NEWS | SBTC Wins Continue for Small Business Technology, R&D and SBIR Programs

NSBA's Small Business Technology Council (SBTC) are privileged continue leading the fight for small business to reauthorize and permanently enact SBIR/STTR programs to support better technology and R&D development opportunities for the nation's most important economic community.

MARCH 18, 2026 | NSBA's Small Business Technology Council (SBTC) advocates on a wide array of important policy issues important to high-tech, R&D-focused small businesses. An integral council to NSBA, SBTC is one of the principal organizations and our members are leaders in advocating for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs in Washington, playing a key role in the reauthorization of the program dating back to the 1990s.  

On March 17, after a 5-month lapse, the House passed Senate-approved legislation to reauthorize SBIR for five years through Sept. 30, 2031. Urging the President to sign this legislation into law without delay, SBTC continues working closely with both ends of Pennsylvania Ave., driving for permanency of these critical programs. We also continue capitalizing on our successful work with Congress to restore the Sec. 174 R&D Tax Deduction, which was passed in July 2025 as part of the big tax bill.  

Read more below, and get involved with SBTC leadership to start making a different for small business technology and R&D here.

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3/17/26 – The House of Representatives passed S. 3871, clearing SBIR/STTR reauthorization through Congress and sending it to the President’s desk.  When enacted, it will reauthorize SBIR/STTR through September 30, 2031 more 

3/4/26 – After a 5-month lapse in authority, the Senate finally passes a reauthorization of the SBIR/STTR programs.  This comes after contentious negotiations that lasted nearly a year in the Senate.  The resulting bill will reauthorize SBIR/STTR for 5 and a half years and include a number of programmatic changes to the program, including standardizing foreign risk/due diligence requirements, requiring agencies to set limits on number of proposals submitted, and a post-Phase II Strategic Breakthrough Award initiative. more 

1/29/26 – After SBTC raised concerns about the Department of Energy’s policy to limit indirect rates to 15%, Congress included a provision requiring the DOE reverse this policy in its Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, 2026 (H.R. 6938).  This change now requires the DOE to revert to negotiated indirect cost rates under 2 CFR §200.414, as had been done prior to the new policy.  more 

11/5/25 – Research performed by SBTC and American Association of Universities (AAU) shows that STTR plays a critical role in funding R&D in rural and underserved states, with the bottom performing 25 states receiving a larger part of the STTR pie than SBIR.  This research demonstrates the important niche that STTR fills in complementing the much larger SBIR program.  more 

9/17/25 – SBTC joined with hundreds of small businesses and organizations in urging Congress to pass HR 5100, a simple 1-year extension of the SBIR/STTR programs.  This bill, introduced by House Small Business Committee Chair Roger Williams, has broad bipartisan support, and passed the House without objections.  While Senator Markey supports the bill, Senator Ernst does not, insisting instead on her own INNOVATE Act, and has blocked HR 5100 from passing the Senate more 

9/9-9/10/25 – SBTC partnered with SMI and NEIA to host a Washington Fly-In called Defend SBIR.  The event brought small businesses from across the country to Washington DC to meet with their members of Congress and staff to discuss how important SBIR/STTR are to America’s innovative small businesses.  The second day featured a forum with speakers from academia, policy experts, and a panel of small business owners to discuss SBIR/STTR policy, with Senator Markey serving as a keynote speaker.  more 

7/3/25 – Congress passed a permanent and retroactive fix to Sec. 174 tax deduction as part of the HR 1 big tax bill.  This fix provides much needed relief to high-tech small businesses, who can once again immediately deduct all R&D expenses, rather than having to amortize them over 5 years.  more 

6/9/25 – SBTC sent a letter to Secretary of Energy Wright objecting to a new policy memo limiting indirect rates on grants to for-profit entities to 15%.  This limit will make it impossible for many small businesses to accept DOE grants, as doing so would result in 30%-35% losses.  We have requested meetings with the Secretary, and will continue to follow up on this in the future. more 

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