Please help protect the SBIR/STTR programs by asking your senator to reauthorize these critical programs NOW by voting yes on H.R. 5100 when it comes to the floor. The bill, which provides a one-year extension of the programs, overwhelmingly passed in the House on September 15. To send a letter to your Senators, enter your zip code below. You can view and personalize your message on the right side of this page. Thank you!
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The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer programs (STTR) are awards-based programs that provide essential federal grant funding to small businesses and startups to develop and bring new products to market. They support scientific and technological innovation through the investment of federal research funds in critical American priorities to build a strong national economy that transforms government investment into innovation. Small companies are at the center of Congress’ goal to strengthen American competitiveness, and SBIR/STTR is a critical component to ensure the United States remains the leader in health innovation.
Unfortunately, the programs expired at the end of September, and without the immediate reauthorization of these programs, the research of companies relying on this funding could be in jeopardy. The House overwhelmingly passed a one-year extension on September 15 to prevent the programs from expiring on September 30th, 2025, but the bill never came to a vote in the Senate. I write to you to respectfully ask you to prioritize the reauthorization of SBIR/STTR by voting yes on H.R. 5100 when it comes to the floor.
The Small Business Innovation Development Act of 1982, which established the SBIR program, mandates that federal agencies with extramural R&D budgets of $100 million or more set aside a portion of these funds to finance an SBIR program. Agencies with extramural R&D budgets of $1 billion or more are required to set aside a portion of these funds to finance an STTR program, under the Small Business Research and Development Enhancement Act of 1992. Currently, 11 federal agencies operate SBIR programs and 5 agencies operate STTR programs. The SBIR and STTR programs have been extended and reauthorized several times since their initial enactments.
SBIR/STTR are an essential part of America’s innovative high-tech ecosystem, and even the threat of a short-term disruption of these programs could severely affect R&D-focused small businesses. Many innovative small businesses rely on SBIR/STTR funding to advance their businesses and help de-risk bold health care solutions. Federal R&D funding also provides a basis for scientific and technical validation, which attracts private investments. More urgently, the current drop in capital investments is forcing many small companies to rely exclusively on the SBIR/STTR programs to offset this funding loss. If the programs are discontinued or delayed, many research projects will be significantly disrupted at best or terminated altogether.
I respectfully request that you prioritize SBIR/STTR reauthorization by voting yes on H.R. 5100 to reauthorize these vital programs.