NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program has selected over 100 projects this week for USD93.5 million in funding via Phase II contracts.
NASA announced the funding awards on April 23, 2024, saying it had selected 107 projects from 95 small businesses for early-stage funding and support to advance the agency’s goals of exploring air and space while returning benefits to Earth. NASA says 21% of the businesses are receiving their first Phase II award. The awards are valued at up to USD850,000 each, and almost 80% of the awardees employ less than 50 people.
“We are thrilled to support this diverse set of companies as they work diligently to bring their technologies to market,” said Jenn Gustetic, director of Early Stage Innovation and Partnerships with c(STMD) at the agency’s headquarters in Washington.
In Phase II, awardees will build on outcomes from the program’s first phase to bring their technologies closer to real-world use. The companies have 24 months to execute their plans, focusing on their technologies’ path to commercialisation.
“Our program works directly with small businesses to forge innovative concepts and technologies that drive impact for NASA projects as well as a myriad of commercial endeavours,” said Jason L. Kessler, program executive for NASA’s SBIR and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program at NASA Headquarters.
The NASA SBIR program is open to US small businesses to develop an innovation or technology. The program is part of the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) and managed by NASA’s Ames Research Center in California.
