SBIR-STTR_2016_Year_in_ReviewV6-WEB

SMALL BUSINESS
INDUSTRY EVENTS
The Air Force SBIR/STTR program office participated
in a series of events sponsored by the Small Business
Administration (SBA), called the SBIR Road Tours (www.
sbirroadtour.com). The events included visits to 20
states across the country concentrating on underserved
states (states where participation in the SBIR/STTR
program has traditionally been low). The events took
place in the Southeast, South Central, North Central
and Pacific Northwest regions of the United States.
and research covering medical applications, sensors,
information technology, energy, human systems and
many other types of high-tech developments and areas.
The Air Force SBIR/STTR outreach specialist attended
every event across the United States covering almost
4,000 miles in a bus traveling from stop to stop. Many
small businesses expressed their appreciation at the
number of agencies that were represented.
In each region there were typically four to five stops
at a state university for interviews and visits with
technology-based firms from the area. Additionally,
there were two single one-day stops in West Virginia and
North Dakota.
At each stop, the day started with a message from
SBA Technology Director John Williams who painted
a picture of the day ahead and introduced the
representative organizations. Representatives from 12
government SBIR/STTR agencies were present at each
of the stops, which included one-on-one discussions
with the small business about potential opportunities
within their agency. The businesses demonstrated
a broad range of expertise with their technologies
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