NASA SBIR/STTR Request for Information

 Purpose:

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and  Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program Office is seeking to engage industry and small businesses  to better build awareness, gain insights, and obtain feedback to help shape the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 NASA SBIR/STTR Solicitation and identify potential programmatic improvements. NASA's SBIR/STTR program has been actively working to increase engagement with industry over the last several years. This RFI reflects that effort to increase communication and receive feedback for program improvement.

This RFI provides an opportunity for small businesses and industry, in general, to provide feedback to benefit the stakeholders of NASA's SBIR/STTR Program. In particular, this is an opportunity to provide comments on the strengths and weaknesses of particular FY 2020 subtopics so that the quality of subtopics can be improved in during the development of the FY 2021 NASA SBIR/STTR Solicitation.

NASA is also providing a networking opportunity for businesses participating in this RFI to share contact information with other RFI participants and develop partnerships. The contact list will be shared only with businesses that choose the opt-in option on the RFI submission form. Those who opt-in will be asked to provide their company name, contact information, and a brief summary of their organization's capabilities for inclusion in the distribution by NASA. 

Description:

Information sought will be divided into the following two areas:

(1) Feedback on the FY 2020 Subtopics

NASA is seeking feedback on the FY20 Solicitation subtopics. NASA is particularly interested in feedback on subtopics that are unclear or provided insufficient information, subtopics that were overly broad or not specific enough and therefore caused difficulty in writing a proposal, or subtopics that were too specific where revisions are suggested to facilitate more innovative solutions. In addition, NASA is interested to know if it was difficult to select a subtopic due to duplication or overlap with other subtopics.

Note:  the FY20 Solicitation is closed and proposals have already been received and are presently being evaluated. Therefore, no feedback received concerning the FY20 Solicitation subtopics will be utilized in any way by NASA during the current evaluation process for FY20.

(2) Feedback on the Submissions Electronic Handbook (EHB) and Help Desk

The program is also seeking feedback about the proposal submission process through the Submissions EHB system. User feedback is important and will be considered for future EHB improvements. Users may also provide feedback on any interactions they had with the SBIR/STTR Help Desk during the proposal submission process.

(3) Feedback on the Civilian Commercialization Readiness Pilot Program (CCRPP) Program

The NASA SBIR/STTR program currently has several initiatives that emphasize opportunities for commercialization to support its small business partners move past the basic Phase I and Phase II elements of the program. In the CCRPP program, NASA provides a 1:1 match for external investor funding. NASA is interested in your perspective on funding levels in this program.

How to Participate:

The RFI will open Monday, April 27, 2020 at 5:00 PM EDT and will close Monday, May 18, 2020 at 5:00 PM EDT. Responses to the RFI must be submitted on-line through the NASA SBIR/STTR Electronic Handbook (EHB) located at: https://sbir.gsfc.nasa.gov/submissions/rfi.

In order to access the EHB, you must be a registered user in the system. To register, click on the "Register/Activate" link on the login screen and follow the instructions. Registration takes just a couple of minutes, and upon successful registration you will have immediate access to the EHB. Note: If you have submitted a NASA SBIR or STTR Phase I or Phase II Proposal to a recent Solicitation, then you only need to re-activate your account.

The NASA SBIR/STTR Help Desk can provide technical support and answer questions regarding clarification of RFI submission instructions. Email questions to: sbir@reisystems.com.  

NOTE: Participation in this request is voluntary, and questions should not be considered as a formal announcement to receive proposals, or as negotiations in contemplation of any contractual work for NASA. Participation is not required to propose to any existing or future announcements. NASA will not provide reimbursement for any costs incurred in participation in this RFI.