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":"Planned future NASA missions in astrophysics will push the state of the art in current opto-mechanical technologies. Specifically, precision deployable structures will be required to facilitate large aperture deployable optical telescopes given current and foreseeable payload volumes. Fundamental to these deployable structures are enabling components that are capable of precise, repeatable deployments and that are stable in the orbital environment. MMA Design LLC proposes to advance the state of the art in highly reliable and cost effective deployable optical systems by developing precision mobile-joint and latching technologies that are integral to a deployable optical telescope. This proposal focuses on research and development of innovative precision deployment technologies that initially target a 6U CubeSat to ESPA-class optical platform but that are highly scalable to 16 meter class or larger optical systems. The primary innovations in the development of the proposed precision deployable technologies include: ? Scalable System Design – The deployable system and components can be proportionally scaled to accommodate larger aperture systems. ? Repeatable Multiple Degree-of-Freedom Joints – Use of flexible elements and preloading of movable parts enables deployment repeatability and precision. ? High Performance at lower cost – The proposed approach utilizes innovative concepts for latching and joint mobility that will yield significant improvements in performance at lower system cost.","benefits":"Investments are required now in the development of next generation large deployable telescopes that are critical to meeting the future needs of enhanced NASA missions, delivering higher performance at lower cost. Potential future NASA applications in astrophysics that can benefit from the proposed development include Joint Dark Energy Mission (JDEM), Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), and New Worlds science missions. NASA is seeking cost-effective high-performance advanced space telescopes for astrophysics and Earth science to enable future telescopes and observatories collecting electromagnetic bands, ranging from UV to millimeter waves, and also include gravity waves. Astrophysics applications require large aperture lightweight highly reflecting mirrors and deployable large structures like the proposed deployable telescope system. The proposed telescope system also includes a deployable sunshade for passive thermal control. Planned future NASA Missions in astrophysics, such as WFIRST and the New Worlds Technology Development Program will push the state of the art in current optomechanical technologies. The proposed technologies will support mission concepts for New Worlds science requiring 16 m class or greater, cost-effective telescope observatories. In addition, ground based telescopes require similar technology development to that being proposed.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":"Planned future NASA missions in astrophysics will push the state of the art in current opto-mechanical technologies. Specifically, precision deployable structures will be required to facilitate large aperture deployable optical telescopes given current and foreseeable payload volumes. Fundamental to these deployable structures are enabling components that are capable of precise, repeatable deployments and that are stable in the orbital environment. MMA Design LLC proposes to advance the state of the art in highly reliable and cost effective deployable optical systems by developing precision mobile-joint and latching technologies that are integral to a deployable optical telescope. This proposal focuses on research and development of innovative precision deployment technologies that initially target a 6U CubeSat to ESPA-class optical platform but that are highly scalable to 16 meter class or larger optical systems. The primary innovations in the development of the proposed precision deployable technologies include: ? Scalable System Design – The deployable system and components can be proportionally scaled to accommodate larger aperture systems. ? Repeatable Multiple Degree-of-Freedom Joints – Use of flexible elements and preloading of movable parts enables deployment repeatability and precision. ? High Performance at lower cost – The proposed approach utilizes innovative concepts for latching and joint mobility that will yield significant improvements in performance at lower system cost.","benefits":"Investments are required now in the development of next generation large deployable telescopes that are critical to meeting the future needs of enhanced NASA missions, delivering higher performance at lower cost. Potential future NASA applications in astrophysics that can benefit from the proposed development include Joint Dark Energy Mission (JDEM), Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), and New Worlds science missions. NASA is seeking cost-effective high-performance advanced space telescopes for astrophysics and Earth science to enable future telescopes and observatories collecting electromagnetic bands, ranging from UV to millimeter waves, and also include gravity waves. Astrophysics applications require large aperture lightweight highly reflecting mirrors and deployable large structures like the proposed deployable telescope system. The proposed telescope system also includes a deployable sunshade for passive thermal control. Planned future NASA Missions in astrophysics, such as WFIRST and the New Worlds Technology Development Program will push the state of the art in current optomechanical technologies. The proposed technologies will support mission concepts for New Worlds science requiring 16 m class or greater, cost-effective telescope observatories. In addition, ground based telescopes require similar technology development to that being proposed.