Form SBIR - 001 SBIR - 001 SBIR Awardee Satisfaction

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program
Awardee Satisfaction Survey
Purpose: To gather information from representatives of companies that have received Phase I or Phase II awards
from U.S. DOT’s Small Business Innovation Research program about the level of satisfaction with the program and its
processes. The U.S. DOT SBIR program is administered by the Volpe Center on behalf of the Office of the Secretary.
Topics included in the information collection effort:
• Satisfaction with the U.S. DOT SBIR program and its resources;
• Satisfaction with the program’s impact on the awardee’s company; and
• Respondent contact information and company demographics.
Please note the following formatting cues:
• Text that appears in bold will appear as intro text or instructions for respondents;
• Plain text is used for survey questions; and
• Text that is italicized contains internal notes about survey design and coding.

The U.S. DOT’s Small Business Innovation Research program (SBIR) has awarded companies like yours Phase
I and/or Phase II/IIB funds to spark innovation, invest in cutting-edge research, and support the
commercialization of important technologies.
As a past awardee, your responses to this survey will help ensure U.S. DOT’s SBIR program continues to
provide companies with the assistance they need to succeed, while advancing important research goals.
This survey should take approximately five minutes to complete.
1.

How does your company learn about open U.S. DOT SBIR solicitations?
o Check all that apply (coded as checkboxes)
° U.S. DOT SBIR website
° Email notification
° FedBizOpps.gov
° SBIR Insider
° U.S. DOT/Volpe Center social media posts
° SBA website
° Industry group
° Other (with open-ended text box)

2.

From which other SBIR programs has your company received an award?
o Check all that apply (coded as checkboxes)
° Department of Agriculture
° Department of Commerce (includes NOAA and NIST)
° Department of Defense
° Department of Education
° Department of Energy
° Department of Health and Human Services
° Department of Homeland Security
° Environmental Protection Agency
° National Aeronautics and Space Administration

° National Science Foundation
° None

These questions are about how satisfied you are with different aspects of the U.S. DOT SBIR program.
In thinking about the project for which your company received an award, how would you rate the helpfulness of the
following SBIR activities and resources? Statements will appear to respondents in a matrix format; the 5-point rating
scale is:
° Very helpful
° Helpful
° Neither helpful nor unhelpful
° Unhelpful
° Very unhelpful
3.
4.
5.
6.

Your interactions with the U.S. DOT SBIR program office?
The Phase I solicitation instructions as a resource for completing your proposal?
The Phase II/IIB instructions?
The debriefing information?

To what extent do you agree with the following statements? Statements will appear to respondents in a matrix
format; the 5-point rating scale is:
° Strongly agree
° Agree
° Neither agree nor disagree
° Disagree
° Strongly disagree
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.

The U.S DOT SBIR website was helpful in navigating the application process.
The U.S. DOT SBIR website is well-organized.
The U.S. DOT SBIR website provided useful information.
The U.S. DOT Contracting Officer Representative (COR)/Topic Lead was knowledgeable and engaged.
The COR/Topic Lead provided useful research guidance.
The instructions for the Phase II/IIB process were clear.
The contract award process is quick
The payment process is quick

To what extent do you agree with the following statements? Statements will appear to respondents in a matrix
format; the 5-point rating scale is:
° Very likely
° Somewhat likely
° Neutral
° Somewhat unlikely
° Very unlikely
15. How likely is your company to apply for another U.S. DOT SBIR award?
16. How likely are you to recommend the U.S. DOT SBIR program to a colleague?

These next questions are about your satisfaction with the U.S. DOT SBIR Commercial Assistance Program.

The U.S. DOT SBIR program is committed to helping awardees bring their research products to market. The
Commercialization Assistance Program (CAP) began in 2015 in order to provide complimentary services to awardees at
no cost. These services include market analysis, commercialization report preparation, and business planning
assistance.
17. Are you aware of the U.S. DOT’s Commercial Assistance Program?
o Choose one (coded as dropdown)
° I am extremely familiar with CAP
° I am somewhat familiar with CAP
° I have never heard of CAP (This is a branching question. If Respondent answers “I have never heard
of CAP,” jump to Q21)
18. Did your company receive CAP assistance through U.S. DOT?
o Choose one (coded as dropdown)
° Yes, with U.S. DOT’s CAP vendor, Dawnbreaker (This is a branching question. If Respondent selects
this answer, jump to Q20)
° Yes, with our own vendor (This is a branching question. If Respondent selects this answer, jump to
Q21)
° No (This is a branching question. If Respondent selects this answer, continue to Q19)
19. Why not?
o Check all that apply (coded as checkboxes)
° Have in-house capability to commercialize
° Didn’t want to share sensitive information with vendor
° Commercialization was/is not a company priority
° Another reason (coded as open-ended)
20. How helpful was the CAP program in helping your company commercialize its U.S. DOT SBIR research?
o Coded on a 5-point rating scale with the following options:
° Essential for commercialization
° Somewhat helpful
° Had no impact on commercialization
° Somewhat unhelpful
° Not at all helpful

These final questions are about your U.S. DOT SBIR award’s impact on your company’s success.
21. Did your company’s participation in the U.S. DOT SBIR program result in additional hiring?
o Choose one (coded as dropdown)
° Yes (This is a branching question. If Respondent answers “Yes,” continue to Q22)
° No (This is a branching question. If Respondent answers “No,” jump to Q23)
22. Please describe your company’s hiring changes as a result of participating in the U.S. DOT SBIR program.
o Coded as open ended paragraph/text box
23. Has your company received any U.S. patents or licenses based on research developed with funding from U.S.
DOT’s SBIR program?
o Choose one (coded as dropdown)
° Yes (This is a branching question. If Respondent answers “Yes,” continue to Q24)

° No (This is a branching question. If Respondent answers “No,” jump to Q25)
° I don’t know (This is a branching question. If Respondent answers “I don’t know,” jump to Q25)
24. Please describe the patents or licenses your company has received.
o Coded as open ended paragraph/text box
25. As a result of receiving a Phase I or Phase II/IIB U.S. DOT SBIR award, did your company obtain private
investments?
o Choose one (coded as dropdown)
° Yes
° No
° I don’t know
26. As a result of receiving a Phase I or Phase II U.S. DOT SBIR award, has your company’s sales revenue grown?
o Choose one (coded as dropdown)
° Yes
° No
° I don’t know
27. As a result of receiving a U.S. DOT SBIR award, has your company experienced any of the following milestones?
o Check all that apply (coded as checkboxes)
° Sold/transferred ownership of the company
° Sold/transferred ownership of a product or service
° Presented or demonstrated at industry expos or conferences
° Published journal articles, news accounts, or other media?
° Other (coded as open-ended text box)
28. Would you like to share links to any papers, articles, videos, or other coverage of your company’s work that was
supported with SBIR funding?
o Coded as open ended paragraph/text box
29. Have there been other outcomes due to your U.S. DOT SBIR research?
o Coded as open ended paragraph/text box
These last questions are for classification purposes.
30. Company name
o Coded as open ended paragraph/text box
31. Certifications
o Check all that apply (coded as checkboxes)
° HUBZone
° Minority-owned
° Socially and economically disadvantaged
° Student/faculty-owned
° Woman-owned
° None
32. Your Name
o Coded as open ended paragraph/text box

33. Your Title
o Coded as open ended paragraph/text box
34. Your Email address
o Coded as open ended paragraph/text box
35. Your Phone number
o Coded as open ended paragraph/text box
36. Which U.S. DOT operating administration(s) sponsored your topic?
o Check all that apply (coded as checkboxes)
° Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
° Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
° Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
° Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
° Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
° National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
° Office of the Secretary (OST)
° Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)
° I can’t remember
37. During which calendar years did you participate in the U.S. DOT SBIR program?
o Check all that apply (coded as checkboxes)
° 2019
° 2018
° 2017
° 2016
° 2015
° 2014
° 2013
° 2012
° 2011
° 2010

Thank you for taking the time to provide us with information on your SBIR experience. If you have a success story you
would like to share based on your U.S. DOT SBIR research, please contact us at [email protected] .