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Through a partnership with the Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, NIWC Pac, SBIR@Connect hopes to promote economic growth in our region by fostering connections between government, industry, and academia. 

This workshop is designed to introduce small businesses to the 

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

, an agency participating in the SBIR/STTR program. The SBIR/STTR program spans across eleven different agencies, making it crucial to grasp where your technology could potentially fit, the various processes involved, and the distinctions between these agencies. Join us to meet the Program Director of DARPA’s Small Business Programs Office and gain insights into their agency and program!

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has a mission of making pivotal investments in breakthrough technologies for national security. By investing in new technology-driven ideas, DARPA imagines and makes possible new capabilities for overcoming the threats and challenges that lie ahead. To that end, DARPA sets aside funding every year to support early-stage small business research and development via the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, which are aimed at fostering innovation and facilitating the commercialization of technological advances.

The DARPA Small Business Programs Office (SBPO) administers DARPA’s SBIR and STTR programs and supports small businesses in developing technologies that address national security challenges by providing funding, guidance, and connections within DARPA and the broader Department of Defense. Through these efforts, the SBPO is pivotal in integrating small, high-tech companies into the defense research and development sphere and ensuring that small businesses contribute significantly to maintaining the United States’ technological and security edge.

https://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/for-small-businesses/participate-sbir-sttr-program

The Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) Program aims to provide non-dilutive funding to eligible companies, addressing government research and development needs while fostering innovation and the commercialization of products and efforts. This program holds significant importance in ensuring the development and integration of the latest technology initiatives for the benefit of our warfighters. Equally crucial is safeguarding the rights of small businesses involved in developing these technologies through the SBIR/STTR program. Shadi Azoum, the NAVWAR SBIR/STTR Program Manager, will be presenting insights specifically focused on SBIR data rights during the workshop.

We look forward to your participation in this event, and future ones! For more information, please visit our 

Ms. Jennifer Thabet is an experienced program manager with an extensive background supporting DARPA and the DoD. Enhancing the ability of the small business community to create and transition revolutionary technologies that benefit the warfighter, federal government, and commercial marketplace is of paramount importance in Ms. Thabet's role of Program Director, DARPA Small Business Programs Office (SBPO). She is focused on creating an environment that considers small business concerns a primary source of innovative solutions and advancing small business relationships and training opportunities within the DoD and other federal agencies.

Prior to joining SBPO, Ms. Thabet spent more than 13 years with Booz Allen Hamilton supporting DARPA and the DoD by providing program and project management for complex government contracts with a focus on project and financial management. She has specialized expertise in contract negotiations, business process improvements, and small business relations and risk management. Her experience includes work in multiple DARPA Technical Offices where she supported all aspects of the DARPA programmatic lifecycle from program concept to transition. Her background also includes work in DARPA support offices, including the Director's Office (DIRO) and the Mission Services Office (MSO), where she served as the contract program manager for DARPA's largest and most complex support contract. Prior to her time at DARPA, Ms. Thabet spent time as an attorney, specializing in contract law and general litigation.

Ms. Thabet holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington University in St. Louis, a Juris Doctorate degree from The George Washington University School of Law, and a Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification from the Project Management Institute.

Mr. Shadi Azoum is the current Program Manager for the NAVWAR Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR), and Rapid Innovation Fund (RIF) Program Management Offices. He has served in this position since June 2016. Prior to this position, Mr. Azoum led the Science and Technology (S&T) portfolio for PEO C4I, PMW 130 (Information Assurance and Cyber Security Program Office) as the Assistant Program Manager (APM) for Science and Technology (S&T) since May 2011. Mr. Azoum has a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Computer Science and Master of Science (MS) in Information Security from Florida State University.

Exploring DARPA: Navigating the Landscape of SBIR/STTR Programs