Bob Smith, Director, DON SBIR/STTR Programs: As Director of the Navy’s SBIR/STTR and Special Programs, Mr. Smith manages programs designed to assist small businesses in getting their technologies fully developed, tested, and inserted into products and services used by our Naval warfighters. Prior to his current assignment, Mr. Smith was the Director of Disruptive Technologies in the Office of Naval Research, a program that provides game-changing technical options for the future Navy. Mr. Smith was also the Program Manager for the Department of the Navy’s Rapid Innovation Fund, which supports rapidly inserting small business technology solutions into acquisition programs of record. Mr. Smith was lucky to have previously spent 22 years as a Marine helicopter pilot. Mr. Smith has a BA in Accounting from Whittier College and an MS in Systems Management from the Naval Postgraduate School. He was the recipient of the 2013 Department of the Defense Oreta B. Stinson Advocacy Award (formerly Small Business Advocate Award), one of the annual Navy Acquisition Excellence Awards given in recognition of a non-small business professional whose actions contributed significantly to improving the opportunity for small business success. Mr. Smith has been recognized twice by the Small Business Technology Council as a “Champion of Small Business Technology Commercialization.”

The Full Presentation to include the Q&A is on the NC DEFETCH Mobilize Community

https://nc-defense-technology-transition-office.mobilize.io/network-groups

Disclaimer: “The views represented are not necessarily those of DEFTECH, NCMBC, FTCC, or the Federal Government. The content and interviews are for instructional purposes and to build awareness for the NC Innovation Ecosystem.” “DEFTECH is a North Carolina Military Business Center subsidiary and receives support from Fayetteville Technical Community College.”