David E. Steitz
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                                     
July 8, 1994
(Phone:  202/358-1730)

RELEASE:  94-111

15 ADDITIONAL 1994 PHASE ONE STTR SELECTIONS ANNOUNCED

   NASA announced today that it will negotiate contracts to enable 
15 small companies to fully develop innovative new high technology 
products they have proposed for application in the aerospace 
industry.

   The announcement brings to 21 the number of projects that will 
be financed under the agency's Small Business Technology Transfer 
Program (STTR) which is managed by NASA's Office of Advanced 
Concepts and Technology.

   The STTR program is similar to the Small Business Innovative 
Research program but varies by allowing universities, federal 
laboratories and non-profit organizations to apply in cooperation 
with small business partners.  The STTR program also is more 
directly aimed at private sector commercialization activities.

   The 21 contracts are known as Phase I contracts which focus on 
product development.  Success in Phase I will lead to Phase II 
which is geared toward product commercialization.  The Phase II 
award process allows for two-year, fixed price contracts up to 
$500,000.

   The 1994 Phase I solicitation closed on March 3, 1994.  One 
hundred fifty-nine separate proposals were received from 137 
small, high technology businesses in conjunction with universities 
from all sections of the United States in response to the three 
topics in the solicitation.

   Experts from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, 
Md., and Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., academia, and 
commercial businesses reviewed the proposals for technical merit 
and commercial potential.  Each of the fifteen selected proposals 
in this round will be awarded fixed-price contracts valued at up 
to $100,000 with 12 months to complete the Phase I projects.

   A listing of the fifteen selected research proposals by firm 
name, address, and proposal number may be obtained by calling the 
NASA Headquarters Newsroom at (202/358-1600).
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