NSBA and its Small Business Technology Council (SBTC) are fighting every day for permanency of the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs (SBIR/STTR).
Leadership on Capitol Hill
NSBA and SBTC commend the House for its bipartisan support for extending the SBIR/STTR programs to give negotiators more time. It is well past time the Senate acts to restore these critical small-business innovation and technology programs.
“The Small Business Technology Counsel joins Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and U.S. Reps. Roger Williams (R-Texas), Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.), Brian Babin (R-Texas) and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) in their disappointment at the lapse of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. The SBIR and STTR programs are critical to the U.S. industrial base and America’s innovative economy and should never have been allowed to lapse. SBTC urges the Senate take up and promptly pass H.R. 5100, a common- sense, bipartisan bill that will keep the SBIR/STTR programs going while all sides continue to negotiate on an extension.”
-Jere Glover | SBTC Executive Director
By the Numbers
SBIR/STTR are important programs providing critical funds supporting small business - the nation's most important economic community.
Unfortunately, despite NSBA and SBTC’s best efforts, the programs are currently lapsed, after the Senate failed to pass a 1-year extension. However, we are continuing the fight, urging the Senate to take up and promptly pass H.R. 5100.
The longer this lapse lasts, the more damage is done to highly innovative small businesses, their employees, and every business in their pipeline.
4,000+ Companies
SBIR/STTR funds more than 4,000 companies per year, over 1,000 of which are new to government contracting.
22-33%
ROI
Economic impact studies show a $22-33 return for every dollar invested, depending on the agency.
1.5m Jobs
Created
SBIR/STTR programs generated 65,578 jobs per year over a
23-year period.
Real, Tangible Returns
For every $1 invested in the SBIR/STTR program, there are $11 of commercial sales at NCI and $5 of commercial sales at DoD.
Diverse Industry Impacts
Between 1996 and 2020, 99 new drug approvals (12% of all new drugs approved) were developed by firms receiving SBIR/STTR funding.
In the Classroom & Beyond
Universities license 70% of all their technology to small business and are using SBIR and STTR to help get their technology into the market.
Each year, the financial community supports NSBA and SBTC as we advance action for permanency to these critical technology development and research programs. Leaders nationwide collectively contribute to shape a common sense, actionable policy agenda, able to point to real impacts supporting the nation's most important economic community.
Working through NSBA and SBTC, small-business realities are our priority. We don’t just follow policy—we help create it with their firsthand perspective. SBIR/STTR mandates we drive in Washington start with you.
01
10% of all Venture Capital (VC) investments reach an SBIR/STTR project, representing twice as much as the Government
02
Over 800 small firms receiving SBIR/STTR grants have gone public
03
More than 2,000 small firms receiving SBIR/STTR funds have been acquired, injecting their innovations into larger companies
Letters of Support for HR 5100, the 1-year extension of SBIR/STTR:
SBTC 1-Pager on SBIR/STTR Reauthorization
This 1-page handout urges Congress to act swiftly to pass HR 5100 to keep the SBIR/STTR programs going while negotiations over a long-term extension continue
SBTC Concerns with S. 853 The INNOVATE Act
A section-by-section list of concerns the SBTC has with regards to the INNOVATE Act, and the negative consequences it would have on the SBIR and STTR program
Analysis of May 2025 SSBEC Report on Chinese Influence in SBIR
An analysis of the May 2025 Senate Small Business Committee report on Chinese influence in SBIR, investigating and rebutting the 6 instances listed in that report of alleged Chinese influence.
The Big Lie
One-pager rebutting the false narratives that Multiple award winning SBIR/STTR firms do not commercialize their research.
Strategic Options for the DOD SBIR Program – Role of MAWs in SBIR/STTR
Economic paper by Dr. Robin Gaster explaining the role multiple award winners play in the SBIR/STTR program, and pushing back on false narratives that they do not commercialize.
SBTC Letter of Endorsement for S.1573 – SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2025
SBTC sent a letter to Congress endorsing S. 1573, the SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2025, as introduced by Senator Markey (D-MA), and Representative Velazquez (D-NY)
SBTC Executive Director Jere Glover Testimony Before House Small Business Committee
Jere Glover’s written testimony before the House Small Business Committee from February 26, 2025 on the SBIR/STTR programs
SBTC Handout on SBIR/STTR
SBTC 2-page handout offering legislative recommendations for improving the SBIR/STTR programs
SBIR/STTR Programs have been copied by 17 countries around the world. For some context on this critical American innovation program, working with only 3.65% of the Federal extramural R&D budget, SBIR/STTR program funds have created more than a fifth of the U.S.' key innovations, as well as countless others around the globe.
Todd McCracken
President & CEO, NSBA
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