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FACT SHEET
The Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program was
established by Title II of the Small Business Research and Development
Enhancement Act of 1992, Public Law 102-564, to foster innovation necessary
to meet the nation's scientific and technological challenges of the future.
This three-phased program provides the opportunity for qualified small
businesses to collaboratively work with non-profit research institutions on
research or research and development (R&D) projects. Federal agencies
with more than $1 billion of extramural R&D must reserve 0.15% of their
budgets for R&D small businesses and their partners. This set-aside
currently results in the availability of approximately $65 million for
fiscal year 1999.
STTR is much like that of the Small Business Innovation
Research (SBIR) program. Its unique feature is its requirement that the
small business work jointly with a non-profit research institution. A
minimum of 40% of the work must be performed by the small business and a
minimum of 30% by the non-profit research institution. Such institutions
include Federally-funded research and development centers (FFRDCs),
universities, university affiliated hospitals, and other non-profits. (For
information regarding other differences between STTR and SBIR, click here.)
Objectives of STTR
Stimulate technological innovation
Strengthen the role of small businesses in meeting Federal
Research and development needs
Increase private sector commercialization of innovations
derived from Federal research and development.
Participating Federal Agencies
·
Department
of Defense
·
Department
of Energy
·
Department
of Health and Human Services
·
National Aeronautics
and Space Administration
·
National
Science Foundation
Small Business Eligibility
·
500 or
less employees
·
American-owned
and independently operated
·
For
profit
Research Institution Eligibility
·
Located
in U.S.
·
Must be
one of the following non-profit organizations:
1.
University/college
2.
Domestic
research organization
3.
University-affiliated
hospital
4.
FFRDC
Three Phases
STTR is a three-phase program of which two are Federally
funded. Phase I is a feasibility study to evaluate the proposed project's
technical merit for which an awardee may receive a maximum of $100,000 for
approximately one year. Phase II is the principal R&D effort which
expands on the Phase I results. This two-year project may receive up to
$500,000 in funding. Only Phase I awardees are eligible to compete for
Phase II funds. Phase III is the commercialization of the Phase II results
and moves the innovation from the laboratory to the marketplace. This
requires use of private sector or other non-SBIR funding.
Evaluation Criteria
·
Scientific
and technical quality and innovativeness of the idea and the significance
of the scientific or technical challenge
·
Ability
to carry out the project, i.e. qualifications of the principal investigator
and other key personnel, adequacy of facilities and equipment, soundness of
work plan
·
The
impact as evidenced by technical and/or economic benefits, the likelihood
that the work would lead to a marketable product, or the likelihood the
project could attract further funding.
Submission
Each year the five participating agencies issue program
solicitations describing the technical areas for which they are interested.
The solicitations, their release and due dates, and submission instructions
are available on the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of
Technology's home page (http://www.sba.gov/sbir).
Assistance
Operating procedures vary between the agencies, so it is wise
to become familiar with the agencies by viewing their web sites and/or
contacting them as appropriate. Links to their homepages are provided from
the SBA web site mentioned above. For further assistance with this research
funding opportunity, one should contact the SBTDC's office as indicated
below.
Dan Dehaenen/Alex Kuruz
(803) 777-5026/4907
mailto:ddehaenen@aol.com
mailto:alex_kuruz@hotmail.com
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