Eligibility Requirements
Each concern submitting a proposal must qualify as a small business at the time of award of Phase I and Phase II funding agreements. In addition, the primary employment of the principal investigator must be with the small business firm at the time of award and during the conduct of the proposed research unless otherwise approved by the contracting officer. Primary employment means that more than one-half of the principal investigator's time is spent with the small business. Also for both Phase I and Phase II, the research or R&D work must be performed in the United States. "United States" means the 50 states, the Territories and possessions of the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, and the District of Columbia.
All types of small business organizations may submit proposals, including high technology, R&D, manufacturing and service firms. Companies with outstanding scientific or engineering competence in highly specialized product, process or service areas may wish to apply their expertise to the research topics in this solicitation through a laboratory prototype. Ideally, the research should make a significant contribution to the solution of an important transportation problem and provide the small business concern with the basis for new products, processes, or services.
