R--DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD) SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM

NA DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD) SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM. (For further information, call 866/724-7457.) Small high-technology firms are encouraged to submit proposals to DoD for R&D projects with both military and commercial applications in response to SBIR solicitation 03.1, which will be publicly released on the DoD SBIR Web Site (http://www.acq.osd.mil/sa dbu/sbir) on October 1, 2002. DoD will begin accepting proposals in response to this solicitation on December 2, 2002. Nine DoD components will participate in the 03.1 solicitation - the Departments of the Navy and the Air Force; the Defense Advanced Rese arch Projects Agency (DARPA); the Missile Defense Agency (MDA); the Office of Secretary of Defense/Director, Defense Research and Engineering; the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM); the Defense Threat Reduction Agency; the National Imagery and Mappin g Agency; and Chemical Biological Defense. The solicitation will list all the R&D topics under which DoD is seeking proposals, and will also contain detailed information on the parameters of the SBIR program and how to submit a proposal. Small firms appl y first for a six-month phase I award of $60,000 to $100,000 to test the scientific, technical, and commercial merit of a particular concept. Proposals are limited to 25 pages in length. If phase I proves successful, the firm may be invited to apply for a two-year phase II award of $500,000 to $750,000 to further develop the concept, usually to the prototype stage. On October 1, 2002, DoD will also release on the DoD SBIR Web Site (http://www.acq.osd.mil/sadbu/sbir) the names of the SBIR solicitation top ic authors and their phone numbers. This will give small companies an opportunity to ask technical questions about specific solicitation topics by telephone before they submit a proposal. Once DoD begins accepting proposals on December 2, 2002 such conta ct will no longer be allowed. Phase I proposals are to be submitted to the addressees designated in the solicitation, and must arrive no later than 3:00 P.M. EST, at the addressee's organization, on January 15, 2003. Proposal cover sheets must be prepare d and submitted through the DoD SBIR/STTR Electronic Submission Web Site (http://www.dodsbir.net/submission). Firms planning to submit proposals under this solicitation are advised and strongly encouraged to submit proposals as early as possible as firms may experience delays due to high server traffic in the last hours before the solicitation closes. Printed solicitation books are no longer available. Interested firms should download and print a copy of the electronic solicitation from the DoD SBIR Web S ite (http://www.acq.osd.mil/sadbu/sbir). Small firms participating in the SBIR program retain patent rights and technical data rights, in accordance with Public Law 97-219, Public Law 102-564, and Public Law 106-554. Participation in the DoD SBIR Progra m is restricted to small business firms organized for profit with 500 or fewer employees, including all affiliated firms. All questions regarding this announcement should be referred to Mr. Ivory Fisher. He can be reached at +1 (555) 000-0000, or by e-mail: contact@example.gov .