SBIR Hall of Fame & Tibbetts Awardees to be honored for Contributions to the Economy during White House Ceremony

WASHINGTON, June 15, 2015  /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On June 15, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will induct Drs. Arthur & Judith Obermayer to the 2015 SBIR Hall of Fame and present the Tibbetts Awards to 23 small businesses, six individuals, and three supporting organizations for their critical roles in research and development and for successfully driving innovation and creating new jobs through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.

"These innovators are moving ideas from the lab to the marketplace, adding jobs to the economy and advancing our technological potential -- helping our country compete globally," said Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet, head of the SBA. "SBA is proud to lead the SBIR/STTR program – America's Seed Fund, as I like to call it -- to ensure small businesses engage in research and development to continue to propel our nation's high-tech innovation forward, from nanotechnology to aerospace to therapies for life-threatening illnesses.

The award recipients will be honored during a White House ceremony featuring keynote addresses by Administrator Contreras-Sweet and NASA Flight Engineer Catherine "Cady" Coleman, accomplished scientist and astronaut noted for her six-month expedition to the International Space Station.

Special recognition is being conferred on Drs. Arthur and Judith Obermayer for their seminal work in the SBIR community dating back to 1970. For over a decade, the Obermayers argued for the creation of the SBIR program, garnering key support at the 1980 White House Conference on Small Business. A government-wide SBIR program became law in 1982, championed by the late Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy.

The Tibbetts Award, honors the SBIR/STTR program participants and supporters that have made a significant economic impact through technological innovation, meeting federal research and development needs, and/or increased the commercialization of federal research. The award is named in honor of the late Roland Tibbetts, who was instrumental in developing the SBIR/STTR programs through a career-long dedication to small business entrepreneurship, applied research and technological breakthroughs.

The 2015 Tibbetts and SBIR Hall of Fame Award Winners:

SBIR Hall of Fame

Dr. Arthur & Dr. Judith Obermayer

Small Businesses                                                                   

ANDRO Computational Solutions 
     Rome, NY

Aspen Aerogels Inc 
      Northborough, MA

Behavioral Imaging Solutions 
      Boise, ID

Bexion Pharmaceuticals 
      Covington, KY

Bioo Scientific 
      Austin, TX

Celdara Medical 
      Lebanon, NH

FarSounder, Inc 
      Warwick, RI

FlexSys Inc 
      Ann Arbor, MI

Frontier Technology 
      Beavercreek, OH

Hybrid Plastics, Inc 
      Hattiesburg, MS

Hydronalix, Inc  
      Green Valley, AZ 

Hysitron, Inc 
      Eden Prairie, MN 

LI-COR Biosciences 
      Lincoln, NE 

Lift Labs  
      Mountain View, CA

Out of the Fog Research 
      Mountain View, CA

Orbital ATK 
      Northridge, CA

Precision Combustion 
      North Haven, CT

Senes Tech
     Flagstaff, AZ

StormCenter Communications, Inc 
     Halethorpe, MD

Systima Technologies, Inc 
      Kirkland, WA

Techshot, Inc 
      Greenville, IN

TissueTech, Inc 
      Doral, FL

Transposagen Biopharmaceuticals 
      Lexington, KY

Individuals

R. Wayne Brass 
      Clearwater, FL                             

Jacques Gansler 
      College Park, MD

Amanda Gentry 
      Arlington, VA      

Peter J. Grazaitis 
      Aberdeen, MD     

Thomas J. Piazza 
      Odessa, FL 

Larry Pollack 
      Fort Belvoir, VA

Support Organizations

Launch 
      Sausalito, CA       

MassVentures  
      Boston, MA 

New Orleans BioInnovations 
      New Orleans, LA

The SBIR/STTR programs represent the nation's largest source of early stage research and development funding for small businesses. The programs are administered by the SBA in collaboration with 11 federal agencies, who collectively supported more than $2.5 billion in federal research and development funding in FY 2014. Additional information about the programs, the upcoming SBIR/STTR national conference and the SBIR Road Tour can be found at www.sbir.gov.

About the Small Business Administration (SBA)

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) was created in 1953 as an independent agency of the federal government to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns, to preserve free competitive enterprise and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of our nation. We recognize that small business is critical to our economic recovery and strength, to building America's future, and to helping the United States compete in today's global marketplace. Although SBA has grown and evolved in the years since it was established in 1953, the bottom line mission remains the same. The SBA helps Americans start, build and grow businesses. Through an extensive network of field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations, SBA delivers its services to people throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U. S. Virgin Islands and Guam. www.sba.gov

Release Number: 15-55

Contact: 
Tiffani S. Clements  (202) 401-0035
http://www.sba.gov/news

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SOURCE U.S. Small Business Administration