Thursday, July 29, 2010

Overhauled SBA Website to Go Live in the Fall

The new SBA.gov will make it easier for small businesses, lending institutions, small business counselors and other members of the small business community to more quickly find the information they need through a simplified navigation structure. In addition, new features will allow users to tailor their experience to provide information that is specific to their needs and location.

The new website also will offer a dedicated lender area that helps banks and other financial institutions that partner with the SBA.

The website redesign is part of the SBA’s goal to create a dynamic online presence that delivers information to customers wherever they are online. To achieve this goal, the agency recently began using social media to reach constituents through a variety of online channels such as Facebook and Twitter. The agency also recently launched an improved search function on the current SBA.gov website which vastly improves the speed at which users can find the information they are looking for in advance of the launch of the new site this fall.

For more information on the SBA’s online expansion, please visit www.sba.gov/next.
Release Date: July 29, 2010 Contact: Cecelia Taylor (202) 401-3059
Release Number: 10-41

Thursday, July 15, 2010

DOE Releases funds for SBIT/STTR.

Washington, DC -- U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced yesterday that $30 million in funding from the Recovery Act and FY 2010 budget appropriations will be made available to qualified small businesses to support the commercialization of promising new technologies. Today's funding announcement builds on the Department's existing efforts under the Small Business Innovation Research program (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer program (STTR) to develop near-term clean energy technologies and support American small businesses that will play an important role in building the clean energy economy of the future. This is the first time DOE has offered Phase III awards under these small business programs.

Small companies previously awarded Phase II grants through DOE's Small Business Innovation Research program (SBIR) or the Small Business Technology Transfer program (STTR) are eligible. Projects that include developed technologies with a strong potential for commercialization and impact on U.S. manufacturing and job creation are encouraged to apply. Successful applicants may receive up to $3 million over three years to research, develop, and deploy new technologies.

Applications are currently being accepted for the following technology areas of interest:

Biomass Technologies
1.Harvesting/Dewatering Technology for Algal Biofuels Production.

Buildings Technologies
1. Transitional Technology for Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs)
2. SSL Products made from Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs)
3. “Core” Technology for Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs)

Fuel Cell Technologies
1. Advanced Materials for Fuel Cell Technologies
2. Bio-Fueled Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Geothermal Technologies, High Temperature Tools and Sensors
1. High Temperature Downhole Tools
2. High-Temperature-High-Volume Lifting
3. High Temperature Downhole MWD Tools for Directional Drilling

Industrial Technologies
1. Sensors and Controls
2. Industrial Membrane Process Systems
3. Advanced Materials
4. Integrated Reaction-Separation using non-thermal processes
5. Mitigation of Heat Losses, Fouling, and Scaling in key Manufacturing Unit Operations.

Solar Technologies - Lowering the Cost of Photovoltaics through Innovative Augmentation
1. Lightweight, Flexible and Low Cost Multi-junction Solar Cells
2. Static Module PV Concentrators
3. New Methods of Crystallizing Silicon

Vehicle Technologies
1. Technologies to Address Internal Heating in DC Bus Capacitors
2. Improved Magnetic Materials for Motors
3. Advanced Materials for Lightweight Vehicles

Wind Technologies
1. Advanced Wind Power Technologies and Systems

Fossil Energy
1. Pollution control
2. Advanced power systems
3. Stationary power fuel cells
4. Clean fuels
5. Carbon sequestration
6. Recovery of oil, natural gas, and methane hydrates
7. Advances in materials, sensors, monitors, controls, biotechnology, and computational processes

Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability
1. Smart Grid Technologies and Systems
2. Electric Transmission Technologies
3. Superconducting Technology for Power Equipment
4. Advanced Materials for Power Electronics and Energy Storage

Nuclear Energy
1. Advanced Instrumentation and Control, Radiation Resistant Sensors, and Wireless On-Line Monitoring Systems for Nuclear Power Plant Applications

The deadline for submission of applications is August 4, 2010, at 8pm EST.

Information regarding applications is available in the funding notice section at: http://www.er.doe.gov/sbir/.

For more information about the DOE FY 2010 Phase III Xlerator Program please visit http://www1.eere.energy.gov.
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