NIST SBIR Program Soliciting Proposals

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), through its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, invites small businesses to submit proposals for solutions to technology challenges in the areas of cyber-physical systems, cybersecurity, health care, manufacturing and technology transfer.

"We are pleased to now offer the SBIR awards as cooperative agreement grants, which allow for more flexibility in how companies can address the technology challenges," said NIST's Associate Director for Innovation and Industrial Services Phillip Singerman. "Our goal is to foster greater innovation."

SBIR Phase I awards provide up to $90,000 over a performance period of seven months and are intended to determine the feasibility of the proposed research. Phase I awardees are eligible to submit proposals for Phase II funding to further develop their technology.

Proposals may be submitted to develop the following topics:

• compact, rapid electro-optic laser scanner for absolute 3D imaging
• computer-aided standards development (CASD)—a software tool to automate the process of standards development
• cryptographic acceleration for border gateway protocol security (BGPSEC)
• erbium-based diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) lasers for remote sensing
• instrument to detect aerosolized-droplet dose delivery of vaccines
• NIST tech transfer
• precision specimen control for transmission scanning electron microscopy
• predictive modeling tools for metal-based additive manufacturing
• privacy-preserving tools for federated authentication models
• production of NIST/University of California San Francisco breast phantom for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• residential heat pump fault detection and diagnostic data logger
• secure email agent using the domain name system (DNS) as a trust infrastructure
• silicon single-photon avalanche diodes with detection efficiency that exceeds 95 percent
• technology for separation of carbon nanotubes
• ultra-sensitive and wide dynamic range, cavity ring-down spectroscopy system for detection of ozone

The NIST SBIR program identifies and solicits proposal in subtopics that fall within NIST's mission. Details of this competition are available at the Grants.gov website under Federal Funding Opportunity 2014-NIST-SBIR-01.The full announcement, with information on eligibility, other requirements and proposal submission instructions, is available at www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=251550. Proposals must be submitted by May 2, 2014.

For general information about the NIST SBIR program, call (301) 975-4188 or email sbir [at] nist.gov (sbir[at]nist[dot]gov).