Monday, October 30, 2006

N.E. firms win federal Tibbetts award

By Catherine Williams

Nine New England companies are being honored by the Washington, D.C.-based Small Business Technology Council for their work under the Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant programs.

It's the first time since 2002 that the awards, known as Tibbetts Awards, have been given. Four years ago, the U.S. Small Business Administration stopped honoring small businesses with Tibbetts Awards, but the Small Business Technology Council, a council within the National Small Business Association, resurrected the awards last month.

The technology council, which was founded in 1995, is a nonpartisan, nonprofit industry group dedicated to promoting research- and technology-based small businesses in the United States, according to James Morrison, senior council adviser.

"The more of these stories we can tell, the more people will realize that small companies play a crucial role," said Morrison.

One honoree is Tex Tech Industries Inc., based in Monmouth, Maine. Tex Tech was honored for the company's statewide impact on the SBIR and STTR research grants. Tex Tech specializes in manufacturing high-tech fabrics, including body armor for soldiers and fire-resistant materials for airplanes.

Tex Tech employs 220 workers and is transitioning from a traditional textile mill. The company used government funding to spin out technologies into the marketplace, according to David Erb Jr., director of R&D and new product development at Tex Tech.

"With the competition from overseas, it's been very challenging to innovate," said Erb.

The awards are named for Roland Tibbetts, known as the "father of the SBIR program." Honorees are recognized for the level of economic impact of innovation, collaboration and regional effect. There is no monetary award associated with the honor.

SBIR and STTR grants are designed to help transition R&D from innovation to commercialization. In 1983, the year the SBIR program was established, a total of $45 million in Phase 1 grants were awarded nationally. In 2004, the program funded 4,600 Phase 1 projects and 2,000 Phase 2 projects, which represent $1.8 billion in grants. The STTR program was established in 1994. Ten years later the program funded $198 million in grants for 800 projects.

Each year 11 federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Defense, are required to reserve a portion of their R&D budget for SBIR and STTR grants.

Karen West, of Maine-based C&P Management Services LLC, was honored for her individual contributions. West assists small businesses with federal and state contracting and procurement and serves as a consultant for the Maine Technology Institute. As a result of West's work, 60 small businesses based in Maine received 179 awards totaling $36.8 million in SBIR and STTR grants, according to the Maine Office of Business Development.

A total of 57 organizations and 22 individuals were honored nationwide during a ceremony last month in Washington, D.C.