WASHINGTON -- NASA will host the inaugural Small Business Symposium and Awards Ceremony Nov. 17-18 in Washington at the Hilton Washington, 1919 Connecticut Ave., NW. Participation in this symposium is open to industry, academia and domestic small businesses. The deadline to register for the symposium is Nov. 3.

Attendees will have the opportunity to network with NASA and its prime contractors and learn how to do business with the agency. NASA representatives will discuss plans for future Earth and space missions as well as other agency programs, initiatives, and business opportunities. NASA will provide information about the skills, resources and technologies needed to achieve NASA's missions, programs and research.

Topics at this two-day event include information about NASA's Mentor-Protege Program, how NASA's Small Business Program works, how to reach NASA's prime contractors for subcontracting opportunities, and how small businesses can build a high-tech industrial base. NASA's Small Business Industry and Advocate awards will be presented on the symposium's second day. The awards recognize outstanding contributions made by NASA employees and industry representatives to support the agency's small business program.

The Business Opportunities Office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and NASA's Office of Small Business Programs at NASA Headquarters in Washington are hosting the symposium.

To register for the symposium, visit:

http://acquisition.jpl.nasa.gov/boo/2008sbsym/index.asp

For information about NASA's Office of Small Business Programs, visit:

http://www.osbp.nasa.gov

For information about JPL's Business Opportunities Office, visit:

http://acquisition.jpl.nasa.gov/boo