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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Unfortunately, hydrogen burns with an essentially invisible flame, making detection of hydrogen fires difficult. Current methods of detecting hydrogen leaks and fires are limited in a number of ways; video-based methods (IR and otherwise) are promising, but can be seriously misled by reflections and currently require human operators (increasing expense and leading to problems of attentiveness). To address these and other challenges, IEM proposes to create the Intelligent FlamefinderTM Detection and Alert System (IFDAS). Drawing on smart video analysis and other smart sensor work for NASA, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, the Department of Transportation, the U.S. Navy, and others, and building on an exclusive license of patented NASA technology, IEM will create a smart hydrogen fire detection system which will reliably detect even small (less than 3\") flames, ignore false signals from reflections of flames, the sun, or other heat/light sources, accurately determine the location of the flames, and automatically alert the appropriate individuals or systems of the existence, extent, and location of the fire, without the need for human operators or intervention prior to the alert. IFDAS will also be able to interface with current sensing systems and integrate their data to provide a comprehensive overview of the situation using all available data. 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