Making NASA More Business Friendly: A Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Case Study

摘要

Some small businesses and entrepreneurs find it challenging to interact with the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA). In 2016, the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) programs adapted their goals and objectives to be more customer focused and collaborative to make SBIR/STTR a go-to program for U.S. innovators. SBIR/STTR is NASA's largest small business program that provides approximately$190M in awards annually for research, development, and demonstration of innovative technologies that fulfil NASA needs and have significant potential for successful commercialization. From 2016 to 2018, NASA SBIR/STTR undertook a series of initiatives to become more business friendly by eliciting and incorporating multiple stakeholder voices and values in determining program direction, providing regular touchpoints in annual program processes for engagement between industry and NASA, and improving the user experience for small businesses and NASA personnel interacting with the program's information technology systems. This article provides insights on the design and results of these efforts in making the NASA SBIR/STTR program more business friendly. In addition, the article presents key lessons learned and takeaways for other government agencies to consider when undertaking transformational change within their own organizations.