SBA Releases FAST Solicitation

The Small Business Administration (SBA) will distribute up to $3.4 million for small technology business development efforts across as many as 30 states through the first Federal and State Technology Partnership (FAST) request for proposals, released online Tuesday. Proposals are due Thursday, June 7, 2001. Individual state awards will range from $100,000 - $150,000.

FAST, included in legislation reauthorizing the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program last December, provides matching funds to enable states to augment or expand their tech business assistance and SBIR outreach efforts. Recognizing the priority nearly every state has placed on encouraging technological innovation and commercialization by small businesses, the Science and Technology Council of the States made the FAST program’s creation a top priority during last year’s SBIR reauthorization by Congress.

Which of the three tiers of matching funding requirements a state must follow for a FAST award is based on the state’s national ranking in the number of SBIR Phase I awards received. Fifty percent of the match can be in-kind contributions while the balance must be direct cash expenditures.

The Program Announcement has several elements to ensure the activities included in a state’s FAST proposal are integrated into the state’s existing support structure for technology development and commercialization.

• Only one proposal may be submitted for consideration to provide services in any one state. Each state’s proposal must have a letter of endorsement by the Governor or the Governor’s designee. Multi-state proposals are permitted but must have separate letters of endorsement from the Governor of each participating state. A lead state must be designated in multi-state proposals.
• The technical plan of the proposal must describe how the proposed activities address unmet needs of the small business community within the state or community.
• The FAST plan must demonstrate how the proposed activities are integrated into the state’s existing system to support technology development and commercialization through small businesses.

Proposals will be screened by SBA staff for completeness and eligibility. Responsive proposals will then be scored by a FAST Review Committee comprised of experts from inside and external to the federal government. Final award determinations will be made by a triumvirate of the SBA, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Defense.

Award decisions will be made before September 30, 2001.

Questions concerning technical section of the FAST solicitation should be directed to Ms. Cherina Hunter, FAST Program Manager in the SBA Office of Technology (202) 205-7344. The FAST solicitation, supporting documents, and award statistics by state can be downloaded from the SBA Office of Technology website: http://www.sba.gov/sbir/