SBIR/STTR at the Department of Energy
SBIR/STTR at the Department of Energy

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2017-01-20

Total Pages: 435

ISBN-13: 030943792X

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The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is one of the largest examples of U.S. public-private partnerships, and was established in 1982 to encourage small businesses to develop new processes and products and to provide quality research in support of the U.S. government's many missions. The Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program was created in 1992 by the Small Business Research and Development Enhancement Act to expand joint venture opportunities for small businesses and nonprofit research institutions by requiring small business recipients to collaborate formally with a research institution. The U.S. Congress tasked the National Research Council with undertaking a comprehensive study of how the SBIR and STTR programs have stimulated technological innovation and used small businesses to meet federal research and development needs, and with recommending further improvements to the programs. In the first round of this study, an ad hoc committee prepared a series of reports from 2004 to 2009 on the SBIR and STTR programs at the five agencies responsible for 96 percent of the programs' operations-including the Department of Energy (DoE). Building on the outcomes from the first round, this second round presents the committee's second review of the DoE SBIR program's operations. Public-private partnerships like SBIR and STTR are particularly important since today's knowledge economy is driven in large part by the nation's capacity to innovate. One of the defining features of the U.S. economy is a high level of entrepreneurial activity. Entrepreneurs in the United States see opportunities and are willing and able to assume risk to bring new welfare-enhancing, wealth-generating technologies to the market. Yet, although discoveries in areas such as genomics, bioinformatics, and nanotechnology present new opportunities, converting these discoveries into innovations for the market involves substantial challenges. The American capacity for innovation can be strengthened by addressing the challenges faced by entrepreneurs.

An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Science Foundation
An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Science Foundation

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2008-07-26

Total Pages: 366

ISBN-13: 0309104874

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The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is one of the largest examples of U.S. public-private partnerships. Founded in 1982, SBIR was designed to encourage small business to develop new processes and products and to provide quality research in support of the many missions of the U.S. government, including health, energy, the environment, and national defense. In response to a request from the U.S. Congress, the National Research Council assessed SBIR as administered by the five federal agencies that together make up 96 percent of program expenditures. This book, one of six in the series, reports on the SBIR program at the National Science Foundation. The study finds that the SBIR program is sound in concept and effective in practice, but that it can also be improved. Currently, the program is delivering results that meet most of the congressional objectives, including stimulating technological innovation, increasing private-sector commercialization of innovations, using small businesses to meet federal research and development needs, and fostering participation by minority and disadvantaged persons. The book suggests ways in which the program can improve operations, continue to increase private-sector commercialization, and improve participation by women and minorities.

SBIR and the Phase III Challenge of Commercialization
SBIR and the Phase III Challenge of Commercialization

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2007-03-15

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13: 0309179106

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In response to a Congressional mandate, the National Research Council conducted a review of the Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) at the five federal agencies with SBIR programs with budgets in excess of $100 million (DOD, NIH, NASA, DOE, and NSF). The project was designed to answer questions of program operation and effectiveness, including the quality of the research projects being conducted under the SBIR program, the commercialization of the research, and the program's contribution to accomplishing agency missions. This report summarizes the presentations at a symposium exploring the effectiveness of Phase III of the SBIR program (the commercialization phase), during which innovations funded by Phase II awards move from the laboratory into the marketplace. No SBIR funds support Phase III; instead, to commercialize their products, small businesses are expected to garner additional funds from private investors, the capital markets, or from the agency that made the initial award.

Review of the SBIR and STTR Programs at the Department of Energy
Review of the SBIR and STTR Programs at the Department of Energy

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2020-04-02

Total Pages: 187

ISBN-13: 0309671620

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Since its founding in 1982, the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program has become the largest and most comprehensive public research and development funding program of small business research in the United States. An underlying tenet of the SBIR program, and the related Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program, is that small and young firms are an important source of new ideas that provide the underlying basis for technological innovation, productivity increases, and subsequent economic growth. By involving qualified small businesses in the nation's research and development efforts, SBIR/STTR grants stimulate the development of innovative technologies and help federal agencies achieve their missions and objectives. At the request of the Department of Energy (DOE), this report examines the SBIR and STTR programs at DOE, focusing on the effectiveness of DOE's SBIR/STTR processes and procedures on topic and awardee selection; DOE outreach efforts to SBIR and STTR applicants; collaborations created between small businesses and research institutions on account of the programs; a range of direct economic and non-economic impacts to awardees; and the role of SBIR/STTR programs in stimulating technological innovation and contributing to DOE's research and development needs, whether directly from awardees or indirectly through spillovers from other firms.

Critical Materials Strategy
Critical Materials Strategy

Author: Steven Chu

Publisher: DIANE Publishing

Published: 2011-05

Total Pages: 166

ISBN-13: 1437944183

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This report examines the role of rare earth metals and other materials in the clean energy economy. It was prepared by the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) based on data collected and research performed during 2010. In the report, DoE describes plans to: (1) develop its first integrated research agenda addressing critical materials, building on three technical workshops convened by the DoE during November and December 2010; (2) strengthen its capacity for information-gathering on this topic; and (3) work closely with international partners, including Japan and Europe, to reduce vulnerability to supply disruptions and address critical material needs. Charts and tables. This is a print on demand report.

An Assessment of ARPA-E
An Assessment of ARPA-E

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2017-08-03

Total Pages: 45

ISBN-13: 0309461782

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In 2005, the National Research Council report Rising Above the Gathering Storm recommended a new way for the federal government to spur technological breakthroughs in the energy sector. It recommended the creation of a new agency, the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, or ARPA-E, as an adaptation of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) modelâ€"widely considered a successful experiment that has funded out-of-the-box, transformative research and engineering that made possible the Internet, GPS, and stealth aircraft. This new agency was envisioned as a means of tackling the nation's energy challenges in a way that could translate basic research into technological breakthroughs while also addressing economic, environmental, and security issues. Congress authorized ARPA-E in the 2007 America COMPETES Act and requested an early assessment following 6 years of operation to examine the agency's progress toward achieving its statutory mission and goals. This publication summarizes the results of that assessment.

SBIR at NASA
SBIR at NASA

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2016-05-02

Total Pages: 379

ISBN-13: 0309377900

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The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is one of the largest examples of U.S. public-private partnerships, and was established in 1982 to encourage small businesses to develop new processes and products and to provide quality research in support of the U.S. government's many missions. The U.S. Congress tasked the National Research Council with undertaking a comprehensive study of how the SBIR program has stimulated technological innovation and used small businesses to meet federal research and development needs, and with recommending further improvements to the program. In the first round of this study, an ad hoc committee prepared a series of reports from 2004 to 2009 on the SBIR program at the five agencies responsible for 96 percent of the program's operations-including NASA. In a follow-up to the first round, NASA requested from the Academies an assessment focused on operational questions in order to identify further improvements to the program. Public-private partnerships like SBIR are particularly important since today's knowledge economy is driven in large part by the nation's capacity to innovate. One of the defining features of the U.S. economy is a high level of entrepreneurial activity. Entrepreneurs in the United States see opportunities and are willing and able to assume risk to bring new welfare-enhancing, wealth-generating technologies to the market. Yet, although discoveries in various fields present new opportunities, converting these discoveries into innovations for the market involves substantial challenges. The American capacity for innovation can be strengthened by addressing the challenges faced by entrepreneurs.

Power Electronics-Enabled Autonomous Power Systems
Power Electronics-Enabled Autonomous Power Systems

Author: Qing-Chang Zhong

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2020-06-08

Total Pages: 491

ISBN-13: 1118803523

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Power systems worldwide are going through a paradigm shift from centralized generation to distributed generation. This book presents the SYNDEM (i.e., synchronized and democratized) grid architecture and its technical routes to harmonize the integration of renewable energy sources, electric vehicles, storage systems, and flexible loads, with the synchronization mechanism of synchronous machines, to enable autonomous operation of power systems, and to promote energy freedom. This is a game changer for the grid. It is the sort of breakthrough — like the touch screen in smart phones — that helps to push an industry from one era to the next, as reported by Keith Schneider, a New York Times correspondent since 1982. This book contains an introductory chapter and additional 24 chapters in five parts: Theoretical Framework, First-Generation VSM (virtual synchronous machines), Second-Generation VSM, Third-Generation VSM, and Case Studies. Most of the chapters include experimental results. As the first book of its kind for power electronics-enabled autonomous power systems, it • introduces a holistic architecture applicable to both large and small power systems, including aircraft power systems, ship power systems, microgrids, and supergrids • provides latest research to address the unprecedented challenges faced by power systems and to enhance grid stability, reliability, security, resiliency, and sustainability • demonstrates how future power systems achieve harmonious interaction, prevent local faults from cascading into wide-area blackouts, and operate autonomously with minimized cyber-attacks • highlights the significance of the SYNDEM concept for power systems and beyond Power Electronics-Enabled Autonomous Power Systems is an excellent book for researchers, engineers, and students involved in energy and power systems, electrical and control engineering, and power electronics. The SYNDEM theoretical framework chapter is also suitable for policy makers, legislators, entrepreneurs, commissioners of utility commissions, energy and environmental agency staff, utility personnel, investors, consultants, and attorneys.

Hydrogen and Fuel Cells
Hydrogen and Fuel Cells

Author: International Energy Agency

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 9264108831

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Hydrogen and fuel cells are vital technologies to ensure a secure and CO2-free energy future. Their development will take decades of extensive public and private effort to achieve technology breakthroughs and commercial maturity. Government research programs are indispensable for catalyzing the development process. This report maps the IEA countries' current efforts to research, develop and deploy the interlocking elements that constitute a "hydrogen economy", including CO2 capture and storage when hydrogen is produced out of fossil fuels. It provides an overview of what is being done, and by whom, covering an extensive complexity of national government R & D programs. The survey highlights the potential for exploiting the benefits of the international cooperation. This book draws primarily upon information contributed by IEA governments. In virtually all the IEA countries, important R & D and policy efforts on hydrogen and fuel cells are in place and expanding. Some are fully-integrated, government-funded programs, some are a key element in an overall strategy spread among multiple public and private efforts. The large amount of information provided in this publication reflects the vast array of technologies and logistics required to build the "hydrogen economy."--Publisher description.