How SBA Contributed to Mars Exploration

The nation’s attention was captured by the successful landing of NASA’s Perseverance rover on planet Mars. Aboard the rover were eight different innovations that were powered by Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants—a program administered by the US Small Business Administration. A recent press release from NASA stated that the agency annually invests in U.S. small businesses with promising new technologies – companies developing better batteries, virtual assistants, lightweight materials and more. These technologies can benefit space missions, as well as improve life on Earth.

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) are highly competitive programs that encourage domestic small businesses to engage in federal research and development projects with the potential for commercialization. Currently, eleven Federal agencies participate in the SBA’s SBIR program, and five of those agencies also participate in the STTR program. The three-phase program stimulates technological innovation and encourages participation in innovation by women and socially or economically disadvantaged persons. 

The US Small Business Administration serves as the coordinating agency for the SBIR program. It directs the agencies' implementation of SBIR, reviews their progress, and reports annually to Congress on its operation. In the last ten years, $405 million has been awarded to businesses in the Houston District. On average, 1.7 grants are awarded every week! The bulk of the awards have come from the Department of Defense (with the Air Force, Army and Navy awarding the most funding), followed by the Health and Human Services agency, NASA, and the National Science Foundation. This year, two Houston businesses, re:3D Inc and Raptamer Discovery Group, won the Tibbetts Award, named after Roland Tibbetts, the founder of the SBIR Program, for exceptional successes achieved through SBA’s SBIR and STTR programs.

SBIR funding has contributed to other well-known innovations, such as the technology that powers robotic vacuums like Roomba. The company behind the product, iRobot, originally utilized the SBIR program to develop robots for the Department of Defense. iRobot has continued its commitment to Science, Technology, Engineering and Match (STEM) education through its outreach program, iRobot STEM, which introduces the exciting and educational world of robots into the classroom. The well-known genetic testing kit, 23andMe also benefitted from this program. SBIR funding provided by the Health and Human Services agency helped the company advance genetic science and improve effectiveness of data collection to enhance racial diversity in genetics research.

Small businesses in the Houston / South East Texas area that are interested in learning more about SBIR and STTR programs can contact my ofice at [email protected]. You can also visit SBIR.gov for even more information.