Tibbetts Awards

The Best in SBIR 2011 – Tibbetts Awards and SBIR Hall of Fame

Tibbetts Awards

The Tibbetts Awards are presented to those small businesses and individuals judged to exemplify the best in the SBIR program. The award is named for Roland Tibbetts, acknowledged as the father of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, and is presented to companies and individuals that promote the mission and goals of the SBIR program and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR):

  • to stimulate technological innovation;
  • to use small business to meet federal research and development needs;
  • to encourage diverse participation in technological innovation;
  • to increase commercialization of Federal research.


Tibbetts Award Eligibility

There are two types of Tibbetts Awards: awards to any businesses who have participated in the SBIR Phase I and II award programs and individuals who have not received assistance but supported the SBIR program.

Tibbetts Awards – SBIR/STTR Recipient

Any individual who owns and operates or who bears principal responsibility for operating a business that has received an SBIR Phase I and II or an STTR award may be nominated. Partners who jointly own and operate a business may be nominated as a “team,” so long as the number of individuals in the team nomination does not exceed four. Nominees must also be residents of the United States or its territories and will be subject to background checks. Businesses owned and operated by nominees must comply with federal civil rights laws. Nominees may not be previous recipients of a Tibbetts Award.

Tibbetts Awards – Individual

An individual who has not received SBIR Award assistance but supports the SBIR program in other ways – as specified in the evaluation criteria, below. Awardees may not be registered lobbyists. Nominees must also be residents of the United States or its territories and will be subject to background checks. Nominees may not be previous recipients of a Tibbetts Award.

Tibbetts Awards Evaluation/Selection Criteria

Anyone can nominate a company or individual for the Tibbetts Award – self-nominations will be accepted.

The criteria for evaluating companies who have received SBIR awards are:

  • Technical innovation – e.g., how the technical innovation has advanced national priorities in R&D, how the technical innovation has benefited the federal government or private citizens
  • Business impact - e.g., job creation and retention, revenue growth, successful acquisition or financial exit
  • Broader social and economic benefit – e.g., encouraging women and minority participation in R&D, supporting regional economic development, creating connections to local universities


The criteria for evaluating individuals are:

  • Unique, long-term service – e.g., provided advice and guidance to the SBIR program recipients, served in various capacities to the program and its awardees, provided leadership to the program and participating agencies
  • Created and/or initiated new programs - e.g., new programs to enhance commercialization prospects for awardees, innovation of services provided to awardees, enhanced program to meet its statutory goals, established programs beyond SBIR funding
  • Advocacy of SBIR – e.g., advocated policies supportive of the program, broadened the applicant base of the program, reached out to new audiences to assist in the success of SBIR awardees


Tibbetts Award Nomination Process

Nominations will be accepted starting November 15, 2010. The nomination period will close on December 15, 2010 at 5 PM EST.

Anyone can nominate a company and/or individual for a Tibbetts Award – including self-nominations.

Nominations packages must be typed and are limited to five (5) pages and include the following sections:

  1. Company or individual profile, including (as applicable):
     - Company/Name
     - Contact address
     - E-mail
     - Phone number
     - SBIR/STTR Award Year
     - SBIR/STTR Award Title
     - SBIR/STTR Award Phase
     - SBIR/STTR Awarding Agency
  2. 500 word (or less) company description, or profile of individual who supports the SBIR program
  3. Answer the question with specific references to the three evaluation criteria: "Why does this company/individual deserve to win the Tibbetts Award?"
  4. OPTIONAL:
     a) Letters of support
     b) Photograph of nominee and/or technology (will not be returned)


For consideration of the Tibbetts Awards, submit nomination packages to TibbettsAwards@sba.gov.

Tibbetts Award Selection Process

All Tibbetts Award winners will be selected by the SBA based on the recommendations of a panel of judges. The winners will be announced in early January. A maximum of 60 awards may be given to eligible Tibbetts Awards nominees.