Official Nasa Communication C00-i

Michael Braukus Headquarters, Washington, DC (Phone: 202/358-1979)

Sept. 6, 2000

RELEASE: C00-i NASA SELECTS PROPOSALS FOR NEXT LEVEL OF RESEARCH NASA has selected 110 promising research proposals from 97 firms in 27 states for negotiation of phase-2 contract awards for its Small Business Innovative Research program. The total value of the awards is expected to be more than $66 million. A total of 267 proposals were submitted by contractors completing phase-1 projects as part of their 1999 awards. All proposals were peer reviewed for both technical merit and commercial potential. Phase-2 continues development of the most promising projects selected from the first phase of the competition. Selection criteria include scientific and technical merit, future importance and eventual value of the innovation to NASA, company capabilities and commercial potential. The goals of the SBIR program are to stimulate technological innovation, increase the use of small business (including womenowned and disadvantaged firms) in meeting federal research and development needs, and increase private sector commercialization of federally funded research results. Eight of the companies being announced today are disadvantaged firms and 12 are women-owned firms. The NASA SBIR Program Management Office is located at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, with executive oversight by NASA's Office of Aerospace Technology, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC. Individual SBIR projects are managed by NASA's field centers. A listing of the selected companies can be found on the Internet at: http://sbir.nasa.gov - end -