Government Funding for Additive Manufacturing R&D Projects: The Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR)

Program logo from SBIR.gov

Bottom line up front: The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Technology Transfer Research (STTR) programs are great sources of additional funding for small businesses looking to develop new technologies that may be applicable for government use. However, understanding these programs is also important for large businesses and investors, as the allocation of public funds for R&D requires a transparent, searchable database on all companies that receive awards. This information is publically available from the SBIR.gov website and understanding it creates an opportunity for early investment in, or acquisition of, emerging technology companies.

SBIR & STTR Programs

Created by Roland Tibbetts and signed as Federal-wide programs in 1982 by Ronald Reagan, SBIR and STTR were developed to set aside a portion of the federal budget to support R&D, and the financing of cutting-edge technologies. Twelve federal agencies participate in the program boasting a total annual budget of approximately $2.2B, with over over $40B in awards since the program’s inception.

Info from SBIR.gov

The Facts

• Multiple awards are often made for the same Phase I solicitation topic to increase the likelihood that at least one approach will be accepted for progression to Phase II.
• Not all topics make it to Phase II.
• Proof of commercialization potential is a must.
• These programs are one of the only sources of government funds that can be used for R&D of emerging technologies and permit the contractor to retain the IP created during the process.

For a more comprehensive overview of the program policies, see the updated 2014 SBIR Program Policy Directive.

Additive Manufacturing SBIR/STTR

With ever increasing interest in AM, there are a lot of opportunities for companies to supplement their existing R&D budgets. AM technology development or utilization was mentioned in 32 topics for the first round of SBIR/STTR solicitations in fiscal year 2016. With two rounds to go, interest in the technology this year is already equal to the total interest seen in topics from fiscal year 2015. Here are some topics from this past round to give you an idea of what’s out there:

• A16A-T002: Solid State Additive Manufacturing of Titanium Alloys
• N16A-T004: Quantifying Uncertainty in the Mechanical Performance of Additively Manufactured Parts Due to Material and Process Variation
• N16A-T007: Optimized High Performance Stainless Steel Powder for Selective Laser Melting Additive Manufacturing (AM)
• N16A-T022: Integrated Computational Material Engineering Approach to Additive Manufacturing for Stainless Steel (316L)
• AF161–010: Additive Manufacturing Technique for Replacement of Complex Castings
• AF161–012: Additive/Rapid Manufacturing Reverse Engineering, Processing and Production Integrated Solution for Agile Manufacturing of Air Force Tooling, Fixture and Prototype Production
• AF161–021: In-Process and Final Non-destructive Inspection Methods of Additive Manufactured (AM) Simulated Aerospace Critical Parts
• AF161–080: Additive Manufacturing Techniques
• AF161–093: Multi-material Additive Manufacturing for Advanced Space Systems
• A16–006: Printable Materials with Embedded Electronics and Radio Frequency Components
• A16–023: Processing of Metallic Scrap Materials for Battlefield Additive Manufacturing
• N161–038: Shipboard Additive Manufacturing (AM)/3D Printing
• N161–071: Additive Manufacturing Development of Naval Platform Heat Exchangers
• 04: H1- In-situ Resource Utilization (ISRU)
• 25: Z3- Advanced Manufacturing
• 10: T12- Materials, Structures, Mechanical Systems and Manufacturing

Stay tuned for the release of the 2016 round two topics in April and how you can position your company to build successful proposals. In the interim, we will also take a look at past award trends and the agencies leading the push for AM technology development.

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