OSD Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, SBIR Program, 3061 Defense Pentagon, Room 2A338, Washington, DC 20310-3061

A -- DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD) SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM SOL 97.1. Due 010897. Contact Jon Baron, 800/382-4634. 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 97.1, which will be open on October 1, 1996. Six DoD components will participate in the 97.1 solicitation - the Departments of the Air Force and Navy, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO), Defense Special Weapons Agency (DSWA) and US Special Operations Command (SOCOM). The solicitation will list all the research 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 apply first for the SBIR program and how to submit a proposal. Small firms apply first for a six-month phase I award of up 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 up to $750,000 to further develop the concept, usually the prototype stage. Phase I proposals are to be submitted to the addresses designated in the solicitation and must arrive no later than 2:00 pm local time, at the addressee's organization on January 8, 1997. The solicitation will be mailed automatically to all firms registered with the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) SBIR program office as of October 1, 1996. To register, call DTIC at 800-DoD-SBIR. Hard copies and/or electronic copies of the solicitation will be available from DTIC after October 1. On or around August 20, 1996 and until October 1, 1996, the topics in the 97.1 solicitation will be pre-released electronically on the DoD SBIR/STTR home page (http://www.acq.osd.mil/sadbu/sbir), along with topic authors or other technical experts and their phone numbers. This pre-release will give small companies an opportunity to ask technical questions about specific solicitation topics by telephone before the solicitation opens. Once the solicitation opens on October 1, telephone questions will no longer be accepted. Small firms participating in the SBIR program retain patent rights and technical data rights, in accord with Public Law 97-219, and Public Law 102-564. The DoD SBIR Program is restricted to small business firms organized for profit with 500 or fewer employees, including all affiliated firms. (215)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0002 19960806\A-0002.SOL)