Small Business Technology Transfer Program Phase I Solicitation FY-2012 (SBIR)

The Small Business Technology Transfer program stimulates technological innovation in the private sector by strengthening the role of small business concerns in meeting Federal research and development needs, increasing the commercial application of federally supported research results, and fostering and encouraging participation by socially and economically disadvantaged and women-owned small businesses.

The Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR) requires researchers at universities and other non-profit research institutions to play a significant intellectual role in the conduct of each STTR project. These researchers, by joining forces with a small company, can spin-off their commercially promising ideas while they remain primarily employed at the research institution. The program is governed by Public Law 112-17.

NSF seeks to help reach the nation's future broadband goals and the larger objective of alleviating growing pressure on limited radio spectrum resources. Innovative approaches, technologies, and policies are required to enable more flexible and efficient access to the radio spectrum. The stakes are high in technology development as the country that develops the key intellectual property to enable the efficient use of the spectrum and adopts new and effective spectrum regulations is expected to have strong competitive advantages in the manufacturing of new communications systems, and increased productivity in using this technology. For information reference section A.10.