We look forward to seeing many of you next month at the Innovation and Opportunity Conference (IOC), held from November 14-15 in Aurora, Colorado! For the second year, the NASA SBIR/STTR Program is partnering with the Colorado Small Business Development Foundation and the
Colorado Small Business Development Center to introduce opportunities to companies at every stage of maturity—from those just starting out with a great idea to experienced innovators looking to expand and actively participate in tomorrow’s aerospace and defense. The IOC will have our highest concentration of program representatives and information presented for the year.
Last week you should have received an email from our program team with information on one-on-one sign-ups for the IOC. When you register for the event, you will have the option to sign up for one-on-one meetings with government representatives, including experts from the NASA SBIR/STTR Program, other NASA funding programs, and other agency SBIR/STTR programs. This year’s conference will also feature many “success story firms” throughout the agenda so that you will not only get to hear from NASA and other agency representatives on a variety of topics, but also learn from your fellow entrepreneurs about their experiences in specific areas of the NASA SBIR/STTR Program and other NASA and agency programs. If you have additional questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team at ARC-SBIR-Outreach@mail.nasa.gov. We hope to see each and every one of you there!
Jenn Gustetic Program Executive
Key Program Milestones
Please find the major upcoming program dates below:
NASA STTR 2018 Phase II Award Announcement: Scheduled for November 20, 2019.
Solicitation Preparation Tips
It’s never too early to begin preparation for the 2020 NASA SBIR/STTR Phase I Solicitation. Some of our top recommendations include:
Get familiar with the Electronic Handbook (EHB) submission system: If you are new to the program, watch the Proposal Submission System Webinars to be ready when it opens.
Get started early and submit proposal prior to the deadline! The solicitation typically comes out in January and has historically been open for approximately 2 months.
CCRPP Application Period Opening Soon: The Civilian Commercialization Readiness Pilot Program (CCRPP) application period will be open from November 4 to December 16 to companies with SBIR/STTR Phase II Awards resulting from Phase I Awards in Program Years 2010 through 2015. For more information, visit our website: https://sbir.nasa.gov/content/post-phase-ii-initiatives#CCRPP
Safeguard with Autonomous Navigation Demonstration (SAND) Challenge: The application window is now open for small businesses to compete in this autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle competition. The challenge will address some of the safety critical risks associated with flying UAVs in the National Airspace system. Applications are due by November 1 and the SAND 2020 Challenge Competition Day will take place in May 2020 in Hampton, Virginia. http://besafe.nianet.org/
Making NASA More Business Friendly
Read “Making NASA More Business Friendly: A Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Case Study,” authored by Program Exec. Jenn Gustetic and other members of the NASA SBIR/STTR team and published in New Space. https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/space.2019.0005
SBIR/STTR Alumni Selected for Tipping Point Partnerships NASA recently selected 14 companies through its Tipping Point solicitation for public-private partnerships to aid the Moon to Mars exploration approach. Many of these firms are alumni of the NASA SBIR/STTR Program! Congratulations to our alumni: Paragon Space Development Corp, CU Aerospace, ExoTerra Corp, Astrobotic, Luna Innovations, OxEon Energy LLC, Skyre Inc, and Infinity Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Inc. https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-announces-new-tipping-point-partnerships-for-moon-and-mars-technologies
SBIR Alum Altius Space Machines Acquired by Voyager Space Holdings Altius Space Machines, a space technology firm and NASA SBIR Award recipient, has been acquired by Voyager Space Holdings, a company recently established to serve as a holding company and long-term funding source for space startups. https://spacenews.com/voyager-space-holdings-to-acquire-altius-space-machines/
Are you a previous or current SBIR/STTR awardee with a success story to share? We would love to hear about it and share your story! Email us at ARC-SBIR-Outreach@mail.nasa.gov.
Thank you for reading!
If you have questions about the NASA SBIR/STTR Program, learn more at sbir.nasa.gov.
