NASA announces USD105 million in Phase II SBIR awards to US small businesses

The small businesses will spend up to two years developing, demonstrating, and delivering their proposed projects. If their Phase II work proves successful, the SBIR program will provide additional funding opportunities to them.

NASA's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program has announced 140 new Phase II awards - totalling USD105 million - for 127 U.S. small businesses to help them move their innovations to market.

The SBIR program is aimed at finding the most useful technologies for NASA and the commercial marketplace and sourcing those innovations from a diverse group of entrepreneurs with different backgrounds and perspectives. The awardees of Phase II funding include 33 women-owned, minority-owned, and veteran-owned small businesses. 

We have a long history of supporting America’s entrepreneurs as they develop tech from ideas to commercial readiness. Today we continue that legacy: we're investing $105M in 127 small businesses, funding that will help move their innovations to market: https://t.co/yq46qaydku pic.twitter.com/tcda2r62RF

— NASA Technology (@NASA_Technology) May 13, 2021

The Phase I awards, granted in 2020, gave all the awardees a chance to demonstrate the merits of their innovations and show how they could contribute to NASA's efforts in human exploration, space technology, science, and aeronautics. Now, the Phase II awards will provide each of them with up to USD750,000 to advance their technologies toward potential commercialization.

The small businesses will spend up to two years developing, demonstrating, and delivering their proposed projects. If their Phase II work proves successful, the SBIR program will provide additional funding opportunities to them.

"These small businesses received Phase I awards towards the onset of the global pandemic and persevered through it to evolve promising up-and-coming technology solutions. As the government helps get small businesses back on track, we value their commitment and dedication to supporting NASA missions and goals," noted Jim Reuter, associate administrator for NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD).

As part of the SBIR/STTR program, NASA announced a total investment of more than USD45 million in Phase I awards to another group of small businesses in March 2021.