CCAT SoCal logo link to home page

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is CCAT?

CCAT began operations in July 2001 and is a technology commercialization program funded by Congress through the Office of Naval Research. CCAT's mission is to identify new innovative solutions for critical national defense needs and to fast-track their commercialization and transition into the hands of the military and DoD agencies. CCAT has recently been awarded a contract by SPAWAR Systems Center San Diego to perform a multi-year Commercialization of Advanced Technology (CAT) program.

2. How does CCAT discover new innovative technologies for critical DoD needs?

CCAT sponsors national solicitations inviting companies, government laboratories, and academic research organizations to submit proposals for evaluation. Each proposal is competitively evaluated. The most promising technologies are given awards and services designed to accelerate the commercialization process.

3. How does CCAT differ from the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program?

The SBIR program funds the research and development of new technologies for various government agencies. The government provides funding for SBIR phases I and II which takes the technology from proof of concept (Phase I) to prototype (Phase II). The SBIR program is not intended to fund commercialization (Phase III) of the technology. In most cases, it is the company's responsibility to secure the additional funding and organizational development to reach final commercialization. CCAT does not fund research and development of new technologies. Rather, CCAT focuses on working with mature technologies (proven prototypes in a relevant environment) to get them into the marketplace. A good analogy is that CCAT provides the bridge between a technology's development and the marketplace.

4. What services does CCAT offer?

For promising mature technologies that successfully compete in CCAT's national solicitations, customized programs of awards and services are designed for each. Great emphasis is placed on performing market research, strategic business planning, developing strategic partnerships, mentoring, introductions to venture and angel investment opportunities, and funding for test, evaluation, and technology validation, among other services.

5. What is involved in the solicitation, selection, and award process?

The CCAT solicitation, review, evaluation, and selection process is an accelerated, multi-stage effort as follows:

  1. CCAT conducts periodic nationwide solicitations seeking technologies that address government-defined priority requirements. These are defined in the solicitation documents along with other pertinent selection criteria. The information including the actual application document is posted on the CCAT website and open for usually a 30-day period. All applications are submitted electronically.
  2. Each application is initially reviewed by the CCAT team for compliance with the solicitation technical requirements.
  3. Compliant applications are then evaluated by a team of at least 5 subject matter experts including representatives from the scientific, business, and investment communities. Key criteria include technical maturity, market potential, business viability, relevance to DoD requirement, and other attributes collectively intended to identify the most viable candidates for CCAT services.
  4. From the independent SME evaluations, the most viable candidates are invited to present their technology and commercialization strategy to a panel of experts, similar to the SME team. This panel focuses more on the market and business viability of the technology and the company (applicant). In addition to scoring each of the presenters, the panel identifies areas requiring due diligence as well as a suggested list of services to be provided if selected.
  5. The due diligence effort is then performed by the CCAT staff with assistance of supporting organizations and the tentative awardees. Once all concerns are resolved, a final list of awardees is prepared and the applicants informed.
  6. The final stage is the preparation of an initial commercialization strategy, list of services, and any special documents such as subcontracts, confidentiality agreements, etc.
  7. From closing of the 30-day solicitation, the review, evaluation and award process takes about 60 to 75 days.

6. Who is involved on the CCAT team?

The government sponsor for CCAT is the Office of Naval Research (ONR). The principal CCAT partners are:

Other key players include (see the About Us page for a complete listing):

7. Who can apply for consideration of CCAT awards and services?

CCAT invites all qualified companies, academic research organizations and government laboratories with mature technologies developed to at least Technology Readiness Level 6 (prototype developed and proven in relevant environment) to apply.

8. What is CCAT's track record?

Between July 2001 and December 2007, CCAT achieved the following:

9. Where can I go for additional information or assistance?

For additional information or assistance, please email the CCAT SoCal Program Office at tsheffer@foundation.sdsu.edu.