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Update on SBIR/STTR Reauthorization
Following passage of legislation to reauthorize the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs in the House of Representatives, the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship unanimously passed a similar version of the legislation before adjourning for the August recess.
The SBIR and STTR programs are mandatory at all federal agencies that distribute more than $100 million per year in extramural research funds, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These agencies are currently required to set aside 2.5% of their extramural budgets for SBIR grants, and 0.3% for STTR programs.
As reported in the Physiologist in June 2008, the program is due for Congressional reauthorization this year, and the original legislation raised concerns because of a provision that would increase the percentage set aside for SBIR and STTR programs from 2.5 to 5.0% and from 0.3 to 0.6% respectively. An amendment offered by Representative Vern Ehlers (R-MI) prevented that action in the House version of the bill.
The legislation passed by the Senate’s Small Business committee proposes to increase the set-aside for the SBIR program to 3.5% in increments of 0.1% over the next ten years, but it included an exemption for agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services, including the National Institutes of Health. The legislation would also double the STTR program to 0.6% over the next six years. The full Senate has not yet voted on the bill. Once the Senate passes the measure, representatives of the House and Senate small business committees will need to work out any differences before sending a final version to the White House.
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