NEWS | SBTC Chair Discusses SBIR/STTR Lapse, Work for Small Business with NSBA in Recent Interview
NSBA and SBTC continue leading advocacy urging Congress to reinstate the critical SBIR/STTR funds for small-business research and innovation.
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SBIR/STTR are Critical Small-Business Programs Driving Big Impacts Nationwide
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.
How SBIR/STTR Drives Change for Small Business
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.
Finance &
SBIR/STTR
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
Involvement That Drives Innovation
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.
"NSBA and SBTC are very grateful for the support from Congress we've received fighting for these critical SBIR/STTR programs, but there's more work to be done, and we can't win on Capitol Hill alone. If you think these programs are shaping technology that doesn't matter to you, think again, and join our work to ensure a brighter, stronger future for tomorrow - today."
Todd McCracken
President & CEO, NSBA
Share Your SBIR/STTR Story
We are currently seeking partners, small-business owners, and supporters who are or have been active with the SBIR/STTR programs and would be willing to share their story, as well as talk publicly about how the current lapse in SBIR/STTR is and will impact their firm.
While we will continue fighting in every possible way to reinstate the SBIR/STTR programs, sharing personal stories is incredibly impactful and can make a huge difference in our efforts. We really need to hear from you.
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Exclusive Savings for SBIR-STTR Supporters with NSBA Sponsor, Dell.
Dell supports the small business community through NSBA and SBTC, offering exclusive supporter-only savings on essential tech and tools. Learn More
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