SBA Awards $2 Million in FAST Grants to 22 Universities & Organizations to Support R&D, Small Business Innovation
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) today awarded FAST grants totaling $2 million to 22 state and local economic development agencies, business development centers, colleges and universities. These grants will support programs for innovative, technology-driven small businesses under SBA’s Federal and State Technology (FAST) partnership program.
The FAST Program is designed to stimulate economic development among small, high technology businesses through federally-funded innovation and research and development programs like the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR). The project and budget periods are for a 12-month period.
“The FAST program is an important tool of the SBIR/STTR program. The mission of the SBIR program is to support scientific excellence and technological innovation by investing federal research funds in small businesses. STTR focuses on partnerships between small businesses and America's premier universities and nonprofit research institutions. It helps ensure that the world's greatest academics and inventors have the resources they need to transform their ideas from the lab to the marketplace,” said SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet.
“SBIR and STTR are a win-win. Federal agencies are able to meet their R&D needs. Small businesses get the support they need to turn innovative new ideas into job-creating new businesses and these programs strengthen America’s competitiveness and global economic leadership.”
This year’s recipients include:
State and Entity
Alabama
Economic Development Partnership of Alabama Foundation, Inc.
Alaska
University of Alaska Anchorage
Arizona
Commerce Authority, Arizona
Arkansas
Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas
California
The Regents of the University of California
Connecticut
Connecticut Innovations Incorporated
DC
DC Department of Small and Local Business Development
Idaho
Boise State University
Illinois
Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
Kansas
Wichita State University
Louisiana
Louisiana State University and A&M College
Minnesota
Metropolitan Economic Development Association
Mississippi
Innovate Mississippi
Nebraska
Board of Regents, Univ. of NE dba Univ. of NE at Omaha
New York
The Research Foundation for the State University of New York
North Dakota
University of North Dakota
Oregon
Oregon Built Environment & Sustainable Technologies Center
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico Trade and Export Company (PR Trade)
Tennessee
Tennessee Technology Development Corp d/b/a Launch Tennessee
Virginia
Center for Innovative Technology
Wisconsin
Board of Regents of the UW-System
Wyoming
University of Wyoming
FAST provides over $90,000 per award to pay for outreach and technical assistance to science and technology-driven small businesses. The program places particular emphasis on helping socially and economically disadvantaged firms compete in the SBA’s SBIR and STTR programs.
FAST funding awardees demonstrated in their proposals how they will help support areas such as:
- small business research and development assistance,
- technology transfer from universities to small businesses,
- technological diffusion of innovation benefiting small businesses,
- proposal development and mentoring for small businesses applying for SBIR grants; and,
- commercializing technology developed through SBIR grants.
Proposals were evaluated by a panel of SBIR program managers. The SBA, the Department of Defense and the National Science Foundation jointly reviewed the panel’s recommendations and made awards based on proposal merit. The grant required varying levels of matching funds from each participating state and territory.
Companies supported by the SBIR and STTR programs often generate some of the most important breakthroughs each year in the U.S. For example, about 25 percent of R&D Magazine’s Top 100 Innovations come from SBIR-funded small businesses.
For more information about the FAST grants and the SBIR and STTR programs, visit www.sbir.gov.
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