The Senate unanimously approved a bipartisan bill that would reauthorize the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs through the end of September 2025.
“SBIR and STTR represent the best of government-industry partnerships—harnessing the creativity and ingenuity of American entrepreneurs to solve our nation’s most pressing public health and national security challenges,” Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., said in a statement published Wednesday.
The proposed SBIR & STTR Reauthorization Act of 2022 includes new safeguards to protect technologies developed under the two programs from foreign adversaries as well as changes meant to help large award recipients bring their tech platforms to market.
“This bill will keep SBIR and STTR going for an additional three years, increase commercialization of technology developed through the programs, and protect our nation’s intellectual property. Passing this important bill gives our nation’s innovative small businesses and research institutions the certainty they need to continue developing the technology that will power the economy of tomorrow,” added Cardin, who introduced the measure with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.
Under the SBIR program, federal agencies that spend at least $100 million annually on outside research should earmark 3.2 percent of the funds to support small businesses’ research efforts.
With STTR, agencies that have an annual budget of at least $1 billion for outside research should appropriate 0.45 percent of the funds to back research initiatives of small companies and academic research institutions.
