Volume 11, Number 3 • Fall 2003 • Small Business/SBIR

The Numbers Tell the Tale

Congress created the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program in 1983 to provide an additional source of innovative research and technology to meet federal agency mission needs, while focusing on small business. Within NASA, more than 600 products and services have been advanced based on SBIR technology, and it is estimated that NASA SBIR technology has generated at least $2.28 billion of cumulative revenues in non-US government markets.

The STTR program, originally authorized in 1992, was designed to include universities in collaboration with small business in innovative research.

NASA’s 2003 SBIR/STTR Program solicitation closed on September 9, 2003. The solicitation contained 120 SBIR subtopics and 13 STTR subtopics. The 2003 results are reflected below as compared to 2002 results, in parentheses.

• 1,332 firms registered in the NASA SBIR/STTR Proposal Submission Electronic Handbook (1,090).
• 2,677 SBIR proposals were submitted (2,238).
• 177 STTR proposals were submitted (45).

The review and recommendation process will culminate with selection announcements on November 21, 2003. To view NASA success stories in both SBIR and STTR, or for more information, check out www.sbir.nasa.gov and click on “Success Stories.” *

For more information, contact Carl Ray, NASA Headquarters, 202/358-4562, carl.g.ray@nasa.gov. Please mention you read about it in Innovation.

NASA Official: Jonathan Root • Web Design: Printing & Design Office, NASA Headquarters • Credits