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-- WITH PHOTO -- TO NATIONAL, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY EDITORS:
NASA Picks Small Business Tech Proposals for Development
WASHINGTON, March 7, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA has selected
108 research and technology proposals from U.S. small businesses that
will enable NASA's future missions while benefiting America's new high
technology-driven economy right here on Earth.
The selected proposals now will enter into negotiations for contract
awards as part of Phase II of the agency's Small Business Innovation
Research (SBIR) Program. The selected aerospace technology and
innovation projects have a total value of approximately $87 million,
supporting 99 U.S. firms in 26 states.
"NASA's future successes depends on the innovative capacity of
American small businesses, and their ability to bring new technology
to bear on the problems NASA tackles," said Michael Gazarik, associate
administrator for space technology at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
"We see the benefits of small businesses and their SBIR-funded
technology working for us every day, whether here on Earth in our air
traffic control systems, or on the surface of Mars and the technology
behind NASA's Mars Curiosity rover. Small businesses are bringing
innovation to the marketplace while creating new products, new jobs,
and strengthening our economy."
Under the general element, NASA chose 98 proposals worth approximately
$73.5 million. Under the select element, NASA chose 10 proposals worth
approximately $13.5 million.
NASA's SBIR Program is a competitive awards-based program that
encourages U.S. small businesses to engage in federal research,
development and commercialization. The program also enables businesses
to explore technological potential, while providing the incentive to
profit from new commercial products and services. Small businesses
create about two out of every three jobs in the U.S. each year, and
roughly half of working Americans either own or work for a small
business.
Innovative research areas among these selected proposals address the
challenges NASA is facing as the agency continues to pursue exciting
missions of exploration and discovery.
Selected proposals from these small businesses will develop efficient
energy and power systems for human and robotic spacecraft; new
concepts for in-space propulsion; advanced telescope technologies to
enable a new class of critical observatories; next generation sensors
for the study of Earth; and robotic technologies for the exploration
of other planets.
Small businesses working under NASA's SBIR program are also developing
new technology to monitor astronaut health, and creating new materials
and the manufacturing processes that support them. Additional work
includes building new simulation environments to reduce the cost and
complexity of future space missions.
This year's NASA SBIR Phase II selections support two program
elements: a general element sought proposals in response to a broad
range of research and technology topics, while a second select element
focused on a small group of topics of particular interest to NASA.
NASA SBIR Phase II projects in both program elements will expand on
the results of recently completed Phase I projects. Phase I projects
were six-month contracts ranging from $125,000 to $225,000. Phase II
projects last no more than two years. Funding for contracts chosen
under the general element may be up to $750,000 per award. Awards
under the select element may be up to $1.5 million per award. Phase
III, or the commercialization of an innovation, may occur after
successful completion of Phase II.
Selection criteria for selection of these awards included technical
merit and feasibility, along with experience, qualifications and
facilities. Additional criteria included effectiveness of the work
plan and commercial potential and feasibility.
NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., manages the SBIR
program for NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate. NASA's 10
centers manage individual projects. For more information about NASA's
SBIR program and a list of selected companies, visit:
NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate is innovating, developing,
testing and flying hardware for use in NASA's future missions. For
more information about NASA's investment in space technology, visit:
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO
SOURCE NASA
-0- 03/07/2014
/CONTACT: David E. Steitz, Headquarters, Washington, 202-358-1730, david.steitz@nasa.gov
/Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO
PRN Photo Desk photodesk@prnewswire.com
/Web Site: http://www.nasa.gov
CO: NASA
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0000 03/07/2014 18:00:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com
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