NASA SBIR and STTR Request for Information

Synopsis: NASA SBIR and STTR Request for Information PURPOSE: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program Office is seeking to engage industry and small businesses to better build awareness, gain insights, and obtain feedback to help shape the Program. This RFI provides an opportunity for small businesses and industry, in general, to provide feedback to benefit the stakeholders of NASA's SBIR/STTR Program. In particular, this is an opportunity to provide comments on the strengths and weaknesses of particular PY 2018 subtopics so that the quality of subtopics can be improved during the development of the PY 2019 NASA SBIR/STTR Solicitation. NASA is also providing a networking opportunity for businesses participating in this RFI to share contact information with other RFI participants and develop partnerships. The contact list will be shared only with businesses that choose the opt-in option on the RFI submission form. Those who opt-in will be asked to provide their company name, contact information, and a brief summary of their organization's capabilities for inclusion in the distribution by NASA. DESCRIPTION: Information sought will be divided into the following two areas: (1) Feedback on the PY 2018 Technical Focus Areas and Subtopics NASA is seeking feedback on the PY 2018 SBIR/STTR Solicitation subtopics located in Chapter 9 of the Solicitation. NASA is interested in feedback on subtopics that are unclear or provided insufficient information, subtopics that were overly broad or not specific enough that made it difficult to write a proposal, or subtopics that were too specific where revisions are suggested to facilitate more innovative solutions. In addition, NASA is interested to know if it was difficult to select a subtopic due to duplication or overlap with other subtopics. (2) Help Desk Feedback NASA is interested in feedback or comments on the quality, professionalism, and knowledge of their help desk staff to better support users responding to the PY 2019 SBIR/STTR Solicitation. This feedback is extremely important to NASA because it allows the agency to know where they are excelling and where they need to improve for the next solicitation cycle. HOW TO PARTICIPATE: The RFI will open Monday, May 14, 2018 at 12:00 PM EST and will close Monday, June 4, 2018 at 5:00 PM EST. Responses to the RFI must be submitted on-line through the NASA SBIR/STTR Electronic Handbook (EHB) located at: https://sbir.gsfc.nasa.gov/submissions/rfi. In order to access the EHB, you must be a registered user in the system. To register, click on the "Register/Activate" link on the login screen and follow the instructions. Registration takes just a couple of minutes, and upon successful registration you will have immediate access to the EHB. Note: If you have submitted a NASA SBIR or STTR Phase I or Phase II Proposal to a recent Solicitation, then you only need to re-activate your account. The NASA SBIR/STTR Help Desk can provide technical support and answer questions regarding clarification of RFI submission instructions. Email questions to: sbir@reisystems.com. NOTE: Participation in this request is voluntary, and questions should not be considered as a formal announcement to receive proposals, or as negotiations in contemplation of any contractual work for NASA. Participation is not required to propose to any existing or future announcements. NASA will not provide reimbursement for any costs incurred in participation in this RFI.