NASA has selected 16 small business projects to address important research and technology needs. The awards are part of NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.

The SBIR program selected 12 proposals for negotiation of phase II contracts, with a total value of approximately $7.2 million. The awards went to 12 small, high technology firms in nine states.

The STTR program selected four proposals for negotiation of phase II contract awards, with a total value of approximately $2.4 million. The awards went to four small high technology firms in four states partnered with three research institutions in three states.

These selections are supplementary to the 142 phase II SBIR awards announced Oct. 28, 2008, and the 16 STTR phase II awards announced on April 15, 2009.

SBIR and STTR are part of the Innovative Partnerships Program Office at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The office partners with U.S. industry to infuse innovative technologies into NASA missions and transition them into commercially available products and services for the agency and other markets.

A few of the research areas being pursued among this group of selected proposals include:

— Innovative technologies for improvement in design and analysis of flight deck automation

— Technologies for long-term cryogenic propellant storage applications in-space, on the lunar surface and on Earth. The technologies also include fluid system components, cryogenic insulation and conditioning systems.

— Development of advanced power conversion, energy storage and power electronics to enable or enhance the capabilities of future science missions

— Technologies providing novel approaches in reconfigurable, reprogrammable communication systems for human and robotic missions

NASA’s Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., manages the SBIR and STTR programs for the Innovative Partnerships Program. Individual projects are managed by NASA’s field installations.

For a list of selected proposals, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/offices/ipp/technology_infusion/sbir/index.html

For more information about the Innovative Partnerships Program, visit: http://www.ipp.nasa.gov/