WASHINGTON — The U.S. Small Business Administration is accepting nominations for two awards honoring success in research and technology. The Hall of Fame award recognizes companies with an extended period of extraordinary success of research, innovation and product commercialization, according
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Small Business Administration is accepting nominations for two awards honoring success in research and technology.
The Hall of Fame award recognizes companies with an extended period of extraordinary success of research, innovation and product commercialization, according to a release.
There are two categories for Tibbetts Awards, and both honor the critical economic role small businesses play in federally-funded research and development through SBA’s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs.
Categories include one for companies participating in the SBIR/STTR programs, and another for individuals who advocate on behalf of the programs.
Named after Roland Tibbetts, who was instrumental in developing the SBIR, the Tibbetts Awards are highly competitive and ensure small businesses get a chance to compete for federal research and development funding, along with opportunities it provides to profit from commercialization of the technologies they develop.
The SBIR and STTR programs currently account for more than $2.5 billion per year in federal research and development funds.
Coordinated by the SBA in cooperation with 11 other federal agencies with large external research and development budgets, the awards are presented to companies and individuals that are beacons of promise and models of excellence in high technology.
Typical past Tibbetts Award winners include an Arizona bio strategies company whose genetic engineering accomplishments help combat Gaucher’s disease, a rare genetic disease usually fatal in childhood; and a three-time award winner from California which developed a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility for the production of aerospace quality composite products for missile defense and commercial space.
Selections for Tibbetts Awards are based on several factors, including the economic impact of the technological innovation, overall business achievement and demonstration of effective collaborations.
Hall of Fame winners typically include Fortune 500 and 1000 companies such as Qualcomm and Genzyme.
Genzyme, a 2012 Hall of Fame award winner, evolved from a tiny start-up with just a handful of employees to one of the world’s leading biotech companies.
The Massachusetts-based company focuses on developing innovative products and services for major unmet medical needs such as rare genetic disorders, organ transplant, osteoarthritis, and renal disease.
Nominations for the awards will be accepted until Jan. 31 and will be presented in Washington, D.C., in May, 2013. To submit a nomination, go to http://tibbetts2013.challenge.gov/ for Tibbetts Awards for both companies and individuals and to http://sbirhof2013.challenge.gov/ for Hall of Fame Awards.
