NASA and the NTTC Join Forces to Support SBIR Technology Commercialization

In my last Blog posting (on Oct 29th) I talked about things that the DOD is doing to support Phase III commercialization of SBIR-funded technologies. Today it's NASA's turn.

I had lunch today with two very interesting people: Carl Ray, the SBIR Program Manager for NASA, and Darwin Molnar, the VP for SBIR and NASA Tech Transfer for the National Technology Transfer Center (NTTC). We talked about the difficulties that small businesses face when attempting to transition technology being developed under NASA SBIRs to the commercial marketplace, and what's being done to aid that process.

Carl and I have been friends ever since he became NASA's SBIR chief back in the early 90s. NASA has always been focused on funding those SBIR projects that have the greatest likelihood of eventually being deployed into NASA systems. We've disagreed on some of NASA's communication policies, but have always agreed on one thing: Getting an SBIR project to Phase III must be actively supported. Companies need guidance in the culture change in moving out of R&D mode into commercialization, and they need the funding to get there.

NASA first turned to the NTTC for support to effect transferring space program technology to general marketplace utilization back in 1989. Some of the NTTC/NASA partnership successes include smoke detectors, CT scanners, GPS, and the cordless drill. Just a couple of years ago the NASA/NTTC team created the Small Business Innovative Partnerships Program (SBIPP) to provide direct support to "help small companies develop [SBIR-funded] research into technologies that both fit the needs of NASA’s mission systems and contribute to American quality of life through commercialization."

The SBIPP has been steadily improved as information has been added to the set of "portfolios" -- actually a CD highlighting relevant SBIR-funded technologies -- that are sent out to interested technology integrators, which include NASA Centers as well as interests outside of NASA. The most recent version of the portfolios actually includes applicable DoD SBIR technologies along with the NASA projects. Good stuff! To inquire about availability of the CD, contact Darwin Molnar. His contact information is on the SBIPP website (www.SBIPP.com) which also contains a sample of what's on the CD. Check it out.

I asked Carl what was special about this effort from the NASA perspective, and he stressed the effort that's been made to express the technology's taxonomy in terms that avoid using NASA jargon. The commercial world should have a much easier time understanding what's being offered.

Carl and I did chat briefly about what the Obama victory might mean for the SBIR reauthorization process in the Congress. One thing seems certain -- Senator Kerry will probably be assuming a more prominent role in the new administration, and his Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee will be headed by someone else who might not have his same passion for SBIR support. (See Rick Shindell's analysis on his new Insider Report on the SBIR Gateway.) Carl did tell me that he'd prefer to not see the SBIR funding base raised (his NASA responsibilities are actually much broader than just SBIR and he doesn't want the SBIR percentage of his budget changed), but he'd not object to a raising of the funding caps -- so long as his Agency had the option to fund at a lower level.

Next week is the National SBIR Conference in Hartford, CT. The SBIR Coach will be there, and I'll report on "what's new" in next week's Blog.
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New Help for Transitioning SBIR-Funded Technology to Commercialization (Phase III)

Companies that win SBIR awards, and get funding for demonstrating feasibility (Phase I) and developing the proof-of-concept prototype (Phase II) often find themselves stymied to take the technology further. Funding for commercialization (Phase III) is very hard to arrange and obtain -- it isn't provided via the required agency R&D budget set-aside as is Phase I and II. The "normal" processes for getting such projects funded are just too daunting and competitive for most small businesses to undertake. But there's actually many sources of help, some new, and some not so new.

About seven years ago I received the distinct honor of being invited to join a distinguished national Panel of experts on small business technology development and commercialization. This Panel is convened several times a year by the Washington Office of the National Technology Transfer Center (NTTC) for the purpose of advising businesses (both large and small) and research institutions (both universities and Federal labs) who are conducting research and development funded by the DOD's Missile Defense Agency (MDA). The advice is specifically focused on issues relating to the transitioning of their technology to end use, and, hopefully, eventual insertion into MDA systems.

MDA has sponsored and NTTC has administered this enlightened Technology Applications Review (TAR) program for over twenty years (I'm still one of the newbies). The invited companies present the status of their MDA funded technology development progress, their plans for transitioning it to commercialization, and their assessment of the resources they'll need to accomplish the plans. History shows that the majority of these TAR participants have been SBIR-funded small businesses, usually at the level of Phase II. The Panel provides critical feedback on their plans, and offers suggestions for new strategic business positioning, tactical approaches for implementing the plans, new ideas for applications of the technology, and referrals to individuals to contact for further guidance and help.

Well, the NTTC convened our third TAR meeting of 2008 last week in San Diego. Four very interesting SBIR companies made their presentations, and we on the Panel provided much spirited feedback. The company executives all went away with "to do" lists of actions to be taken, some strategic, some tactical. Two of the companies were actually making a repeat TAR appearance, having been so impressed with the quality of the advice they had received in their prior visit that they were back for another dose of reality. We'll have another session next week in Washington DC with five more SBIR companies making presentations. I can hardly wait!

While the NTTC/MDA sponsored TAR is, in my opinion, the most focused and, arguably, the best support mechanism out there for promoting transitioning of an SBIR company to commercialization success, there are other initiatives for companies who are not MDA funded to take advantage of. The DOD began what's known as the Commercialization Pilot Program (CPP) back in 2006. It's evolving and still pretty "new". It's been implemented by the Army, Navy, and Air Force, to provide direct support to smooth the way for SBIR companies to obtain Phase III funding for commercialization. Support is available via the CPP for a variety of business functions, as well as for removing roadblocks to working with Defense Prime Contractors.

The Army, Navy, Air Force, and the MDA, themselves hold regular events designed to promote commercialization of small business developed technologies, many of which focus on SBIR. Just today I received notice of a conference on transitioning "disruptive" technologies from "non-traditional" sources (e.g., small SBIR companies) to the Army's ARDEC. The event will be held next January. Click HERE for more information. In future Blog posts I'll take a close look at what each of the Federal agencies (all of them - not just DOD) are doing (or, in some cases, not doing) to promote Phase III.

And, finally, the SBIR re-authorization legislation will very likely provide some funding for more Phase III support for all of the agencies, as well as the requirement to actively support the transition of SBIR technology to commercialization. All the more reason for us to get behind the effort to convince our legislators to do this right.
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PS: 11/3/08. I sent out an SBIR Coach's Newsletter issue today that answers the question: What is Phase III? If you're at all confused about that, you'll want to read this. If you'd like a copy, please write to me. To get on the Newsletter mailing list, click the button on the margin at the left (be sure to answer the confirming email you'll get). Every issue has opt-out buttons, and your email address privacy is strictly guaranteed.
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