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An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (2009)

Chapter: Appendix B: NRC Phase II Survey and NRC Firm Survey

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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: NRC Phase II Survey and NRC Firm Survey." National Research Council. 2009. An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12441.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: NRC Phase II Survey and NRC Firm Survey." National Research Council. 2009. An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12441.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: NRC Phase II Survey and NRC Firm Survey." National Research Council. 2009. An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12441.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: NRC Phase II Survey and NRC Firm Survey." National Research Council. 2009. An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12441.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: NRC Phase II Survey and NRC Firm Survey." National Research Council. 2009. An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12441.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: NRC Phase II Survey and NRC Firm Survey." National Research Council. 2009. An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12441.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: NRC Phase II Survey and NRC Firm Survey." National Research Council. 2009. An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12441.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: NRC Phase II Survey and NRC Firm Survey." National Research Council. 2009. An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12441.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: NRC Phase II Survey and NRC Firm Survey." National Research Council. 2009. An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12441.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: NRC Phase II Survey and NRC Firm Survey." National Research Council. 2009. An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12441.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: NRC Phase II Survey and NRC Firm Survey." National Research Council. 2009. An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12441.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: NRC Phase II Survey and NRC Firm Survey." National Research Council. 2009. An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12441.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: NRC Phase II Survey and NRC Firm Survey." National Research Council. 2009. An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12441.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: NRC Phase II Survey and NRC Firm Survey." National Research Council. 2009. An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12441.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: NRC Phase II Survey and NRC Firm Survey." National Research Council. 2009. An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12441.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: NRC Phase II Survey and NRC Firm Survey." National Research Council. 2009. An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12441.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: NRC Phase II Survey and NRC Firm Survey." National Research Council. 2009. An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12441.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: NRC Phase II Survey and NRC Firm Survey." National Research Council. 2009. An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12441.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: NRC Phase II Survey and NRC Firm Survey." National Research Council. 2009. An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12441.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: NRC Phase II Survey and NRC Firm Survey." National Research Council. 2009. An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12441.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: NRC Phase II Survey and NRC Firm Survey." National Research Council. 2009. An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12441.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: NRC Phase II Survey and NRC Firm Survey." National Research Council. 2009. An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12441.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: NRC Phase II Survey and NRC Firm Survey." National Research Council. 2009. An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12441.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: NRC Phase II Survey and NRC Firm Survey." National Research Council. 2009. An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12441.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: NRC Phase II Survey and NRC Firm Survey." National Research Council. 2009. An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12441.
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Appendix B NRC Phase II Survey and NRC Firm Survey The first section of this appendix describes the methodology used to survey Phase II SBIR awards (also referred to as projects). The second part presents the results—first of the awards, or project, survey (NRC Phase II Survey), and then of the NRC Firm Survey. (Appendix C presents the NRC Phase I Survey.) ABOUT THE SURVEYS Starting Date and Coverage The survey of SBIR Phase II awards was administered in 2005, and included awards made through 2001. This allowed most of the Phase II awarded projects (nominally two years) to be completed, and provided some time for commercial- ization. The selection of the end date of 2001 was consistent with a GAO study, which in 1991, surveyed awards made through 1987. A start date of 1992 was selected. The year 1992 for the earliest Phase II project was considered a realistic starting date for the coverage, allowing inclu- sion of the same (1992) projects as the DoD 1996 survey, and of the 1992, and 1993 projects surveyed in 1998 for SBA. This adds to the longitudinal capacities of the study. The 10 years of Phase II coverage spanned the period of increased funding set-asides and the impact of the 1992 reauthorization. This time frame allowed for extended periods of commercialization and for a robust spectrum of economic conditions. Establishing 1992 as the cutoff date for starting the survey helped to avoid the problem that older awards suffer from several problems, including meager early data collection as well as potentially irredeemable data 165

166 APPENDIX B loss; the fact that some firms and Principal Investigators (PIs) are no longer in place; and fading memories. Award Numbers While adding the annual awards numbers of the five agencies would seem to define the larger sample, the process was more complicated. Agency reports usually involve some estimating and anticipation of successful negotiation of selected proposals. Agencies rarely correct reports after the fact. Setting limita- tions on the number of projects to be surveyed from each firm required knowing how many awards each firm had received from all five agencies. Thus the first step was to obtain all of the award databases from each agency and combine them into a single database. Defining the database was further complicated by variations in firm identification, location, phone numbers, and points of contact within individual agency databases. Ultimately we determined that 4,085 firms had been awarded 11,214 Phase II awards (an average of 2.7 Phase II awards per firm) by the five agencies during the 1992-2001 timeframe. Using the most recent awards, the firm information was updated to the most current contact information for each firm. Sampling Approaches and Issues The Phase II survey used an array of sampling techniques, to ensure adequate coverage of projects to address a wide range of both outcomes and potential ex- planatory variables, and also to address the existence of a skew in the distribution of outcomes. That is, a relatively small percentage of funded projects typically account for a large percentage of commercial impact in the field of advanced, high-risk technologies. • Random samples. After integrating the 11,214 awards into a single database, a random sample of approximately 20 percent was sampled. Then a random sample of 20 percent was ensured for each year; e.g., 20 percent of the 1992 awards, of the 1993 awards, etc. Verifying the total sample one year at a time allowed improved ability to adapt to changes in the program over time, as otherwise the increased number of awards made in recent years might dominate the sample. • Random sample by agency. Surveyed awards were grouped by agency; additional respondents were randomly selected as required to ensure that at least 20 percent of each agency’s awards were included in the sample. • Firm surveys. After the random selection, 100 percent of the Phase IIs that went to firms with only one or two awards were polled. These are the hardest firms to find for older awards. Address information is highly perishable, particu-

APPENDIX B 167 larly for earlier award years. For firms that had more than two awards, 20 percent were selected, but no less than two. • Top Performers. The problem of skew was dealt with by ensuring that all Phase IIs known to meet a specific commercialization threshold (total of $10 million in the sum of sales plus additional investment) were surveyed (derived from the DoD commercialization database). Since fifty-six percent of all awards were in the random and firm samples described above, only ninety-five Phase IIs were added in this fashion. • Coding. The project database tracks the survey sample, which corre- sponds with each response. For example, it is possible for a randomly sampled project from a firm that had only two awards to be a top performer. Thus, the re- sponse could be analyzed as a random sample for the program, a random sample for the awarding agency, a top performer, and as part of the sample of single or double winners. In addition, the database allows examination of the responses for the array of potential explanatory or demographic variables. • Total number of surveys. The approach described above generated a sample of 6,410 projects, and 4,085 firm surveys—an average of 1.6 award surveys per firm. Each firm receiving at least one project survey also received a firm survey. Although this approach sampled more than 57 percent of the awards, multiple award winners, on average, were asked to respond to surveys covering about 20 percent of their projects. Administration of the Survey The questionnaire drew extensively from the one used in the 1999 National Research Council assessment of SBIR at the Department of Defense, The Small Business Innovation Research Program: An Assessment of the Department of Defense Fast Track Initiative. That questionnaire in turn built upon the ques- tionnaire for the 1991 GAO SBIR study. Twenty-four of the 29 questions on the earlier NRC study were incorporated. The researchers added 24 new questions to attempt to understand both commercial and noncommercial aspects, including knowledge base impacts, of SBIR, and to gain insight into impacts of program management. Potential questions were discussed with each agency, and their input was considered. In determining questions that should be in the survey, the research team also considered which issues and questions were best examined in the case studies and other research methodologies. Many of the resultant 33 Phase II Award survey questions and 15 Firm Survey questions had multiple parts. The surveys were administered online, using a Web server. The formatting,   NationalResearch Council, The Small Business Innovation Research Program: An Assessment of the Department of Defense Fast Track Initiative, Charles W. Wessner, ed., Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2000.

168 APPENDIX B encoding and administration of the survey was subcontracted to BRTRC, Inc. of Fairfax, VA. There are many advantages to online surveys (including cost, speed, and possibly response rates). Response rates become clear fairly quickly, and can rapidly indicate needed follow up for nonrespondents. Hyperlinks provide ampli- fying information, and built-in quality checks control the internal consistency of the responses. Finally, online surveys allow dynamic branching of question sets, with some respondents answering selected subsets of questions but not others, depending on prior responses. Prior to the survey, we recognized two significant advantages of a paper sur- vey over an online one. For every firm (and thus every award), the agencies had provided a mailing address. Thus surveys could be addressed to the firm president or CEO at that address. That senior official could then forward the survey to the correct official within the firm for completion. For an online survey we needed to know the email address of the correct official. Also each firm needed a pass- word to protect its answers. We had an SBIR Point of Contact (POC) and email address and password for every firm, which had submitted for a DoD SBIR 1999 survey. However, we had only limited email addresses and no passwords for the remainder of the firms. For many, the email addresses that we did have were those of Principal Investigators rather than an official of the firm. The decision to use an online survey meant that the first step of survey distribution was an outreach effort to establish contact with the firms. Outreach by Mail This outreach phase began with the establishing a NAS registration Web site which allowed each firm to establish a POC, email address and password. Next, the Study Director, Dr. Charles Wessner, sent a letter to those firms for which email contacts were not available. Ultimately only 150 of the 2,080  firms provided POC/email after receipt of this letter. Six hundred-fifty of those letters were returned by the post office as invalid addresses. Each returned letter required thorough research by calling the agency provided phone number for the firm, then using the Central Contractor Registration database, Business.com (powered by Google) and Switchboard.com to try to find correct address information. When an apparent match was found, the firm was called to verify that it was in fact the firm, which had completed the SBIR. Two hundred thirty-seven of the 650 miss- ing firms were so located. Another ten firms were located which had gone out of business and had no POC. Two months after the first mailing, a second letter from the Study Director went to firms whose first letter had not been returned, but which had not yet   The letter was also erroneously sent to an additional 43 firms that had received only STTR awards.

APPENDIX B 169 registered a POC. This letter also went to 176 firms, which had a POC email, but no password, and to the 237 newly corrected addresses. The large number of letters (277) from this second mailing that were returned by the postal service, indicated that there were more bad addresses in the first mailing than indicated by its returned mail. (If the initial letter was inadvertently delivered, it may have been thrown away.) Of the 277 returned second letters, 58 firms were located using the search methodology described above. These firms were asked on the phone to go to the registration Web site to enter POC/email/password. A total of 93 firms provided POC/email/password on the registration site subsequent to the second mailing. Three additional firms were identified as out of business. The final mailing, a week before survey, was sent to those firms that had not received either of the first two letters. It announced the study/survey and re- quested support of the 1,888 CEOs for which we had assumed good POC/email information from the DoD SBIR submission site. That letter asked the recipients to provide new contact information at the DoD submission site if the firm infor- mation had changed since their last submission. One hundred seventy-three of these letters were returned. We were able to find new addresses for 53 of these, and ask those firms to update their information. One hundred fifteen firms could not be found and five more were identified as out of business. The three mailings had demonstrated that at least 1,100 (27 percent) of the mailing addresses were in error, 734 of which firms could not be found, and 18 were reported to be out of business. Outreach by Email We began Internet contact by emailing the 1,888 DoD Points of Contact (POCs) to verify their email and give them opportunity to identify a new POC. Four hundred ninety-four of those emails bounced. The next email went to 788 email addresses that we had received from agencies as PI emails. We asked that the PI have the correct company POC identify themselves at the NAS Update registration site. One hundred eighty-eight of these emails bounced. After more detailed search of the list used by NIH to send out their survey, we identified 83 additional PIs and sent them the PI email discussed above. Email to the POCs not on the DoD Submission site resulted in 110 more POC/email/Password being registered on the NAS registration site. We began the survey at the end of February with an email to 100 POCs as a beta test and followed that with another email to 2,041 POCs (total of 2,141) a week later. Survey Responses By August 5, 2005 five months after release of the survey, 1,239 firms had begun and 1,149 firms had completed at least 14 of 15 questions on the firm

170 APPENDIX B TABLE App-B-1  NRC Phase II Survey Responses by Agency, August 4, 2005 Awards Percentage of Answered Surveys Surveys as a Phase II with Good Sample Awards Survey as a Percentage Sample Email with Good Email as of Percentage of Awards Agency Size Addresses Addresses 8/04/2005 of Sample Contacted DoD 3,055 2,191 72 920 30 42 NIH 1,680 1,127 67 496 30 44 NASA 779 534 69 181 23 34 NSF 457 336 74 162 35 48 DoE 439 335 76 157 36 47 Total 6,408 4,523 70 1,916 30 42 survey. Project surveys were begun on 1916 Phase II awards. Of the 4,085 firms that received Phase II SBIR awards from DoD, NIH, NASA, NSF, or DoE from 1992 to 2001, an additional 7 firms were identified as out of business (total of 25) and no email addresses could be found for 893. For an additional 500 firms, the best email addresses that were found were also undeliverable. These 1,418 firms could not be contacted, thus had no opportunity to complete the surveys. Of these firms, 585 had mailing addresses known to be bad. The 1,418 firms that could not be contacted were responsible for 1,885 of the individual awards in the sample. Using the same methodology as the GAO had used in the 1992 report of their 1991 survey of SBIR, undeliverables and out of business firms were eliminated prior to determining the response rate. Although 4,085 firms were surveyed, 1,418 firms were eliminated as described. This left 2,667 firms, of which 1,239 responded, representing a 46 percent response rate by firms, which could re- spond. Similarly when the awards, which were won by firms in the undeliverable category, were eliminated (6,408 minus 1,885), this left 4,523 projects, of which 1,916 responded, representing a 42 percent response rate. Figure 1 displays by agency the number of Phase II awards in the sample, the number of those awards, which by having good email addresses had the opportunity to respond, and the number that responded. Percentages displayed are the percentage of awards with good addresses, the percentage of the sample that responded and the responses as a percentage of awards with the opportunity to respond. The NRC Methodology report had assumed a response rate of about 20 percent. Considering the length of the survey and its voluntary nature, the rate   Firm information and response percentages are not displayed in Table App-B-1, which displays by agency, since many firms received awards from multiple agencies.   The average firm size for awards, which responded, was 37 employees. Nonresponding awards came firms that averaged 38 employees. Since responding Phase II were more generally more recent than nonresponding, and awards have gradually grown in size, the difference in average award size ($655,525 for responding and $649,715 for nonresponding) seems minor.

APPENDIX B 171 achieved was relatively high and reflects both the interest of the participants in the SBIR program and the extensive follow-up efforts. At the same time, the possibility of response biases that could significantly affect the survey results must be recognized. For example, it may be possible that some of the firms that could not be found have been unsuccessful and folded. It may also be possible that unsuccessful firms were less likely to respond to the survey.

172 APPENDIX B NRC Phase II Survey Results for NASA NOTE: SURVEY RESPONSES APPEAR IN BOLD, AND EXPLANATORY NOTES ARE TYPEWRITER FONT. Project Information  181 respondents answered the first question. Since respondents are directed to skip certain questions based on prior answers, the number that responded varies by question. Also some respondents did not complete their surveys. 161 com- pleted all applicable questions. For computation of averages, such as average sales, the denominator used was 181, the number of respondents who answered the first question. Where appropriate, the basis for calculations is provided in red after the question. PROPOSAL TITLE: AGENCY: NASA TOPIC NUMBER: PHASE II CONTRACT/GRANT NUMBER: Part I.  Current status of the Project 1. What is the current status of the project funded by the referenced SBIR award? Select the one best answer. Percentages are based on the 181 respondents who answered this question. a.   3% Project has not yet completed Phase II. Go to question 21. b. 29%  Efforts at this company have been discontinued. No sales or ad- ditional funding resulted from this project. Go to question 2. c. 13%  Efforts at this company have been discontinued. The project did result in sales, licensing of technology, or additional funding. Go to question 2. d. 23%  Project is continuing post Phase II technology development. Go to question 3. e. 11%  Commercialization is underway. Go to question 3. f. 22%  Products/Processes/Services are in use by target population/cus- tomer/consumers. Go to question 3. 2. Did the reasons for discontinuing this project include any of the following? (  PLEASE SELECT YES OR NO FOR EACH REASON AND NOTE THE ONE PRIMARY REASON)  projects were discontinued. The % below are the percent of 72 the discontinued projects that responded with the indicated response.

APPENDIX B 173 Primary Yes No Reason a. Technical failure or difficulties 18% 82% 10% b. Market demand too small 57% 43% 26% c. Level of technical risk too high 15% 85% 1% d. Not enough funding 40% 51% 14% e. Company shifted priorities 29% 71% 6% f. Principal investigator left 19% 81% 6% g. Project goal was achieved (e.g. prototype delivered 69% 31% 17% for federal agency use) h. Licensed to another company 7% 93% 1% i. Product, process, or service not competitive 17% 83% 3% j. Inadequate sales capability 22% 78% 4% k. Other (please specify): 18% 82% 13% ______________________________________ The next question to be answered depends on the answer to question 1. If c, go to question 3. If b, skip to question 16. Part II.  Commercialization activities and planning. Questions 3-7 concern actual sales to date resulting from the technology devel- oped during this project. Sales includes all sales of a product, process, or service, to federal or private sector customers resulting from the technology developed during this Phase II project. A sale also includes licensing, the sale of technology or rights etc. 3. Has your company and/or licensee had any actual sales of products, pro- cesses, services or other sales incorporating the technology developed during this project? (Select all that apply.) This question was not answered for those projects still in Phase II (3%) or for projects, which were discontinued without sales or additional funding (29%). The denominator for the percentages below is all projects that answered the survey. Only 66% of all projects, which answered the survey, could respond to this question. a. 14% No sales to date, but sales are expected.  Skip to question 8. b.   7% No sales to date nor are sales expected.  Skip to question 11. c. 33% Sales of product(s) d.   6% Sales of process(es) e. 20% Sales of services(s) f.   4% Other sales (e.g. rights to technology, licensing, etc.) From the combination of responses 1b, 3a and 3b, we can con- clude that 36% had no sales and expect none, and that 14% had no sales but expect sales.

174 APPENDIX B 4.  your company and/or your licensee(s), when did the first sale occur, and For what is the approximate amount of total sales resulting from the technology developed during this project? If multiple SBIR awards contributed to the ultimate commercial outcome, report only the share of total sales appropriate to this SBIR project. (Enter the requested information for your company in the first column and, if applicable and if known, for your licensee(s) in the second column. Enter approximate dollars. If none, enter 0 (zero)). Your Company Licensee(s) a. Year when first sale occurred. 43% reported a year of first sale. 56% of these first sales occurred in 2000 or later. 10% reported a licensee year of first sale. 47% of these first sales occurred in 2002 or later. b. Total Sales Dollars of Product(s), $471,865 $2,104  Process(es) or Service(s) to date.  (Average of 181 survey respondents) Although 78 reported a year of first sale, only 74 reported sales >0. Their average sales were $1,154,156. Over half of the total sales dollars were due to 7 projects, each of which had $3,200,000 or more in sales. The highest reporting project had $15,000,000 in sales. Similarly of the 19 projects that reported a year of first licensee sale, only 3 reported actual licensee sales >0. Their average sales were $127,000. 99% of the total sales dollars was due to 1 project, which had $300,00 or more licensee sales. c. Other Total Sales Dollars (e.g., $111,607 $2,026  Rights to technology, Sale of spin-off company, etc.) to date.  (Average of 181 survey respondents) Combining the responses for b and c, the average for each of the 181 projects that responded to the survey is thus sales of over $580,000 by the SBIR company, but only four thousand dollars in sales by licensees. Display this box for Q 4 & 5 if project commercialization is known. Your company reported sales information to DoD as a part of an SBIR proposal or to NAS as a result of an earlier NAS request. This information may be useful in answering the prior question or the next question. You reported as of (date): DoD sales ($ amount), Other Federal Sales ($ amount), Export Sales ($ amount), Private Sector sales ($ amount), and other sales ($ amount).

APPENDIX B 175 5.  date, approximately what percent of total sales from the technology de- To veloped during this project have gone to the following customers? (If none enter 0 (zero). Round percentages. Answers should add to about 100%) 181 firms responded to this question as to what percent of their sales went to each agency or sector. Domestic private sector 35% Department of Defense (DoD) 22% Prime contractors for DoD or NASA 11% NASA 17% Agency that awarded the Phase II —% Other federal agencies (Pull down) 3% State or local governments 0% Export Markets 11% Other (Specify)_____________ 0% The following questions identify the product, process, or service resulting from the project supported by the referenced SBIR award, including its use in a fielded federal system or a federal acquisition program. 6.  a Federal System or Acquisition Program using the technology from this Is Phase II?  yes, please provide the name of the Federal system or acquisition program If that is using the technology. 6% reported use in a Federal system or ac- quisition program 7. Did a commercial product result from this Phase II project? 17% reported a commercial product 8.  you have had no sales to date resulting from the technology developed If during this project, what year do you expect the first sales for your company or its licensee? Only firms that had no sales but answered that they expected sales got this question. 28% expected sales. The year of expected first sale is  72% of those expecting sales expected sales to occur before 2008 9. For your company and/or your licensee, what is the approximate amount of total sales expected between now and the end of 2006 resulting from the technology developed during this project? (If none, enter 0 (zero).) This   Please note: If a NASA SBIR award, the Prime contractors line will state “Prime contractors for NASA.” The “Agency that awarded the Phase II” will only appear if it is not DoD or NASA. The name of the actual awarding agency will appear.

176 APPENDIX B question was seen by those who already had sales and those w/o sales who reported expecting sales; however, averages are computed for all who took the survey since all could have expected sales. a. Total sales dollars of product(s), process(es) or services(s) $293,398 expected between now and the end of 2006. (Average of 181 projects) b. Other Total Sales Dollars (e.g., rights to technology, sale of $48,897 spin-off company, etc.) expected between now and the end of 2006. (Average of 181 projects) c. Basis of expected sales estimate. Select all that apply. a. 12% Market research b. 24% Ongoing negotiations c. 37% Projection from current sales d.   1% Consultant estimate e. 30% Past experience f. 36% Educated guess 10. How did you (or do you expect to) commercialize your SBIR award? a.   1% No commercial product, process, or service was/is planned. b. 22% As software c. 70%  hardware (final product, component, or intermediate hardware As product) d. 21% As process technology e. 19% As new or improved service capability f.   0% As a drug g.   1% As a biologic h. 23% As a research tool i.   5% As educational materials j.   7% Other, please explain ______________________________ 11.  Which of the following, if any, describes the type and status of marketing activities by your company and/or your licensee for this project? (Select one for each marketing activity). This question answered by 114 firms, which completed Phase II and have not discontinued the proj- ect, w/o sales or additional funding.

APPENDIX B 177 Need Not Marketing activity Planned Assistance Underway Completed Needed a. Preparation of marketing plan   8% 3% 22% 25% 42% b. Hiring of marketing staff   4% 4%   7% 20% 65% c. Publicity/advertising 10% 3% 21% 26% 40% d. Test marketing   6% 4% 11% 16% 63% e. Market Research   4% 4% 22% 31% 39% f. Other (Specify)   3% 3%   2%   1% 41% Part III.  Other outcomes. 12.  a result of the technology developed during this project, which of the As following describes your company’s activities with other companies and investors? Select all that apply. Percentage of 114 who answered this question. U.S. Foreign Companies/Investors Companies/Investors Finalized Ongoing Finalized Ongoing Activities Agreements Negotiations Agreements Negotiations a. Licensing Agreement(s)   6% 11% 8% 5% b. Sale of Company   1%   3% 0% 0% c. Partial sale of Company   2%   1% 0% 0% d. Sale of technology rights   1%   7% 1% 3% e. Company merger   0%   0% 0% 0% f. Joint Venture agreement   1%   4% 0% 2% g. Marketing/distribution   7%   5% 6% 2% agreement(s) h. Manufacturing agreement(s)   2%   6% 2% 0% i. R&D agreement(s) 16% 10% 4% 1% j. Customer alliance(s) 11%   9% 6% 0% k. Other Specify____________   3%   4% 1% 1% 13.  your opinion, in the absence of this SBIR award, would your company In have undertaken this project? (Select one.) Percentage of the 113 who answered this question. a.   3% Definitely yes b. 15% Probably yes If selected a or b , Go to question 14. c. 14% Uncertain d. 36% Probably not e. 32% Definitely not If c, d or e, skip to question 16.

178 APPENDIX B 14.  you had undertaken this project in the absence of SBIR, this project would If have been Questions 14 and 15 were answered only by the 19% who responded that they definitely or probably would have undertaken this project in the absence of SBIR. a. 10% Broader in scope b. 48% Similar in scope c. 43% Narrower in scope 15.  the absence of SBIR funding, (Please provide your best estimate of the In impact) a. The start of this project would have been delayed about an average of 19 months.  76% of the 21 firms expected the project would have been delayed. 62%  13 firms) expected the delay would be at least 12 months. 48% ( anticipated a delay of at least 24 months. b. The expected duration/time to completion would have been 1) 67% Longer 2) 14% The same 3)   0% Shorter 19% No response c. In achieving similar goals and milestones, the project would be 1)   0% Ahead 2) 24% The same place 3) 52% Behind 24% No response 16.  Employee information. (Enter number of employees. You may enter fractions of full time effort (e.g., 1.2 employees). Please include both part time and full time employees, and consultants, in your calculation.) Number of employees (if known) when Phase II Ave = 44 proposal was submitted 7% report 0 25% report 1-5 28% report 6-20 12% report 21-50 12% report >100 Current number of employees Ave = 60 2% report 0 16% report 1-5 35% report 6-20 16% report 21-50 22% report >100

APPENDIX B 179 Number of current employees who were hired as Ave = 1.3 a result of the technology developed during this 56% report 0 Phase II project. 41% report 1-5 3% report 6-20 1% report >20 Number of current employees who were retained Ave = 1.4 as a result of the technology developed during 52% report 0 this Phase II project. 37% report 1-5 4% report 6-20 1% report >20 17.  The Principal Investigator for this Phase II Award was a (check all that apply) a. 6% Woman b. 7% Minority c. 88% Neither a woman or minority 18.  Please give the number of patents, copyrights, trademarks and/or scientific publications for the technology developed as a result of this project. (Enter numbers. If none, enter 0 (zero).) Results are for 161 respondents to this question. Number Applied For/ Number Received/ Submitted Published   52 Patents   42    9 Copyrights    7   12 Trademarks   12 225 Scientific Publications 220 Part IV.  Other SBIR funding 19.  How many SBIR awards did your company receive prior to the Phase I that led to this Phase II? a. Number of previous Phase I awards. Average of 38. 26% had no prior Phase I and another 40% had 5 or less prior Phase I b. Number of previous Phase II awards. Average of 14. 42% had no prior Phase II and another 34% had 5 or less prior Phase II

180 APPENDIX B 20.  How many SBIR awards has your company received that are related to the project/technology supported by this Phase II award ? a. Number of related Phase I awards. Average of one award. 52% had no prior related Phase I and another 43% had 5 or less prior related Phase I. b. Number of related Phase II awards Average of one award. 65% had no prior related Phase II and another 35% had 5 or less prior related Phase II. Part V.  Funding and other assistance. 21.  Prior to this SBIR Phase II award, did your company receive funds for research or development of the technology in this project from any of the following sources? Of 153 respondents. a. 22%  Prior SBIR (Excluding the Phase I, which proceeded this Phase II.) b. 10% Prior non-SBIR federal R&D c.   1% Venture Capital d. 10% Other private company e.   3% Private investor f. 28% Internal company investment (including borrowed money) g.   1% State or local government h.   1% College or University i.   4% Other Specify _________ Commercialization of the results of an SBIR project normally requires additional developmental funding. Questions 22 and 23 address additional funding. Ad- ditional Developmental Funds include non-SBIR funds from federal or private sector sources, or from your own company, used for further development and/or commercialization of the technology developed during this Phase II project. 22.  Have you received or invested any additional developmental funding in this project? a. 44% Yes Continue. b. 56% No Skip to question 24. 23.  date, what has been the total additional developmental funding for the To technology developed during this project? Any entries in the Reported column are based on information previously reported by your firm to DoD or NAS. They are provided to assist you in completing the Developmental funding column. Previously reported information did not include investment by your company or personal investment. Please update this information to include breaking out Private investment and Other investment by subcat- egory. Enter dollars provided by each of the listed sources. If none, enter 0

APPENDIX B 181 (zero).) The dollars shown are determined by dividing the total funding in that category by the 181 respondents who started the survey to determine an average funding. Only 72 of these respondents reported any additional funding. Source Reported Developmental Funding a. Non-SBIR federal funds $_ _, _ _ _, _ _ _ $133,829 b. Private Investment $_ _, _ _ _, _ _ _ (1) U.S. venture capital       $0 (2) Foreign investment    $1,381 (3) Other Private equity    $3,825 (4)  ther domestic private O   $24,150 company c. Other sources $_ _, _ _ _, _ _ _ (1)  tate or local governments S   $13,812 (2) College or Universities     $966 d. Not previously reported (1)  our own company Y $100,450 (Including money you have borrowed) (2) Personal funds    $3,121 Total average additional developmental funding, all sources, per award  $281,534 24.  Did this award identify matching funds or other types of cost sharing in the Phase II Proposal? a. 87%  matching funds/co-investment/cost sharing were identified in No the proposal. If a, skip to question 26. b. 13%  Although not a DoD Fast Track, matching funds/co-investment/ cost sharing were identified in the proposal. c.   0% Yes. This was a DoD Fast Track proposal. 25.  Regarding sources of matching or co-investment funding that were proposed for Phase II, check all that apply. The percentages below are com- puted for those 21 projects, which reported matching funds. a. 52% Our own company provided funding (includes borrowed funds) b.   0% A federal agency provided non-SBIR funds c. 52% Another company provided funding d. 10% An angel or other private investment source provided funding e. 29% Venture Capital provided funding   The words underlined appear only for DoD awards.

182 APPENDIX B 26.  Did you experience a gap between the end of Phase I and the start of Phase II? a. 67% Yes. Continue. b. 33% No. Skip to question 29.  The average gap reported by 109 respondents was 6 months. 3% of the respondents reported a gap of one or more years. 27.  Project history. Please fill in for all dates that have occurred. This infor- mation is meaningless in aggregate. It has to be examined project by project in conjunction with the date of the phase I end and the date of the Phase II award to calculate the gaps. Date Phase I ended Month/year  Date Phase II proposal submitted Month/year  28.  you experienced funding gap between Phase I and Phase II for this award, If select all answers that apply a. 75% Stopped work on this project during funding gap. b. 19% Continued work at reduced pace during funding gap. c.   4%  Continued work at pace equal to or greater than Phase I pace dur- ing funding gap. d.   2% Received bridge funding between Phase I and II. e.   1% Company ceased all operations during funding gap 29.  Did you receive assistance in Phase I or Phase II proposal preparation for this award? Of 161 respondents. a.   1% State agency provided assistance b.   1% Mentor company provided assistance c.   0% Regional association provided assistance d.   6% University provided assistance e. 93% We received no assistance in proposal preparation Was this assistance useful? a. 45% Very Useful b. 55% Somewhat Useful c. 0% Not Useful 30.  executing this award, was there any involvement by universities fac- In ulty, graduate students, and/or university developed technologies? Of 161 respondents. 29%  Yes 71%  No 31.  This question addresses any relationships between your firm’s efforts on this

APPENDIX B 183 Phase II project and any University (ies) or College (s). The percentages are computed against the 161 who answered question 30, not just those who answered yes to question 30. Select all that apply. a.   2%  The Principal Investigator (PI) for this Phase II project was at the time of the project a faculty member. b.   1%  The Principal Investigator (PI) for this Phase II project was at the time of the project an adjunct faculty member. c. 17%  Faculty member(s) or adjunct faculty member(s) work on this Phase II project in a role other than PI, e.g., consultant. d. 15%  Graduate students worked on this Phase II project. e. 13%  University/College facilities and/or equipment were used on this Phase II project. f.   2%  The technology for this project was licensed from a University or College. g.   4%  The technology for this project was originally developed at a University or College by one of the percipients in this Phase II project. h. 16%  University or College was a subcontractor on this Phase II A project.  remarks enter the name of the University or College that is referred to in In any blocks that are checked above. If more than one institution is referred to, briefly indicate the name and role of each. 32.  Did commercialization of the results of your SBIR award require FDA ap- proval? Yes 1%  what stage of the approval process are you for commercializing this SBIR In award? a. 0% Applied for approval b. 0% Review ongoing c. 1.1% Approved d. 0% Not Approved e. 0% IND: Clinical trials f. 0% Other

184 APPENDIX B NRC Firm Survey Results NOTE: ALL RESULTS APPEAR IN BOLD. RESULTS ARE REPORTED FOR ALL 5 AGENCIES (DoD, NIH, NSF, DoE, AND NASA). 1,239 firms began the survey. 1,149 completed through question 14. 1,108 completed all questions. If your firm is registered in the DoD SBIR/STTR Submission Web site, the information filled in below is based on your latest update as of Septem- ber 2004 on that site. Since you may have entered this information many months ago, you may edit this information to make it correct. In conjunc- tion with that information, the following additional information will help us understand how the SBIR program is contributing to the formation of new small businesses active in federal R&D and how they impact the economy. Questions A-G are autofilled from Firm database, when available. A. Company Name: _______________________________________________ B. Street Address: ________________________________________________ C. City: _________________________________ State: ____ Zip: _________ D. Company Point of Contact: ______________________________________ E. Company Point of Contact Email: _________________________________ F. Company Point of Contact Phone: (___) ___ - ____  Ext: ______________ G. The year your company was founded: ___________ 1. Was your company founded because of the SBIR Program? a. 79%  No b.   8%  Yes c. 13%  Yes, In part 2. Information on company founders. Please enter zeros or the correct number in each pair of blocks. a. Number of founders.    5%  unknown 40%  1 30%  2 13%  3   8%  4   2%  5   2%  >5 Average = 2 founders/firm

APPENDIX B 185 b. Number of other companies started by one or more  of the founders.   5%  unknown 46%  started no other firms 23%  started 1 other firm 13%  started 2 other firms   7%  started 3 other firms   3%  started 4 other firms   3%  started 5 or more other firms Average number of other firms founded is one. c. Number of founders who have a business background.    5%  Unknown 50%  No founder known to have business background 30%  One founder with business background 14%  More than one founder with business background d. Number of founders who have an academic background    5%  Unknown 29%  No founder known to have academic background 38%  One founder with academic background 28%  More than one founder with academic background 3. What was the most recent employment of the company founders prior to founding this company? Select all that apply. Total >100% since many companies had more than one founder. a. 65%  Other private company b. 36%  College or University c.   9%  Government d. 10%  Other 4. How many SBIR and/or STTR awards has your firm received from the fed- eral government? a. Phase I: _________ Average number of Phase I reported was 14. 13%  1 Phase I 34%  2 to 5 Phase I 24%  6 to 10 Phase I 14%  11 to 20 Phase I 11%  21 to 50 Phase I   3%  51 to 100 Phase I   2%  >100 Phase I  Five firms reported >300 Phase I

186 APPENDIX B What year did you receive your first Phase I Award? _______   3%  reported 1983 or sooner. 33%  reported 1984 to 1992. 40%  reported 1993 to 1997. 24%  reported 1998 or later. b. Phase II: ________ Average number of Phase II reported was 7 27%  1 Phase II 44%  2 to 5 Phase II 15%  6 to 10 Phase II   8%  11 to 20 Phase II   5%  21 to 50 Phase II   1%  >50 Phase II  Four firms reported >100 Phase II What year did you receive your first Phase II Award? _______   3% reported 1983 or sooner. 22% reported 1984 to 1992. 35% reported 1993 to 1997. 41% reported 1998 or later. 5. What percentage of your company’s growth would you attribute to the SBIR program after receiving its first SBIR award? a. 31%  Less than 25% b. 25%  25% to 50% c. 20%  51% to 75% d. 24%  More than 75% 6. Number of company employees (including all affiliates): a. At the time of your company’s first Phase II Award: ____ 56%  5 or less 28%  6 to 20   9%  21 to 50   8%  50  Fourteen firms (1.3%( had greater than 200 employees > at time of first Phase II. b. Currently: ______ 29%  5 or less 37%  6 to 20 17%  21 to 50 13%  51 to 200   5%  > 200  Eleven firms report over 500 current employees.

APPENDIX B 187 7. What Percentage of your Total R&D Effort (Man-hours of Scientists and Engineers) was devoted to SBIR activities during the most recent fiscal year?___% 22%  0% of R&D was SBIR during most recent fiscal year. 16%  1% to 10% of R&D was SBIR during most recent fiscal year. 11%  11% to 25% of R&D was SBIR during most recent fiscal year. 18%  26% to 50% of R&D was SBIR during most recent fiscal year. 14%  51% to 75% of R&D was SBIR during most recent fiscal year. 19%  >75% of R&D was SBIR during most recent fiscal year. 8. What was your company’s total revenue for the last fiscal year? a. 10% <$100,000 b. 18% $100,000 - $499,999 c. 16% $500,000 - $999,999 d. 33% $1,000,000 - $4,999,999 e. 14% $5,000,000 - $19,999,999 f.   6% $20,000,000 - $99,999,999 g.   1% $100,000,000 + h. 0.4% Proprietary information 9. What percentage of your company’s revenues during its last fiscal year is fed- eral SBIR and/or STTR funding (Phase I and/or Phase II)? ____________ 30%  0% of revenue was SBIR (Phase I or II) during most recent fiscal year. 17%  1% to 10% of revenue was SBIR (Phase I or II) during most recent fiscal year. 11%  11% to 25% of revenue was SBIR (Phase I or II) during most recent fiscal year. 13%  26% to 50% of revenue was SBIR (Phase I or II) during most recent fiscal year. 13%  51% to 75% of revenue was SBIR (Phase I or II) during most recent fiscal year. 13%  76% to 99% of revenue was SBIR (Phase I or II) during most recent fiscal year.   4%  100% of revenue was SBIR (Phase I or II) during most recent fiscal year.

188 APPENDIX B 10. This question eliminated from the survey as redundant. 11.  Which, if any, of the following has your company experienced as a result of the SBIR Program? Select all that apply. a. Fifteen firms made an initial public stock offering in calendar year   Seven reported prior to 2000; two in 2000; four in 2004; and one in both 2006 and 2007 b. Six planned an initial public stock offering for 2005/2006. c. 14% Established one or more spin-off companies. How many spin-off companies?  242 Spin-off companies were formed. d. 84% reported None of the above. 12.  How many patents have resulted, at least in part, from your company’s SBIR and/or STTR awards? 43%  reported no patents resulting from SBIR/STTR. 16%  reported one patent resulting from SBIR/STTR. 27%  reported 2 to 5 patents resulting from SBIR/STTR. 13%  reported 6 to 25 patents resulting from SBIR/STTR.   1%  reported >25 patents resulting from SBIR/STTR. A total of over 3,350 patents were reported; an average of almost 3 per firm. The remaining questions address how market analysis and sales of the commer- cial results of SBIR are accomplished at your company. 13.  This company normally first determines the potential commercial market for an SBIR product, process or service a. 66%  Prior to submitting the Phase I proposal b. 21%  Prior to submitting the Phase II proposal c.   9%  During Phase II d.   3%  After Phase II 14.  Market research/analysis at this company is accomplished by: (Select all that apply.) a. 28%  The Director of Marketing or similar corporate position

APPENDIX B 189 b.   7%  One or more employees as their primary job c. 41%  One or more employees as an additional duty d. 23%  Consultants e. 53%  The Principal Investigator f. 67%  The company President or CEO g.   1%  None of the Above 15.  Sales of the product(s), process(es) or service(s) that result from commer- cialising an SBIR award at this company are accomplished by: Select all that apply. a. 35%  An in-house sales force b. 52%  Corporate officers c. 30%  Other employees d. 30%   ndependent distributors or other company(ies) with which we I have marketing alliances e. 26%   ther company(ies), which incorporate our product into their O own f.   9%  Spin-off company(ies) g. 26%  Licensing to another company h. 11%  None of the Above

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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 Aeronautics and Space Administration, and finds that the program is making significant progress in achieving the Congressional goals for the program. Keeping in mind NASA's unique mission and the recent significant changes to the program, the committee found the SBIR program to be sound in concept and effective in practice at NASA.. The book recommends programmatic changes that should make the SBIR program even more effective in achieving its legislative goals.

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