NEC Supports SBIR/STTR Reauthorization
As Congress negotiates the pending Continuing Resolution and future appropriations package, the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology (STTR) programs must stay top of mind as they are set to expire on September 30, 2022. On Monday September 19, the New England Council sent letters to the Senators and Representatives from the six New England States urging Congress to pass legislation reauthorizing these programs.
The SBIR and STTR programs authorize federal agencies to distribute competitive awards to early-stage small businesses with innovative proposals that address federal research and development objectives. These popular, bipartisan programs focus on spurring innovation in high-impact technology sectors – such as healthcare, energy, and defense, and ensuring that the United States remains competitive internationally.
In this letter, the Council outlines the importance of avoiding a programmatic lapse with these two programs. The SBIR/ STTR programs are competitive and merit-based, with the federal government selecting the best ideas and technologies to fund. The SBIR and STTR programs have been highly important to small businesses in New England creating thousands of high-quality jobs, generating hundreds of billions of economic activity, and developing thousands of important technologies for our nation that helps us remain a top international competitor – many of which are manufactured in the region. The continuation of this program is vital to New England’s continued business growth and success.
For more information on this issue as well as the Higher Education Committee and Technology and Innovation Working Group please contact Mariah Healy, Director of Federal Affairs, at mhealy@newenglandcouncil.com.