CCRPP
The Civilian Commercialization Readiness Pilot Program (CCRPP) is a powerful Post Phase II opportunity in which its goal is infusion and commercialization impact. CCRPPs are not designed for the incremental changes of earlier phases of development. Rather, these heavyweight technologies are running an accelerated path into transitioning to NASA missions and applications as well as commercial markets. To support these impacts, CCRPP funding combines additional SBIR/STTR program investment with NASA or non-NASA entity investment.
Minimum Investor Funding
$500,000
Available to
Small Businesses
NASA Investment Match
$500,000 – $2,500,000
period of performance
24 months
Many companies working on NASA SBIR or STTR projects typically face three challenges:
- Maturing their component technologies to higher TRL values
- Integrating those technologies into more complex systems
- Understanding a variety of customers beyond a potential NASA customer.
To be eligible to apply for CCRPP, companies must meet one or more of the following requirements:
- Phase II-E options resulting from Phase I awards starting in approximately the last ten years, regardless of when their period of performance ends
- Prior NASA SBIR/STTR Phase II awards resulting from Phase I awards starting in approximately the last 10 years and whose Phase II period of performance is complete by the closing date of the current application cycle.
- Ongoing or completed NASA SBIR/STTR Sequential Phase II awards
Refer to current and past calls for exact eligibility requirements:
| Year | Link to Call for Applications | Application Due Date |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | https://sam.gov/opp/b2581f8b180f4fcda46bc180da5c5adc/view | January 24, 2025 |
| 2024 | https://sam.gov/opp/17151fa50ca44fd89a564af2ef3d34cb/view | February 20, 2024 |
| 2023 | https://sam.gov/opp/dc4306735c9c4a1884a54faa116cffbb/view | February 15, 2023 |
Use the below links to jump to the CCRPP information you are looking for:
Previous Awardees I CCRPP Success Story | How Matching Funds Work
Guidelines on Investments | Investment FAQs
Previous Awardees
In 2025, five Applications were selected for award for a total of $11.3M in funding:
| 2025 Awardee Firm Name | Award Title |
| A10 Systems Inc. d/b/a AiRANACULUS | Cross Layer Spectrum Aware Cognitive Control Plane and Intelligent Routing Engine (CLAIRE) |
| Mentium Technologies Inc. | Enhancing and productizing the DVMR rad-hard digital AI coprocessor |
| MicroLink Devices Inc. | Flexible solar modules with performance-enhancing low-cost prismatic encapsulation |
| Trans Astronautica Corporation | TransAstra Capture Bag for Large Debris Remediation – Demonstration Payload Development |
| Supercool Metals | Advanced Commercialization and Manufacturing of Precision Robotics Components Through Thermoplastic Forming of Bulk Metallic Glasses |
In 2024, six Applications were selected for award for a total of $7.8M in funding:
| 2024 Awardee Firm Name | Award Title |
| Creare, LLC | Low Cost Cryocooler Control Electronics for Small Space Platforms |
| Apogee Semiconductor, Inc. | Commercialization of a Modular, High-Efficiency, Radiation-Hardened, PWM Controller for Decentralized, non-Linear Control and Novel Topologies |
| Antech Systems, Inc. | Active Ultrasonic Mode Imaging System for Examining Pipe and Plate Structure Thickness |
| GeoVisual Technologies, Inc. | Near-Realtime Estimation and Forecasting of National and Global Specialty Crop Supplies |
| TDA Research, Inc. | A Low-Power Medical Oxygen Generator |
| Astrobotic Technology, Inc. | Cuberover for Lunar Science and Exploration |
In 2023, four Applications were selected for award for a total of $8.6M in funding:
| 2023 Awardee Firm Name | Award Title |
| Electric Power Systems, Inc. | Active Battery Management System with Physics Based Life Modeling Topology |
| Resilienx | Commercialization of Weather Sensor Data Monitoring Through a Comprehensive In-Time Aviation Safety Management System… |
| Alameda Applied Sciences Corporation | High-Impulse, Scalable, Metal Plasma Thruster for Cubesat Missions |
| Psionic, LLC | Navigation Doppler Lidar System on Module |
CCRPP Success
Mango Materials, working with the Colorado School of Mines, used CCRPP to develop biopolymers into a more sustainable alternative to existing fibers. Their CCRPP was supported by investors in the fashion industry.
Learn More
How Matching Funds Work
NASA will match investor funding with SBIR/STTR program funds between $500,000 and $2.5 million for each CCRPP award. Eligible firms must identify an investor, obtain investment funding, and submit a Letter of Commitment from an investor to provide matching funds when submitting a CCRPP application. There can be more than one investor for each CCRPP application. A Letter of Commitment is required from each investor. The CCRPP award will take the form of a new contract with the firm for the SBIR/STTR program funds; the investor funds will be provided to the firm separately from the CCRPP contract.
The intent of the investment funding is that the project is co-funded with new, fully obligated/transferred funds that are to be co-spent in parallel to the CCRPP award. Pre-existing investments will not be accepted; non-Government funds transferred more than 60 calendar days prior to award will not be accepted, and Government and State Government funds transferred more than 90 calendar days prior to award will not be accepted. See section 1.5.1 of the call for applications for more information on what does and does not qualify as investments, including limitations on in-kind contributions, subcontracting back to the investor, and purchases. If selected, the small business firm will be contacted and notified of the amount of time they will have to have funds transferred and to show proof of funds. Note that NASA does not take funds from the investor; funds must be transferred to the firm.
General Guidance on What Qualifies as Investment
The investment must be used to fund work that directly furthers the work done in the original Phase II.
Commitment must be made prior to the award, but the expenditure must be concurrent with the CCRPP performance. The Federal Agency or NASA internal investor’s funds must pay for activities that further the development and/or commercialization of the company’s SBIR/STTR technology beyond the Phase II work (e.g., further R&D, manufacturing, marketing, etc.).
Non-Federal agency investments must be an arrangement in which the external investor provides funding to the small business in return for such items as: equity, a share of royalties, rights in the technology, a percentage of profit, or any combination of the above.
For investments from sources external to the Federal Government, NASA considers factors such as ownership, management, previous relationships with or ties to another concern and contractual relationships, in determining whether affiliation exists. Individuals or firms that have identical or substantially identical business or economic interests, such as family members, persons with common investments, or firms that are economically dependent through contractual or other relationships, may be treated as one party with such interests aggregated.
Note that submission and/or selection of your application for award does not constitute an acceptance of the investment. Contract award will be contingent on acceptable proof of investment, and proof of qualifying/acceptable investment is subject to the discretion of and acceptance by the Contracting Officer and in accordance with any applicable policy, statute, or regulation.
NASA’s Flight Opportunities program is interested in participating as a Post Phase II investor, specifically for the use of suborbital flight testing to help advance development or commercialization of the technology. Note that the Flight Opportunities investment is unlikely to meet the $500K matching requirement without other investment sources. Learn more about Flight Opportunities’ investment.
Definition of Investor
Investor(s) must be external to the SBIR/STTR Programs, which may include such entities as another company, a venture capital firm, an individual investor, a non-SBIR/STTR government program, or any combination of the above. An external investor cannot include the owners of the small business, their family members, and/or “affiliates” of the small business, as defined in Title 13 of the Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.), Section 121.103.
SBIR/STTR Program funds from any agency, including NASA, cannot be used as qualifying investments. This includes Phase I, Phase II, and/or other Post Phase II awards funded via SBIR/STTR Program funds. Phase III contracting mechanisms where the funds are newly obligated from a mission, project, non-SBIR/STTR program, or the like, from any agency, are allowed. Note that a Phase III contract may be the most expedient mechanism to provide investments from NASA or other government agencies; any Federal Agency may enter into a Phase III SBIR/STTR agreement at any time with a Phase II Awardee, regardless of which agency originated the Phase II award.
Specific Examples of What Does and Does Not Qualify as Investment
This section contains questions and answers regarding NASA’s guidance for the types of investment from external investors that qualify as an investment under the CCRPP program. The following includes specific examples of company-investor relationships and whether these relationships qualify as a CCRPP investment or not. If you have questions about whether a particular company-investor relationship qualifies, please contact the NASA SBIR/STTR Help Desk at agency-sbir@mail.nasa.gov. The Help Desk will refer any policy or substantive questions to appropriate NASA personnel for an official response.
Q1: Can a small business contribute its own internal funds to qualify for the CCRPP?
A1: No. NASA is seeking external, third-party validation of the technology, and requires that the funds come from an external investor. Please note that a subcontractor of the SBIR/STTR project will not qualify as an external investor.
Q2: Company A spins off company B, which wins a SBIR award. Company A then wants to contribute matching funds to qualify company B for the CCRPP. Can A be considered an external investor for purposes of the CCRPP?
A2: In making our determination of whether company A is an external investor, we would be guided by the definition of “affiliates” in 13 C.F.R. Sec. 121.103, discussed above. Our presumption is that, in this example, A and B would be considered “affiliates,” and that A would therefore not be an external investor for purposes of the CCRPP.
Q3: Small business A wins a SBIR award. The president of A is a major shareholder in another company B, which wants to contribute matching funds to qualify A for the CCRPP. Can B be considered an external investor?
A3: Our presumption is that B would not be considered an external investor. Our determination would be guided by whether the president’s stake in B is large enough that A and B would be considered “affiliates” under 13 C.F.R. Sec. 121.103 . Subsection (c) of Section 121.103 specifically discusses affiliation based on stock ownership:
c. Affiliation based on stock ownership.
A person is an affiliate of a concern if the person owns or controls or has the power to control 50 percent or more of its voting stock, or a block of stock which affords control because it is large compared to other outstanding blocks of stock. If two or more persons each owns, controls or has the power to control less than 50 percent of the voting stock of a concern, with minority holdings that are equal or approximately equal in size, but the aggregate of these minority holdings is large as compared with any other stock holding, each such person is presumed to be an affiliate of the concern. If A and B are found to be affiliates, we would determine that B is not an external investor.
Q4: Does the external investor have to be a single entity (e.g., a single venture capital firm) or can it be more than one entity (e.g., two angel investors and a venture capital firm)?
A4: It can be more than one entity.
Q5: Small business A contributes matching funds to small company B in order to qualify B for the CCRPP, and, at the same time, B contributes matching funds to A in order to qualify A for the CCRPP. Do A and B qualify as external investors under the CCRPP?
A5: No. A and B’s relationship is such that their investment in each other would not provide external validation of the commercial potential of their respective SBIR projects. We would therefore not consider them to be external investors for purposes of the CCRPP.
Q6: Can a family member of an employee of small business A contribute funds to qualify A for the CCRPP?
A6: No, except under rare circumstances. Again, we would be guided by the definition of “affiliates” in 13 C.F.R. Sec. 121.103. The family member presumptively would be an affiliate of company A and not an external investor.
Q7: Venture capital firm A currently is a 22 percent shareholder in small company B. Can A invest additional funds in B to qualify B for the CCRPP?
A7: Our presumption is yes. In making our determination, we would be guided by whether A and B are “affiliates,” as defined in 13 C.F.R. Sec. 121.103. Section 121.103 provides (in subsection (b)(5)) that a venture capital firm is not affiliated with a company if the venture capital firm does not control the company, e.g., by owning more than 50 percent of the stock of a small company (prior to its investment under the CCRPP), as described in 13 C.F.R. 107.865.
Q8: Large company A makes a cash investment in small company B and then serves as a subcontractor to B on an SBIR project. Can A’s investment in B count as a matching contribution for purposes of the CCRPP?
A8: Only A’s cash investment net of its subcontracting effort can count as matching funds for purposes of CCRPP. For example, if A invests $750,000 in B and subcontracts with B for $250,000, only A’s net contribution ($500,000) can count as matching funds for purposes of the CCRPP.
Q9: Company A makes a cash investment in small company B for purposes of CCRPP, and also enters into a separate contract with B under which A provides certain goods/services to B in return for $500,000. Can A’s cash investment in B count as a matching contribution for purposes of the CCRPP?
A9: As in the previous example, only A’s cash investment net of the $500,000 it receives from B can count as matching funds for purposes of the CCRPP.
Q10: A group of investors wishes to invest funds in small company A to qualify A for the CCRPP. One of the investors is a family member of A’s president, who wants to contribute $50,000 toward the effort. Can the group’s investment in A count as a matching contribution to qualify A for the CCRPP?
A10: The family member’s investment of $50,000 does not count, as the family member is not an external investor (see item (6) above). Contributions of the other investors can count provided that they meet the other conditions for the CCRPP (e.g., each must be an external investor).
Q11: Can a loan from an external party qualify as an “investment” for purposes of the CCRPP?
A11: No. The rationale behind the CCRPP is that an external party is betting on the company’s success in bringing the technology to market as an investor, not just its ability to recover a loan as a lender.
Q12: How about a loan that is convertible to equity?
A12: A loan that is convertible to equity at the company’s discretion would count as an investment under the following circumstances: (1) the loan is provided by a public entity (e.g., a state agency), or (2) the loan is provided by a private entity, and the SBIR company actually converts the loan to equity before the CCRPP contract is executed.
Q13: Can in-kind contributions from an external investor count as matching funds under the CCRPP?
A13: No. The matching contribution must be in funds, regardless of source. A cash contribution is a stronger signal of the external investor’s interest in the technology and can be readily verified.
Q14: Can purchases of a purchase order from an external investor count as a matching contribution under the CCRPP?
A14: No. Purchases will not be considered an investment, since a purchase may only represent a procurement need, not a desire to further the technology. Refer to question 15.
Q15: If large company A pays small company B for work related to B’s SBIR project and expects a deliverable (goods or services) from B in return, would that qualify as an “investment”?
A15: This arrangement would not qualify as an investment for the same reason a loan does not qualify. Specifically, in this situation the large company is not betting on the small company’s success in bringing the technology to market, but merely is looking to purchase a deliverable. Refer to item 14.
Q16: Can entity A’s investment in small company B during the first month of B’s Phase I SBIR project count as a matching contribution to qualify B for the CCRPP?
A16: No. The investment must occur within 45 calendar days of the company’s notification of selection, without constraints or contingencies.
Q17: Small company A is collaborating with a university on an STTR project. Investor B wishes to provide funds to the university in order to qualify A for the STTR CCRPP. Can B’s investment in the university count as a matching contribution to qualify A for the CCRPP?
A17: In order to qualify A for the STTR CCRPP, B’s investment of funds must be in small company A, not in the university. A can then subcontract some of the funds to the university.
Q18: Must the activities funded by the investor be explained in the application’s statement of work for the small company’s CCRPP?
A18: Yes. The external investor’s funds must pay for activities that further the development and/or commercialization of the company’s Phase II work. Including this information in the application assists with verification.
Q19: Our small business has existing contracts and/or grants (non-Federal Government Organization). Can these count as matching investments?
A19: Yes, if the existing contract or grant is directly related to the CCRPP work proposed and the money targeted for the CCRPP effort has not yet been obligated/transferred to the firm. Funds obligated/transferred more than 60 calendar days prior to notification of selection will not be accepted as qualifying investments. Second, the small business will need to receive a Modification for the existing government contract to reflect the support of the CCRPP effort. The Modification must include the following information: SBIR or STTR Phase II title, SBIR or STTR Phase II contract number, summary of the CCRPP effort to be funded with the Modification, amount of newly obligated/transferred funding for the CCRPP effort.
Q20: Our small business has existing NASA, Other Federal Government Agency, or State Government contracts and/or grants. Can these count as matching investments?
A20: Yes, if the existing contract or grant is directly related to the CCRPP work proposed and the money targeted for the CCRPP effort has not yet been obligated/transferred to the firm, then funds transferred at the time of the CCRPP award may be counted towards the match; e.g., a Phase III contract for the same technology or a modification and funding for another contract that specifically relates to the technology. NASA, Other Government Agency, or State Government funds obligated/transferred more than 90 calendar days prior to notification of selection will not be accepted as qualifying investments nor will incremental future funds be accepted as qualifying investments. Second, the small business will need to receive a Modification for the existing government contract to reflect the support of the CCRPP effort. The Modification must include the following information: SBIR or STTR Phase II title, SBIR or STTR Phase II contract number, Summary of the CCRPP effort to be funded with the Modification, Amount of newly obligated/transferred funding for the CCRPP effort.
Q21: Can my investment be from an international partner?
A21: Potentially, yes. However, limitations exist, including, but not limited to, firms should be aware of export control and ITAR/EAR restrictions regarding dissemination of research in establishing agreements with their investors. It is the responsibility of the firm to verify that they are not violating pertinent regulations. Also, investments will not be accepted from countries on the NASA list of “Designated Countries” and other countries from which NASA may be prohibited from doing business with. Proof of qualifying/acceptable investment is subject to the discretion of and acceptance by the Contracting Officer and in accordance with any applicable policy, statute, or regulation.
This NASA list of “Designated Countries” is a compilation of countries with which the United States: Has no diplomatic relations, Countries determined by Department of State to be “State Sponsors of Terrorism” or identified by the Department of Commerce as “Terrorist Supporting Countries”, Countries under Sanction or Embargo by the United States, or Countries of Missile Technology Concern. Please see:
https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/designated-country-list-4.21.2023.pdf?emrc=69ee3bc51040a (note that this is a dated pdf, please confirm the latest version prior to submission).
