COVID-19 Impact to NASA SBIR/STTR Program

April 14, 2020 at 6:03 pm ET

The NASA SBIR/STTR Phase I Solicitation was amended on April 13, 2020. Read the amendment below, download Amendment 0003 under “Amendments” in the online solicitation (https://sbir.nasa.gov/solicit/63012/detail?data=nw), or view it on beta.SAM.gov (https://beta.sam.gov/opp/7f220a066d2d4078b0b0c0bfeb05e92d/view).

1. Due to uncertainty around travel and large gatherings, the Innovation and Opportunity Conference (IOC) will not be held as an in-person event in 2020; therefore, the below opportunity is no longer applicable.
   Travel in Phase I
   Due to the intent and short period of performance of the Phase I contracts along with their limited budget, travel during the Phase I contract is highly discouraged unless it is required to successfully complete the proposed effort. If the purpose of the meeting cannot be accomplished via videoconference or teleconference, the offeror must provide rationale for the trip in the proposal budget form. All travel must be approved by the Contracting Officer and concurred by the Technical Monitor.
   However, during this solicitation, Phase I offerors may propose up to $1,500.00 for one person per firm for travel to attend the Innovation & Opportunity Conference (IOC) tentatively scheduled for fall 2020 with location to be determined. For additional information on the IOC, see the Noteworthy Changes section at the front of this solicitation. This request for travel funding shall not be used for travel other than attending the IOC meeting. If an offeror plans to submit multiple proposals, it is recommended that the offeror request up to $1,500.00 for travel to the IOC per proposal, however NASA will only allow up to $1,500.00 of travel funds to be provided to a single firm that receives multiple awards under this solicitation to attend the IOC meeting.
• For those firms that have not yet completed their proposals, please do not include IOC travel funds in your budget request.
• For firms that have already completed their proposals, if you proposed travel to the IOC, we recommend updating your budget accordingly, resubmitting, and re-endorsing. Otherwise, during contract negotiations, this funding request will be denied.


2. NASA will accept STTR proposal packages that do not include (1) Research Agreements and/or (2) Research Institute (RI) budgets and have not been endorsed by the RI. Firms who do not include these items will not be penalized during evaluation. Research Agreements and/or RI budgets shall instead be submitted within ten days of the notification of selection.


3. NASA will accept SBIR/STTR proposal packages that do not include signed letters of commitment from subcontractors or consultants. Firms who do not include these items will not be penalized during evaluations. Signed letters of commitment from subcontractors and/or consultants shall instead be submitted within ten days of the notification of selection.

To submit a proposal without the Research Agreement and/or Research Institute endorsement, the proposal owner (i.e., the EHB user who created the proposals) may fill out the Research Agreement and endorse on behalf of the Research Institution. If you are using this endorsement feature on behalf of the Research Institution (RI) due to the situation with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), this endorsement on behalf of the RI indicates this proposal is being submitted in accordance with Amendment 0003 to the Solicitation; however, these endorsements do not relieve you of your obligation to obtain Final Research Agreements and/or RI Budgets as soon as possible. Final Research Agreements and/or RI budgets shall be submitted within ten days of the notification of selection (if your firm’s proposal is selected).

March 20, 2020 at 05:54 pm ET 

• 2020 SBIR/STTR Phase I: The NASA SBIR/STTR Program has been closely monitoring the situation with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). After careful deliberations, we are providing an additional extension for Phase I proposals. The new deadline is Monday, April 20, 2020 at 5 pm ET.
• Due to this 4-week extension, we anticipate award announcements to be made in early July 2020, and funding will be delayed, but we will make every effort to provide funding in the current fiscal year.

• Small Business Administration: SBA has a dedicated page with guidance and resources for businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic –  sba.gov/page/guidance-businesses-employers-plan-respond-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19
• NASA Administrator Statement: The agency response to Coronavirus – https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/march-19-administrator-statement-on-agency-response-to-coronavirus
• Official Coronavirus Information: For the latest official information – coronavirus.gov, CDC.gov/coronavirus, and USA.gov/coronavirus.

March 16, 2020 at 07:15 pm ET

• 2020 SBIR/STTR Phase I: The proposal due date has been extended to Monday, March 23, 2020 at 5 pm ET to give small businesses and research institutions additional time to complete their submissions.
• For SBIR: You may still submit your proposal package if you are unable to provide your letter(s) of commitment from subcontractors and consultants by March 23, 2020. However, those letters must be received by NASA no later than 5 pm ET on April 3, 2020.
  • If you are unable to provide letters of commitment prior to the submission deadline due to COVID-19, in the Proposal Budget Form in the EHB, use the “No” option to the question regarding the letter of commitment and provide any related information in the text box.
• For STTR: You may still submit your proposal package if you are unable to provide Research Agreements or Research Institution budgets by March 23, 2020. However, all final documents and endorsements must be received by NASA no later than 5 pm ET on April 3, 2020.
  • If you are unable to provide these documents prior to the submission deadline due to COVID-19, in the Research Agreement Form in the EHB, use the “Use custom agreement” option to provide any related information in the text box and click submit to complete the Research Agreement; and
  • In lieu of an endorsement from the Research Institution, the Proposal Owner (i.e., the user who started the proposal within the EHB submissions module) should endorse provisionally on behalf of the Research Institution.

March 16, 2020 at 07:15 pm ET

• SBA has a dedicated page with guidance and resources for businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19): https://www.sba.gov/page/guidance-businesses-employers-plan-respond-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19