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Archived News Items - 2008
Updated 1/01/09
 


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Kevin Wheeler, SBIR Gateway 2008 Person of the Year - (12/14/08)
Department of Education (ED) Issues FY-09 SBIR - (11/21/08) Updated 12/12/08
DOE Opens FY-09 SBIR/STTR - (9/18/08) Updated 11/21/08
DoD Issues FY-09.1 SBIR Prerelease - (11/12/08)
NIST Opens FY-2009 SBIR - (11/12/08)
DHS Opens FY-09.1 SBIR - (11/12/08)Updated 1/5/09
NIST Issues FY-2009 SBIR Prerelease - (10/28/08)
NOAA Opens FY-2009 SBIR - (10/16/08)
NSF Releases FY-09 STTR - (9/24/08)
ED's NIDRR Opens 2009 SBIR - (9/12/08)
SBIR Short Term Extension - (9/4/08)
DOT Extends SBIR Closing Date - (9/4/08)
DOE SBIR Pre-Announcement - (8/28/08)
PHS/NIH/CDC Opens FY-2009 SBIR Contracts Solicitation - (8/7/08)
DoD Issues SBIR 08.3 Prerelease - (7/28/08)
DoD Issues STTR 08.B Prerelease - (4/28/08)
DOT Opens FY08.2 SBIR - (7/18/08)
NIH/CDC SBIR Prerelease - (7/17/08)
DOT SBIR Presolicitation - (7/14/08)
NIST Opens 2008 TIP Solicitation - (7/9/08)
NASA Opens 2008 SBIR/STTR Solicitation - (7/7/08)
USDA Opens FY-2009 SBIR - (7/3/08)
DHS DNDO Opens SBIR FY081 - (6/5/08)
DHS S&T Opens SBIR FY082 - (5/2/08) [Updated 6/24/08]
DoD Issues SBIR 08.2 Prerelease - (4/21/08)
SBIR Reauthorization Debacle - (4/15/08)
DOT Opens FY-2008 SBIR - (4/15/08)
EPA Opens FY-08 SBIR - (3/20/08)
NSF Releases FY-09 SBIR - (2/27/08) [Updated 7/2/08]
EPA SBIR Presolicitation Announcement - (2/21/08)
DOE SBIR/STTR Phase II Opens - (2/12/08)
DHHS Opens 2008-2 Omnibus SBIR/STTR - (1/25/08)
DoD Releases FY08 STTR - (1/22/08)
DOT Announces 2008 SBIR - Updated (3/12/08)
NSF Releases SBIR/STTR Diversity Collaborative Supplements Announcement - (1/03/08)

Current News Articles
Archived News Articles 2007
Archived News Articles 2006
Archived News Articles 2005
Archived News Articles 2004
Archived News Articles 2003
Archived News Articles 2002

RETURN TO SBIR GATEWAY

Department of Education (ED) Opens FY-09 SBIR (12/11/08) - The Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) opened their 2009 SBIR (EDIES-09-R-0004) on December 11, 2008 with a closing date of January 22, 2009.

The IES SBIR program is "contracts based" and thus uses FedBizOpps for its solicitation release and submittal information. This is independent from the earlier ED's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) SBIR Grants program that was released last September through Grants.gov.

Note: This solicitation is for Fast Track only (combined phase I & phase II) proposals only. There are only 3 topics (known in ED terms as Priority Areas):

(1) R/R&D of technological products used by students

  • Products intended for student use must address one (or more) of the following content areas: reading, writing, mathematics, science, or social and behavioral programs that support academic learning.

(2) R/R&D of technological products used by teachers

  • Products for teachers to use must be address one (or more) of the following content areas: reading, writing, mathematics, science, or social and behavioral programs that support academic learning, or must be a tool designed to improve the efficiency or accuracy with which teachers carry out their administrative responsibilities (e.g., recording and calculating grades).

R/R&D of technological products used by administrators

  • Technological products intended for use by school-level administrators (e.g., principal, guidance counselors, special education administrators) for improving the manner in which a school is operated (e.g., products that inform school operation, school data systems to inform practice).
    NOTE: Projects focusing on the R/R&D of products to be used by district or state level administrators are not eligible for submission to this program.

Note: The method of proposal submission is via hard copy with electronic copies on CD. Although the due date is January 22, 2008, the cutoff time is 12:00pm est, not enough time to be sure that priority overnight delivery via Fedex, UPS etc would reliable.

The solicitation is posted on FedBizOpps at:
www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&tab=core&id=3de8509755aac7cd7dd1d020346a79ae&cck=1&au=&ck=


Department of Education (ED) Issues SBIR prerelease (11/26/08) - The Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) has announced they will open their 2009 SBIR (EDIES-09-R-0004) on or about December 8, 2009. Although no closing date has been released, it is anticipated that it will close late January or early February.

The IES SBIR is independent from the earlier Dept. of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) SBIR Grants program that was released last September.

The IES SBIR solicitation is contracts based and will be a Fast Track only (combined phase I & phase II) opportunity. There will be topics (known in ED terms as Priority Areas). They are:

  • Priority 1: Education Technology Products for Students
  • Priority 2: Education Technology Products for Teachers
  • Priority 3: Education Technology Products for School Administrators

The presolicitation is posted on FedBizOpps at:
www.fbo.gov/index?tab=core&s=opportunity&mode=form&id=90f4979743f0233ba66516ab66daa42a


DoD Issues SBIR 09.1 Prerelease (11/12/08) - The DoD has issued the prereleased of their FY2009.1 SBIR solicitation with offerings from the Air Force, Army, Navy, DARPA, CDB, OSD and SOCOM. The solicitation opens and proposals will be accepted starting December 8, 2008 with a closing date of January 14, 2009 at 6:00am EST. The DoD topics will be included in Zyn's SBIR Gateway Search Engine soon.

Each of the DoD's agency components (Air Force, Army Navy etc..) have slightly different rules and procedures. Sometimes there can be specific instructions for a particular topic, so it is strongly advised that you study the solicitation instructions thoroughly.

Between November 12 and December 7, 2008, you may talk directly with the Topic Authors to ask technical questions about the topics. For reasons of competitive fairness, direct communication between proposers and topic authors is not allowed starting December 8, when DoD begins accepting proposals for this solicitation.

NOTE: In DoD terms this is actually a prerelease. During this period until the solicitation opens on December 8, 2008, topics may be added, modified or withdrawn. Changes are often made to topics, especially during the first week of a pre-release, so make sure to monitor the DoD for updates/changes! You can sign up with the SBIR Gateway to be alerted when changes are made to the DoD solicitation.

Do you want the Zyn SBIR Gateway to notify you when changes to the DoD FY09.1 SBIR are made? If so, please enter your email address below and you will receive an email notification.

Please notify me if changes are made to the DoD 09.1 SBIR solicitation.
Email Address:
Email addresses will remain private and will not be shared.

The DoD solicitation can be downloaded from their site at www.acq.osd.mil/osbp/sbir/solicitations/sbir091


DHS Opens FY-09.1 SBIR (11/12/08) - The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology Directorate (S&T) has opened their FY-2009.1 SBIR solicitation which will close January 5, 2009.

The solicitation contains 7 technical topics but as of November 12, you can no longer directly contact the topic authors. However, proposers may submit written questions to [email protected].

The official announcement can be found on FedBizOpps at:
https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=12177e3cc4867759c3937a1ea91a48c0&tab=core&_cview=0
and the DHS S&T SBIR web site at www.sbir.dhs.gov/index.asp


NIST Opens FY-2009 SBIR (11/12/08) - The Department Of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has opened their FY-2009 SBIR with a closing date of January 22, 2009.

Although the solicitation is posted on FedBizOpps at:

www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=7e85a4c456a4912dd565712d78aab3a9&tab=core&_cview=1 it is advisable to monitor the NIST SBIR web site at www.nist.gov/sbir which includes a special section for solicitation Q&s;A's. The NIST topics will be included in the SBIR Gateway Search engine soon.


DHS Issues FY-09.1 SBIR Prerelease (10/29/08) Updated 1/5/09 -
Update: Closing extended to 01/09/09
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology Directorate (S&T) has issued a prerelease of their Fy2009.1 SBIR solicitation which opens November 12, 2008 and closes January 5, 2009.

The prerelease which contains 7 technical topics, is similar in nature to the DoD whereby small businesses can directly contact the Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) to ask pertinent questions until the solicitation officially opens on November 12, 2009.

Once the solicitation opens on November 12, no further direct contact is permitted, but proposers may submit written questions to [email protected].

The official announcement can be found on FedBizOpps at:
https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=12177e3cc4867759c3937a1ea91a48c0&tab=core&_cview=0
and the DHS S&T SBIR web site at www.sbir.dhs.gov/index.asp


NIST Issues FY-2009 SBIR Prerelease (10/28/08) - NIST has issued a prerelease statement concerning their FY-2009 SBIR solicitation scheduled to open on or about November 12, 2008 with a closing date of January 22, 2009. The presolicitation identifies 42 topics and there is no mention at this time concerning a NIST SBIR-TT as offered in FY-2008.

The announcement can be found on FedBizOpps at: www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=faa25d62f7dcf8885fa46294b111cf07&tab=core&_cview=0


NOAA Opens FY-2009 SBIR (10/16/08) - The Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (DOC/NOAA) opened its FY-2009 SBIR on October 15, 2008 with a closing date of January 14, 2009.

The NOAA solicitation has four main topics:

  • Ecosystems
  • Climate
  • Weather and Water
  • Commerce and Transportation
The topics will be included in the SBIR Gateway Topic Search Engine by October 19, 2009. Submissions must be in hard copy so please allow sufficient time for delivery to NOAA.

NOAA's SBIR is a contracts based solicitation available on the FBO web site at www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&tab=core&id=1a1bf3788f3c5ef1094738210e475a09&_cview=0 .

NOAA also makes a PDF version of the solicitation on their SBIR web site at www.oar.noaa.gov/orta/


NSF Releases FY-2009 STTR (9/24/08) - The National Science Foundation has released its STTR grants solicitation (NSF 08-608) with an opening date of January 25, 2009 closing on February 25, 2009. A letter of intent is required by January 14, 2009. This solicitation focuses on the topic of Multi-Functional Materials (MM) that contains four subtopics:
  • Bio-inspired Materials and Systems (BMS)
  • Materials for Sustainability (MS)
  • Nanostructured Materials (NM)
  • Smart Materials and Structures (SMS)
Submission must be done via NSF's Fastlane and grants.gov. The solicitation is available on the NSF's SBIR web site at www.nsf.gov/eng/iip/sbir/

DOE Opens FY-09 SBIR/STTR (9/18/08) Updated 11-21-08 - The Department of Energy has opened their FY-2009 SBIR/STTR on September 17, 2008 with a closing date of November 20, 2008 Extended to November 24, 2008 at 8:00pm EST.

The DOE's SBIR/STTR program is grants based and thus uses grants.gov as their opportunities portal. This means that your submissions must be made through grants.gov and you must be registered with grants.gov. This process takes time so register early.

NOTE: Just like last year, DOE cautions you that Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 are incompatible with grants.gov's Pure Edge viewer and you can't use them to submit a proposal. Details are listed on the Grants.gov web site. The DOE is not responsible for this kludge, and the federal government requires the use of grants.gov. After a year and a half, one would think this problem would have been solved.

The solicitation is available on Grants.gov and on the DOE's site at www.science.doe.gov/sbir/.

If you want a printable version of the solicitation, we recommend you download the PDF solicitation from http://www.science.doe.gov/sbir/solicitations/FY%202009/C27_Notice.pdf


Dept of ED's NIDRR Opens 2009 SBIR (9/12/08) - The Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) has opened it's grants based 2009 SBIR, (CFDA) Number: 84.133S�1. For fiscal year 2009, there is one priority with five invitational priorities (Topics).

The broad based over arching priority supports research to develop methods, procedures, and rehabilitation technology that maximize the full inclusion and integration into society, employment, independent living, family and community support, and to promote economic and self-sufficiency of individuals with disabilities, especially individuals with the most significant disabilities; and improve the effectiveness of services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.

The five invitational priorities are:

  1. Development of technology to support access, promote integration, or foster independence of individuals with disabilities in the workplace, recreational activities, or educational settings.
  2. Development of technology to enhance sensory or motor function of individuals with disabilities.
  3. Development of technology to support access to employment, promote sustained employment, and promote employment advancement for individuals with disabilities.
  4. Development of accessible information technology including Web access technology, software, and other systems and devices that promote access to information in educational, employment, and community settings, and voting technology that improves access for individuals with disabilities.
  5. Development of technology to support independent access to health care services in the community for individuals with disabilities.
NIDRR's SBIR grants program accepts submittals via Grants.gov or hard copy. The solicitation is available on Grants.gov at:
http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=LJzMp9bR3QNGTG5gXZpR8402H5ZnFccqdvkK2Q7Jzm31zD1kTdnb!-1606736575?oppId=42803&flag2006=false&mode=VIEW
or on ED's web site at:
www.ed.gov/programs/sbir/applicant.html . The point of contact is Lynn Medley [email protected]

SBIR Short Term Extension (9/04/08) - The SBIR program has been extended (although in rather gray terms) to March 20, 2009. Read all the details on the SBIR Insider at www.zynsys.com/sbir/insider
DOT Extends SBIR Closing Date (9/04/08) - The Department of Transportation's FY-2008.2 (DTRT57-08-R-SBIR2) closing date has just been extended from September 5 to October 3, 2008. No reason was given but you can read the notice from DOT's web site at http://volpedb.volpe.dot.gov/outside/owa/proc_docs/F26351/AM1_08RSBIR2.pdf
DOE SBIR/STTR Pre-release Announcement (8/28/08) - The Department of Energy has released a pre "Funding Announcement" for their upcoming FY-2009 SBIR/STTR solicitation. The solicitation is scheduled to be released and open mid September and if history is a predictor, it will close mid November.

Although the DOE has published the topics they expect to be included, the topics are subject to change until the solicitation is officially released. DOE anticipates about 300 SBIR and 30 STTR awards will be made.

Visit the DOE SBIR site at www.science.doe.gov/sbir


PHS/NIH/CDC Opens FY-2009-1 SBIR Contracts Solicitation (8/7/08) - The Public Health Service has released its PHS-2009-1 SBIR Contracts Solicitation which opened August 7, 2008 and closes on November 3, 2008 at 5pm est. This PHS/NIH/CDC SBIR solicitation is a separate and independent offering from NIH and is not connected to their currently open 2008-2 Omnibus SBIR/STTR Grants solicitation.

There are important differences between this PHS/NIH/CDC SBIR Contracts solicitation and NIH's year long omnibus Grants solicitation. The contracts solicitation is much smaller, the topics are different and are much more focused, and is for SBIR only. In the NIH SBIR Contracts solicitation, proposals are only accepted if they respond specifically to a research topic, and there is only 1 receipt date. For a complete description of the differences see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/contracts_vs_grants.htm

NOTE: Because this solicitation is contracts based and not grants, it does not use the Grants.gov web site or the ERA Commons. Submissions must be in hard copy and sent directly to the relevant Institute/organization. Please allow ample time for your submission to be received.

Complete instructions are included in the solicitation located on the NIH's web site at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/sbir.htm.

The Topics for this contracts solicitation will be included in Zyn's SBIR Gateway Search Engine by August 13, 2008.


DOT SBIR Presolicitation (7/14/08) - The Department of Transportation's (DOT) Volpe Center has announced that it will issue a second and separate SBIR solicitation for FY-2008.

Scheduled to open on or about July 18, 2008, and close September 5, 2008, it is unusual for DOT to have more than one SBIR phase I solicitation per year. DOT's previous FY-2008 solicitation was released on April 15, 2008 and closed on June 3, 2008.

The DOT announcement is on FedBizOpps at www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&tab=core&id=b01560f76c0dc1fd11dab14b7981affc&_cview=1 and the solicitation will be available on the DOT SBIR site at www.volpe.dot.gov/sbir


DoD Issues SBIR 08.3 Prerelease (7/28/08) - The DoD has issued the prereleased their FY2008.3 SBIR solicitation with offerings from the Air Force, Army, Navy, MDA, DLA, and OSD. The solicitation opens and proposals will be accepted starting August 25, 2008 with a closing date of September 24, 2008 at 6:00am EST. The DoD topics will be included in Zyn's SBIR Gateway Search Engine soon.

Each of the DoD's agency components (Air Force, Army Navy etc..) have slightly different rules and procedures. Sometimes there can be specific instructions for a particular topic, so it is strongly advised that you study the solicitation instructions thoroughly.

The SBIR program continues to evolve and that is very evident in the DoD's version. Associated program such as the Commercialization Pilot Program (CPP) and phase II options are changing the topography of SBIR. Small businesses are advised to be aware of these opportunities and how your project may be able to harness them.

Between July 28 and August 24, 2008, you may talk directly with the Topic Authors to ask technical questions about the topics. Their names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses are listed within each solicitation topic above. For reasons of competitive fairness, direct communication between proposers and topic authors is not allowed starting August 25, when DoD begins accepting proposals for this solicitation.

NOTE: In DoD terms this is actually a prerelease. During this period until the solicitation opens on August 25, 2008, topics may be added, modified or withdrawn prior to the official opening on September 24, 2008. Changes are often made to topics, especially during the first week of a pre-release, so make sure to monitor the DoD for updates/changes! You can sign up with the SBIR Gateway to be alerted when changes are made to the DoD solicitation.

Do you want the Zyn SBIR Gateway to notify you when changes to the DoD FY08.3 SBIR are made? If so, please enter your email address below and you will receive an email notification.

Please notify me if changes are made to the DoD 08.3 SBIR solicitation.
Email Address:
Email addresses will remain private and will not be shared.

The DoD solicitation can be downloaded from their site at www.acq.osd.mil/osbp/sbir/solicitations/sbir083


DoD Issues STTR 2008.B Prerelease (7/28/08) - The DoD has issued the prereleased their FY2008.B STTR solicitation with offerings from the Air Force and MDA. The solicitation opens and proposals will be accepted starting August 25, 2008 with a closing date of September 24, 2008 at 6:00am EST. The DoD topics will be included in Zyn's SBIR Gateway Search Engine soon.

It is unusual for the DoD to have more than 1 STTR solicitation per fiscal year, and this being the second of two, is much smaller, but nevertheless important.

Between July 28 and August 24, 2008, you may talk directly with the Topic Authors to ask technical questions about the topics. Their names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses are listed within each solicitation topic above. For reasons of competitive fairness, direct communication between proposers and topic authors is not allowed starting August 25, when DoD begins accepting proposals for this solicitation.

The DoD STTR solicitation can be downloaded from their site at www.acq.osd.mil/osbp/sbir/solicitations/sttr08B


DOT Opens FY08.2 SBIR (7/18/08) - The Department of Transportation's (DOT) Volpe Center has opened its FY08.2 SBIR solicitation with a closing date of September 5, 2008. It is unusual for DOT to have more than one SBIR phase I solicitation per year. DOT's previous FY-2008 solicitation was released on April 15, 2008 and closed on June 3, 2008. The solicitation contains 3 topics: The DOT solicitation is available on their web site at www.volpe.dot.gov/sbir
PHS/NIH/CDC to Release 2009-1 SBIR Contracts Solicitation (7/17/08) - The NIH has issued a pre-release announcement on the Public Health Service's PHS-2009-1 SBIR Contracts Solicitation which will be released on or about August 8, 2008 and close on November 3, 2008. This solicitation will include topics from several NIH institutes as well as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The PHS/NIH/CDC "contracts" solicitation is a separate and independent offering from NIH and is not connected to their currently open 2008-2 Omnibus SBIR/STTR Grants solicitation.

There are important differences between the NIH Grants and NIH Contracts solicitations. The Contracts solicitation is much smaller than the Grants, the topics are different and are much more focused, and is for SBIR only. In the NIH Contracts solicitation, proposals are only accepted if they respond specifically to a research topic, and there is only 1 receipt date. For a complete description of the differences see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/contracts_vs_grants.htm

About 95% of NIH SBIR awards are made through the Grant (assistance) mechanism, and about 5% of NIH SBIR awards are made through the Contracts (procurement) mechanism.

The NIH SBIR web site is located at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/sbir.htm and the NIH pre-solicitation notice is posted on FedBizOpps at https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=ce2cb8910df868323d2c08d9ab66fe65&tab=core&_cview=0


DOT SBIR Presolicitation (7/14/08) - The Department of Transportation's (DOT) Volpe Center has announced that it will issue a second and separate SBIR solicitation for FY-2008.

Scheduled to open on or about July 18, 2008, and close September 5, 2008, it is unusual for DOT to have more than one SBIR phase I solicitation per year. DOT's previous FY-2008 solicitation was released on April 15, 2008 and closed on June 3, 2008.

The DOT announcement is on FedBizOpps at www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&tab=core&id=b01560f76c0dc1fd11dab14b7981affc&_cview=1 and the solicitation will be available on the DOT SBIR site at www.volpe.dot.gov/sbir


NIST Opens 2008 TIP Solicitation (7/9/08) - Although this is not SBIR, we thought this funding opportunity would be of interest to you.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced the opening of its 2008 Technology Innovation Program (TIP)solicitation with a due date of September 4, 2008. TIP is the successor to the former NIST Advanced Technology Program (ATP) and is funded via a cooperative agreement targeted to high-risk, high-reward research and development proposals.

TIP is soliciting proposals under this competition in one area of critical nation need entitled �Civil Infrastructure�. NIST defines Civil Infrastructure as: The objective of this area of critical national need is to address two elements of a Civil Infrastructure Structural Integrity societal challenge. The two elements are inspection and monitoring of the United States� Civil Infrastructure Structural Integrity as outlined in the white paper �Advanced Sensing Technologies for the Infrastructure: Roads, Highways, Bridges and Water Systems� (www.nist.gov/tip/helpful.html)

Proposals are being sought to create and validate new advanced, robust, network capable, nondestructive evaluation and test sensing systems, or system components, to cost effectively and quantitatively inspect and evaluate the structural integrity of the civil infrastructure.

Eligibility: A U.S.-owned, single, small-sized or medium-sized company doing a majority of its business in the United States or a joint venture may apply for TIP funding. Members of joint ventures that are companies must also be doing a majority of their business in the United States. In addition, a company incorporated in the United States that has a parent company incorporated in another country may apply provided that certain requirements are met as discussed below. The term business or company means a for-profit organization, including sole proprietors, partnerships, limited-liability companies (LLCs), and corporations (15 C.F.R. �296.2).

Starting Mid-July NIST will hold a series of seven TIP Proposer's Conferences (see www.nist.gov/tip/2008_proposers_conferences.html) including St. Louis, MO; Houston, TX; Atlanta, GA; Portland, OR; San Jose, CA; Boston, MA; and of course NIST's home in Gaithersburg, MD. NIST will also host a TIP Critical National Needs webcast on Monday, July 14, 2008, from 1:30pm to 3:00pm ET.

Complete details are available on the NIST TIP web site at www.nist.gov/tip


NASA Opens 2008 SBIR/STTR Solicitation (7/7/08) - NASA has opened its 2008 SBIR and STTR solicitations on July 7, 2008 with a closing date of September, 4, 2008. Although this is a combined SBIR/STTR solicitation, the topics, rules and procedures for their SBIR and STTR are independent. Both SBIR and STTR phase I award amounts are $100,000 with a duration of 6 months for SBIR and 12 months for STTR.

NASA is continuing the use of their Electronic Hand Book (EHB) for the proposal submission process. The Proposal Submission EHB will guide the firms through the steps for submitting an SBIR/STTR proposal. All EHB submissions are through a secure connection. Communication between NASA's SBIR/STTR programs and the firm is primarily through a combination of EHBs and e-mail.

The solicitation and electronic handbook are available on NASA's SBIR site at sbir.nasa.gov/ .


USDA Opens FY-2009 SBIR (7/03/08) - The USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) has opened it's FY-2009 SBIR solicitation (funding No. USDA-CSREES-SBIR-001725), that opened on June 27, 2008 and closes on September 4, 2008. The USDA SBIR program is grants based and utilizes grants.gov for the submission process. Although Grants.gov has improved since last year, it still takes time to get registered, so it is advisable to start the registration process early.

Depending upon the availability of funds, USDA expects to make approximately 85 Phase I awards not to exceed $80,000 each to small businesses in FY 2009. Awards are anticipated to be made on or after May 1, 2009. USDA will announce the names of those concerns receiving awards and successful applicants will then typically have eight months after awards are made to carry out their proposed Phase I effort.

Special consideration will be given to applications that address Agriculturally-related Manufacturing Technology and Alternative and Renewable Energy as two cross-cutting priorities with relevance to all topic areas.

USDA Topics Areas Are:

  • 8.1 Forests and Related Resources
  • 8.2 Plant Production and Protection - Biology
  • 8.3 Animal Production and Protection
  • 8.4 Air, Water and Soils
  • 8.5 Food Science and Nutrition
  • 8.6 Rural Development
  • 8.7 Aquaculture
  • 8.8 Biofuels and Biobased Products
  • 8.9 Marketing and Trade
  • 8.11 Animal Manure Management
  • 8.12 Small and Mid-Size Farms
  • 8.13 Plant Production and Protection - Engineering

The solicitation is available from the USDA SBIR web site at http://www.csrees.usda.gov/fo/sbir.cfm


NASA 2008 SBIR/STTR Presolicitation (7/3/08) - NASA has announced that it plans to issue its 2008 SBIR and STTR solicitations on or about July 7, 2008 with a closing date of September, 4, 2008. Although this will be a combined SBIR/STTR solicitation, the topics, rules and procedures for their SBIR and STTR are independent.

The solicitation and electronic handbook will be available on NASA's SBIR site at sbir.nasa.gov/ . The presolicitation announcement is available on FedBizOpps at www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=2942c173d314cbf96b80f74eae745399&tab=core&_cview=0


DHS DNDO Directorate Opens FY-081 SBIR Updated (6/26/08) - Note: Due to a DHS web server problem, the DHS DNDO SBIR is not available on the DHS DNDO web site

The Department of Homeland Security's Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) has opened it's FY081 SBIR with a closing date of July 16 2008. This solicitation should not be confused with the current DHS S&T offering.

There are 4 technical topics in this DNDO solicitation. They are:

  1. 08.1-1 Signal Processing Algorithms to Nominate Potential Targets and Eliminate False Positives in the Non-Intrusive Inspection of Cargo Conveyances

  2. 08.1-2 Fast, Solid-State, Prompt Neutron Detectors Capable of Operating in Non-Invasive Interrogation Environments

  3. 08.1-3 Analytical techniques and instrumentation used in determining the origin and transit route of nuclear materials

  4. 08.1-4 Non-Radioactive Alternatives or Techniques to Replace Radioactive Sources in Commercial Applications

Proposal submission to the DNDO must be done electronically via www.fedconnect.net. Questions pertaining to the solicitation must be submitted by June 10, 2008 via DNDO's submittal web site at www.fedconnect.net

The solicitation is available on the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) web site at https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=11445640702a512dd46e9ed1fc0b932d&tab=core&_cview=1


DHS S&T Directorate Revises FY-082 SBIR [Updated 6/24/08] -

The DHS S&T FY-082 SBIR has faced many changes due to their web server melt down, and additional changes have been issued today, June 24, 2008. The best place to go for the official word on this Revision 2 is their posting on the FBO web site at:
www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=7befde53c1ad489e33e3dc95ff8a1457&tab=core&_cview=1

In a nutshell the agency decided to accept proposals only via email, but following a strict procedure:

1. You must email [email protected] and notify them of your intent to submit a proposal (notification must be received by Friday, June 20).

2. DHS S&T will email you a confirmation number that you must use when you submit your proposal via email.

3. Complete proposal shall be submitted by e-mail to: [email protected] and must be zipped and password-protected. Include the proposal number that DHS assigned to you, but do not include your password in this email. [this step has been simplified from the previous instructions in revision 1]

4. Send a separate email to the same address with your proposal number and your password.

5. Make sure you receive a confirmation that your submission was received.

[NOTE: The new due date is July 8, 2008, but you must have submitted #1 above by June 20, 2008 or your submission will not be accepted]

Below is our original announcement of the DHS S&T SBIR FY-2008
DHS S&T Directorate Opens FY-082 SBIR (5/2/08) [Updated 6/24/08] - Note: Due to a DHS web server problem, the DHS SBIR closing date has been extended to June 27, 2008 July 8, 2008.

The Department of Homeland Security's Science & Technology Directorate has opened it's FY082 SBIR with a closing date of June 17 2008 June 27, 2008, July 8, 2008 4:30 pm Local Eastern Time.

From 1 May 2008 through May 16, 2008 May 23, 2008, proposers may contact the Technical Points of Contact identified in the solicitation by telephone or by email to ask technical questions about specific technical topics. No further direct contact between proposers and Technical Points of Contact shall occur after May 16 May 23, 2008 for reasons of competitive fairness. Additional questions will only be accepted until June 6, 2008 June 20, 2008 through e-mail at [email protected].

There are 4 technical topics in this solicitation. They are:

  1. H-SB08.2-001 Engineered Building Materials

  2. H-SB08.2-002 Innovative Educational Environments to Develop the Necessary Intellectual Basis for a National DHS S&T Workforce

  3. H-SB08.2-003 High Speed DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) Sequencing for Environmental Sample Biological Threat Detection, Identification, and Support for Attribution

  4. H-SB08.2-004 Telecommunications Linking System
The solicitation is available on the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) web site at https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=c529b22215aa2e8c729cc9665169a06b&tab=core&_cview=1

DoD Issues SBIR 08.2 Prerelease (4/21/08) - The DoD has issued the prereleased their FY2008.2 SBIR solicitation with offerings from the Air Force, Army, Navy, DARPA, CBD, OSD, and DTRA. The solicitation opens and proposals will be accepted starting May 19, 2008 with a closing date of June 18, 2008 at 6:00am EST. The DoD topics will be included in Zyn's SBIR Gateway Search Engine soon.

Each of the DoD's agency components (Air Force, Army Navy etc..) have slightly different rules and procedures. Sometimes there can be specific instructions for a particular topic, so it is strongly advised that you study the solicitation instructions thoroughly.

The SBIR program continues to evolve and that is very evident in the DoD's version. Associated program such as the Commercialization Pilot Program (CPP) and phase II options are changing the topography of SBIR. Small businesses are advised to be aware of these opportunities and how your project may be able to harness them.

Caution: In DoD terms this is actually a prerelease which means that topics may be added, modified or withdrawn prior to the official opening on May 19, 2008. Changes are often made to topics, especially during the first week of a pre-release, so make sure to monitor the DoD for updates/changes! You can sign up with the SBIR Gateway to be alerted when changes are made to the DoD solicitation.

The DoD solicitation can be downloaded from their site at www.acq.osd.mil/osbp/sbir/solicitations/sbir082


SBIR Reauthorization Battle Continues (4/15/08) - The SBIR program is set to expire/sunset on September 30, 2008 unless Congress reauthorizes the program. Although the program is very successful and well liked, a few high powered big pharma special interest groups want to change the rules and definition of "small business" so they can exempt their VC funds from small business size standards, and allow large VC syndicates to have majority ownership and control, and effectivly stomp out small business competition.

An integral part of their plan includes legtimizing and growing SBIR jumbo awards, which are non-sanctioned amounts far exceeding the SBA policy guidlines of $750k. These jumbo awards have reached as high as $9.2 million in the NIH.

The House Small Business Committee is currently working on their plan, as is the House Committee on Science & Technology. The stories are covered in detail on the SBIR Insider at www.zynsys.com/sbir/insider/.


DOT Opens FY-08 SBIR (4/15/08) - The Department of Transportation has released their FY-08 SBIR solicitation with an opening date of April 15, 2008 and closing on June 3, 2008. There are several changes in this iteration of DOT's SBIR, not the least of which is their conversion to electronic proposal submission. DOT's SBIR is a "contracts" based program and therefor they are utilizing their own electronic submission system rather than grants.gov. Also new are some topics that are Multi-Modal. These topics are clearly marked.

The DOT's solicitation has topics from several of their agency components including:

  • Federal Highway Administration
  • Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
  • Pipeline And Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
  • National Highway And Traffic Safety Administration
  • Federal Transit Administration
  • Federal Railroad Administration

The DOT's SBIR solicitation is located on their web site at: http://www.volpe.dot.gov/sbir/sol08/index.html


EPA Opens FY-08 SBIR (3/20/08) - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released its FY-2008 phase I SBIR solicitation with an opening date of March 20, 2008 and a closing date of May 21, 2008. Note: The EPA only accepts hard copy proposals. An original and 2 copies are required and they encourage you to include a CD-ROM with a PDF copy of your proposal. Proposals must be received at EPA by 12:00 p.m. (Noon) local time on May 21, 2008.

The topics for this EPA solicitation are:

  1. Innovation In Manufacturing
  2. Nanotechnology
  3. Green Buildings
  4. Drinking Water And Water Monitoring
  5. Water Infrastructure Rehabilitation
  6. Monitoring And Control Of Air Pollution
    • Air Pollution Control
    • Air Pollution Monitoring
  7. Biofuels And Vehicles Emissions Reductions
    • Ethanol, Biodiesel and Other Biofuels
    • Diesel Construction and Truck Retrofits
  8. Waste Management And Monitoring
    • Cleanup of Contaminated Sediments
    • Waste-to-Energy Systems
    • Hazardous Waste Monitoring
  9. Homeland Security
    • Decontamination
    • Drinking Water and Wastewater Security
    • Emergency Response
The solicitation is available of EPA's SBIR web site at: http://es.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2008/2008_sbir_phase1.html

NSF Releases FY-2009 SBIR (2/27/08) [Updated 7-2-08] - The National Science Foundation has released its SBIR grants solicitation (NSF 08-548) with an opening date of May 10, 2008 closing on June 10, 2008, reopening November 4, 2008 and closing December 4, 2008. This solicitation contains topics covering Biotech and Chemical Technologies (BC); Electronics, Components, and Engineering Systems (EL); and Software and Services (SS).

The NSF has an interesting twist to this solicitation in that it will reopen with the same broad based topics on November 4, 2008, with a closing date of December 04, 2008. Although this solicitation does not include an STTR component, one is promised for the future.

Notice: The NSF lists this as their FY-2009 solicitation and the caveat of "pending availability of funds" becomes very important because the SBIR program is subject to sunset September 30, 2008 (the end of the FY-2008 fiscal year). Although SBIR reauthorization efforts are underway, it is very possible that congress may not get the job done in time, and there may be a temporary lapse period. It is questionable if the 11 SBIR agencies will issue FY-2009 grants and contracts prior to the programs reauthorization. [see SBIR Insider for latest reauthorization news]

Complete details of the NSF's offering is available at www.nsf.gov/eng/iip/sbir/


EPA SBIR Presolicitation Announcement (2/21/08) - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a prerelease announcement about their upcoming FY-09 SBIR solicitation. The anticipated release date of the solicitation is March 12, 2008, with an expected due date of May 14, 2008. The solicitation will be available on the Internet and can be found at www.epa.gov/ncer/sbir/ and www.epa.gov/oam/rtp_cmd/.

EPA is seeking R&D efforts on the following agency topics: A) Innovation In Manufacturing; B) Nanotechnology; C) Green Buildings; D) Drinking Water and Water Monitoring; E) Water Infrastructure Rehabilitation; F) Monitoring and Control of Air Pollution; G) Biofuels and Vehicle Emissions Reduction; H) Waste Management and Monitoring; and I) Homeland Security.

EPA contemplates awarding approximately twenty-five (25) firm-fixed price contracts on these topics


DOE SBIR/STTR Phase II Opens (2/12/08) - The DOE has released its Phase II SBIR/STTR grants notice. The Department of Energy (DOE) invites all DOE SBIR/STTR Phase I Awardees from FY 2007 to submit Phase II grant applications. The Department may also reconsider previously submitted, peer-reviewed, high ranking Phase II grant applications from FY 2007. However, this is only at the discretion and request of the DOE Project Officer. Those applicants do not have an opportunity to reapply. If a previously submitted application is selected for funding, the applicant would have an opportunity to determine if they are still interested and able to pursue the Phase II research project.

This SBIR/STTR Phase II Funding Notice is available at www.grants.gov , click on Apply for Grants, then click on Download a Grant Application Package and enter the Funding Opportunity Number: DE-PS02-08ER08-17.

The deadline for receipt of Phase II grant applications to either program is April 18, 2008, 8:00 p.m. EST. All applications must be submitted through Grants.gov. This information is also available on the DOE web site at www.science.doe.gov/sbir


SBIR Insider Newsletter - February 11, 2008
[SBIR Insider Home] [View this Issue]
In this issue:


DHHS Opens 2008-2 Omnibus SBIR/STTR (1/25/08) - The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has released its PHS 2008-2 omnibus SBIR/STTR Grants solicitation that stays open all year and has 3 separate receipt days. This complex solicitation, includes opportunities from three main components of DHHS, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The NIH is the largest entity in this solicitation and is comprised of many institutes, each with their own set of interests and topics. Although the technical topics are shared between the SBIR and STTR offerings, the rules and regulations are different and the NIH issues separate announcements for their SBIR (PA-08-050) and their STTR (PA-08-051).

NIH has separate receipt dates for AIDS and Non-AIDS topics, both of which have 3 receipt dates that span the year. Non-Aids receipt dates are: April 5, Aug 5, Dec 5, 2008 and AIDS related dates are May 7, September 7,2008 and January 7, 2009.

The DHHS solicitation is grants based and requires registration and submission via the Grants.gov web site. It is a complex process but the NIH offers help and guidance on their web site at grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/sbir.htm.

The NIH topics will be included in Zyn's SBIR Gateway Topic Search Engine by January 31, 2008. Unlike most other SBIR solicitations, the NIH topics are broad based and act as a guide to their areas of interest. Many of the participating NIH Institutes will accept a proposal that addresses an area of interest within the mission of the institute. Respondents should not be timid about asking for guidance.


DoD Releases FY08 STTR (1/22/08) - The DoD has released their FY-2008.A STTR solicitation which will open to accept proposals on February 19, 2008 and close on March 19, 2008 at 6 a.m. EST

Prior to the opening date of February 19, 2008, proposers have the opportunity to contact topic authors by telephone or email to ask technical questions about specific solicitations topics. Questions should be limited to specific information related to improving the understanding of a particular topic�s requirements. Offerors may not ask for advice or guidance on solution approach, nor submit additional material to the topic author. If information given in response to a question is deemed necessary for the preparation of proposals, that information will be made available to the public through the DoD's SITIS (electronic Q&A) system www.dodsbir.net/sitis. After February 18, questions can still be posed, but only through the DoD's public SITIS system.

The DoD's STTR solicitation includes topics from the Air Force (29), Army (42), Navy (34), DARPA (15), and OSD (3). The solicitation can be found on the DoD's web site at www.acq.osd.mil/osbp/sbir/solicitations/sttr08A

This is the third year that the STTR program is operating under SBA's updated STTR Policy Directive (released 12/16/05) that allows partnering with a Federally Funded Research & Development Center (FFRDC) without obtaining an SBA waiver. An updated list of FFRDCs is available at www.zynsys.com/sbir/articles/ffrdc.htm The STTR Policy Directive is available at www.zynsys.com/sbir/articles/sba-sttr_PDa.htm .

NOTE: The DoD's topics are subject to change/cancellation during the initial release time period, so it is wise to periodically check for changes.

Do you want the Zyn SBIR Gateway to notify you when changes to the DoD FY08 STTR are made? If so, please enter your email address below and you will receive an email notification.


DOT Announces 08 SBIR Dates (1/15/08) UPDATED 3/12/08 - The Department of Transportation's Volpe National Transportation System Center, has announced that it will release their 2008 SBIR solicitation on or about February 15, 2008 Now projected April 15, 2008. Although the closing date has not been announced, history would suggest early June.

The DOT's solicitation usually has topics from several of their agency components including:

  • Federal Highway Administration
  • Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
  • Pipeline And Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
  • National Highway And Traffic Safety Administration
  • Federal Transit Administration
  • Federal Railroad Administration
The DOT's SBIR web site is located at www.volpe.dot.gov/sbir The announcement is published on FedBizOpps at www.fbo.gov/spg/DOT/RITA/VNTSC/DTRT57-08-R-SBIR/listing.html

DoD Announces 08 STTR (1/14/08) - The DoD has announced that it will release its 2008 STTR solicitation on January 22, 2008. DoD has a presolicitation period of about 30 days whereby the small business offeror can talk directly with the topic author to ask technical questions about the topics.

The announcement is listed on fedbizopps at www.fbo.gov/spg/USAF/AFMC/AFRL-PK/DoDSTTR_2008/SynopsisP.html.

NOTE: The DoD has issued 2 announcements but they are both for the same solicitation. The only difference are the NAICS codes, one is 541712 -- Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology), the other is 541711 -- Research and Development in Biotechnology.


NSF Releases SBIR/STTR Diversity Collaborative Supplements Announcement (1/02/08) - The National Science Foundation's (NSF) Directorate for Education & Human Resources' Division of Human Resource Development, and the Directorate for Engineering's Industrial Innovation and Partnerships, released Program Solicitation 08-528 amongst other items, includes a call for SBIR/STTR Diversity Collaborative Supplements for spring 2008 requests.

The program title is: Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) and HBCU Research Infrastructure for Science and Engineering (HBCU-RISE).

SBIR/STTR diversity collaborative supplement proposals are invited from current SBIR/STTR grantees and their CREST or HBCU-RISE institution partners.

SBIR/STTR supplements seek to promote partnerships between academe and the small-business community. In particular, SBIR/STTR Phase II grantees may partner with CREST/HBCU-RISE institutions with the intent of developing the scientific or engineering underpinnings of the SBIR Phase II technology. As such, it is important that the SBIR/STTR supplemental project be related to the research areas for which the institution is receiving CREST/HBCU-RISE support. For FY 2008, the target date for these proposals is March 14, 2008. Inquiries and proposals to this track are not submitted to CREST but directly to SBIR/STTR in the Directorate for Engineering.

Complete information is available at: http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf08528




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