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","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","acronymOrTitle":"SBIR/STTR"},"description":"Very high average power lasers with high electrical-top-optical (E-O) efficiency, which also support pulse position modulation (PPM) formats in the MHz-data rate speeds, do not currently exist. Solid-state lasers fail to provide the necessary E-O requirements due to low quantum efficiency and excess heat generation. MHz-speed modulation formats are not supported by fiber lasers at very high average powers due to nonlinearities. These nonlinearities cause instabilities in the output power, and also cause the optical spectrum to exceed the system requirements. A very high power, short pulse fiber laser is proposed which can operate in two modes of operation; a targeting/beacon mode, and a data transmit mode. The very high average powers are achieved by filling the time-slot of a PPM format scheme with a high-duty-cycle sequence of much shorter pulses. This allows the nonlinearities in the fiber laser to be mitigated and allow very high average powers within the required bandwidth spectrum. A seed laser which emits picosecond pulses will be driven by electronics to provide a very high duty cycle modulated by a slower modulation envelope to allow for PPM data transmission. The very high duty cycle will allow the average power to increase while keeping the peak powers low through a series of Yb-doped fiber amplifiers. A factor of two is targeted between the peak and average powers. The fiber amplifiers will used highly doped Yb-doped fibers in order to keep the fiber lengths to a minimum, which minimizes nonlinear effects such as stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS), stimulated Raman scattering (SRS), and self-phase modulation (SPM). The modulation format to support the targeting/beacon mode will be accomplished by turning the final fiber amplifier(s) on/off. This is possible due to the upper state lifetime of the Yb ions in the fiber amplifiers.","benefits":"The Jet Propulsion Lab (NASA JPL) facility is pursuing technology to enable a long range optical telecommunication system involving a communications laser, telescope, satellite, and receiver. A very high average power, PPM format communications laser can be used to form a high speed data link with satellites orbiting the Earth and potentially to satellites or stationary targets on other celestial bodies. Long range optical telecommunication systems based on optical technology can help negate the expense of large, cumbersome transmitter and receiver systems based on other technologies, such as radio frequencies, due to the diffraction properties of the transmitted frequency.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","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","acronymOrTitle":"SBIR/STTR"},"description":"Very high average power lasers with high electrical-top-optical (E-O) efficiency, which also support pulse position modulation (PPM) formats in the MHz-data rate speeds, do not currently exist. Solid-state lasers fail to provide the necessary E-O requirements due to low quantum efficiency and excess heat generation. MHz-speed modulation formats are not supported by fiber lasers at very high average powers due to nonlinearities. These nonlinearities cause instabilities in the output power, and also cause the optical spectrum to exceed the system requirements. A very high power, short pulse fiber laser is proposed which can operate in two modes of operation; a targeting/beacon mode, and a data transmit mode. The very high average powers are achieved by filling the time-slot of a PPM format scheme with a high-duty-cycle sequence of much shorter pulses. This allows the nonlinearities in the fiber laser to be mitigated and allow very high average powers within the required bandwidth spectrum. A seed laser which emits picosecond pulses will be driven by electronics to provide a very high duty cycle modulated by a slower modulation envelope to allow for PPM data transmission. The very high duty cycle will allow the average power to increase while keeping the peak powers low through a series of Yb-doped fiber amplifiers. A factor of two is targeted between the peak and average powers. The fiber amplifiers will used highly doped Yb-doped fibers in order to keep the fiber lengths to a minimum, which minimizes nonlinear effects such as stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS), stimulated Raman scattering (SRS), and self-phase modulation (SPM). The modulation format to support the targeting/beacon mode will be accomplished by turning the final fiber amplifier(s) on/off. This is possible due to the upper state lifetime of the Yb ions in the fiber amplifiers.","benefits":"The Jet Propulsion Lab (NASA JPL) facility is pursuing technology to enable a long range optical telecommunication system involving a communications laser, telescope, satellite, and receiver. A very high average power, PPM format communications laser can be used to form a high speed data link with satellites orbiting the Earth and potentially to satellites or stationary targets on other celestial bodies. Long range optical telecommunication systems based on optical technology can help negate the expense of large, cumbersome transmitter and receiver systems based on other technologies, such as radio frequencies, due to the diffraction properties of the transmitted frequency.