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The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced more than $2.3 million in Phase I and Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards to 13 U.S. small businesses. SBIR awards provide funding to help develop technologies that could lead to commercial and public benefit.
"We congratulate the companies selected out of the numerous high-quality proposals we received," said Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director Patrick Gallagher. "The SBIR program provides a great way for federal research to benefit from small business innovation."
NIST's competitive SBIR program seeks to stimulate technological innovation in the private sector, strengthen the role of small business in meeting federal research and development needs, increase private-sector commercialization of federal research and development, and foster technological innovation at minority and disadvantaged firms.
SBIR awards are funded through a three-phase process. In Phase I, small businesses can receive up to $90,000 to establish the technical merit, feasibility, and commercial potential of the proposed research and development. Phase I awardees compete for Phase II funding of up to $300,000 that enables them to continue their efforts. Phase III involves commercial applications of the newly developed technologies, with funding from outside of the SBIR program.
A complete list of the 2013 NIST SBIR awards is available online.