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
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(CRG) proposes to develop a bonded composite patch repair and re-use system based on CRG's VeritexTM materials. VeritexTM is a composite material consisting of common reinforcement fibers such as e-glass or carbon and one of CRG's shape memory polymers. VeritexTM is a fully-cured, stiff thermoset composite at most system operating temperatures, yet it can be made to be flexible by heating it above an activation temperature. This feature enables the use of VeritexTM as a composite patch system that is shape-adaptive and can be used for repair of many different types of structural members and/or for joining of structural members to assemble new systems. The development of a simplified patch repair and re-use system will enable effective and efficient structural material repair and system assembly that can be performed by humans as well as robots. 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This technology's attributes for streamlined repair should yield a high potential for private sector commercialization for repair systems for many types of space-based and terrestrial structural systems. This project's technologies directly address requirements for servicing, maintenance, and repair for space-based structural components. This project's technologies offer an effective solution for a wide variety of structural repair and assembly situations with the additional benefit of being lightweight and low-volume. This technology will require less material and energy resources than the current state-of-the-art for terrestrial bonded composite patch repair making it a desirable solution for current and future self-sufficient space systems. 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