded project abstracts to learn about what NASA has funded
Still have questions? Visit the program FAQs
","parentProgram":{"ableToSelect":false,"isActive":true,"description":"Catalyst is a portfolio of early stage programs that specialize in different innovation constituencies and mechanisms to push the state of the art in aerospace technology development","programId":92327,"responsibleMd":{"canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":""},"title":"Catalyst","manageGaps":false,"acronymOrTitle":"Catalyst"},"parentProgramId":92327,"programId":73,"responsibleMd":{"organizationId":4875,"organizationName":"Space Technology Mission Directorate","acronym":"STMD","organizationType":"NASA_Mission_Directorate","canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":"NASA Mission Directorate"},"responsibleMdOffice":4875,"stockImageFileId":36648,"title":"Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer","manageGaps":false,"acronymOrTitle":"SBIR/STTR"},"description":"This proposal is responsive to NASA SBIR Subtopic S1.02: Microwave Technologies for Remote Sensing, 640GHz Polarimeter. VDI has recently demonstrated the integration of a WR10 Mixer-Amplifier Multiplier chain (MixAMC), including the LO and IF amplifier MMICs, into a single waveguide housing. The focus of the proposed research is the extension these innovative integration technologies to include additional components required for atmospheric radiometers, and to extend the resulting technology across the frequency band of interest to NASA. Such integration will fundamentally improve the size, weight, reliability and cost of terahertz receivers. Additionally, the integration of a newly available low noise MMIC amplifier at the front-end of the receiver will allow these improvements to be achieved with an overall reduction in the power requirements and an increase in receiver sensitivity. At the end of the Phase 2 VDI will deliver to NASA a very compact and reliable receiver system suitable for polarimetric measurements at 640GHz. The ultimate result of this SBIR program will be the commercial availability of compact, reliable and cost effective receiver systems throughout the frequency range of interest for atmospheric remote sensing, including polarimetric measurement capabilities. Additionally, the new compact receivers will be compatible with CubeSats, which are expected to play a very important role in future atmospheric remote sensing missions.","benefits":"The primary application of the new integrated receiver systems will be atmospheric remote sensing throughout the frequency range from 50GHz through 670GHz, and potentially higher with follow-on research. The new receivers will find application on airborne platforms such as CoSSIR, on satellite missions such as JPSS, and in the future CubeSats, which are expected to play an increasingly important role for atmospheric studies. Potentially, these compact receivers can also be used on future planetary probes, particularly to develop a better understanding of planetary atmospheres.The NASA SBIR and STTR programs fund the research, development, and demonstration of innovative technologies that fulfill NASA needs as described in the annual Solicitations and have significant potential for successful commercialization. If you are a small business concern (SBC) with 500 or fewer employees or a non-profit RI such as a university or a research laboratory with ties to an SBC, then NASA encourages you to learn more about the SBIR and STTR programs as a potential source of seed funding for the development of your innovations.
The SBIR and STTR programs have 3 phases:
The SBIR and STTR Phase I contracts last for 6 months with a maximum funding of $125,000, and Phase II contracts last for 24 months with a maximum funding of $750,000 - $1.5 million.
Opportunity for Continued Technology Development Post-Phase II:
The NASA SBIR/STTR Program currently has in place two initiatives for supporting its small business partners past the basic Phase I and Phase II elements of the program that emphasize opportunities for commercialization. Specifically, the NASA SBIR/STTR Program has the Phase II Enhancement (Phase II-E) and Phase II eXpanded (Phase II-X) contract options.
Please review the links below to obtain more information on the SBIR/STTR programs.
Provides an overview of the SBIR and STTR programs as implemented by NASA
Provides access to the annual SBIR/STTR Solicitations containing detailed information on the program eligibility requirements, proposal instructions and research topics and subtopics
Schedule and links for the SBIR/STTR solicitations and selection announcements
Federal and non-Federal sources of assistance for small business
Search our complete archive of awarded project abstracts to learn about what NASA has funded
Still have questions? Visit the program FAQs
","parentProgram":{"ableToSelect":false,"isActive":true,"description":"Catalyst is a portfolio of early stage programs that specialize in different innovation constituencies and mechanisms to push the state of the art in aerospace technology development","programId":92327,"responsibleMd":{"canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":""},"title":"Catalyst","manageGaps":false,"acronymOrTitle":"Catalyst"},"parentProgramId":92327,"programId":73,"responsibleMd":{"organizationId":4875,"organizationName":"Space Technology Mission Directorate","acronym":"STMD","organizationType":"NASA_Mission_Directorate","canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":"NASA Mission Directorate"},"responsibleMdOffice":4875,"stockImageFileId":36648,"title":"Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer","manageGaps":false,"acronymOrTitle":"SBIR/STTR"},"description":"This proposal is responsive to NASA SBIR Subtopic S1.02: Microwave Technologies for Remote Sensing, 640GHz Polarimeter. VDI has recently demonstrated the integration of a WR10 Mixer-Amplifier Multiplier chain (MixAMC), including the LO and IF amplifier MMICs, into a single waveguide housing. The focus of the proposed research is the extension these innovative integration technologies to include additional components required for atmospheric radiometers, and to extend the resulting technology across the frequency band of interest to NASA. Such integration will fundamentally improve the size, weight, reliability and cost of terahertz receivers. Additionally, the integration of a newly available low noise MMIC amplifier at the front-end of the receiver will allow these improvements to be achieved with an overall reduction in the power requirements and an increase in receiver sensitivity. At the end of the Phase 2 VDI will deliver to NASA a very compact and reliable receiver system suitable for polarimetric measurements at 640GHz. The ultimate result of this SBIR program will be the commercial availability of compact, reliable and cost effective receiver systems throughout the frequency range of interest for atmospheric remote sensing, including polarimetric measurement capabilities. Additionally, the new compact receivers will be compatible with CubeSats, which are expected to play a very important role in future atmospheric remote sensing missions.","benefits":"The primary application of the new integrated receiver systems will be atmospheric remote sensing throughout the frequency range from 50GHz through 670GHz, and potentially higher with follow-on research. The new receivers will find application on airborne platforms such as CoSSIR, on satellite missions such as JPSS, and in the future CubeSats, which are expected to play an increasingly important role for atmospheric studies. Potentially, these compact receivers can also be used on future planetary probes, particularly to develop a better understanding of planetary atmospheres.