Today
two-thirds of the nation’s net new jobs are created by small
business. Recognizing these economic contributions, several Federal
programs now support small businesses through research collaborations
and funding partnerships.
Small Business Innovation Research
(SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs
The U.S. Small
Business Administration (SBA) provides general financing for small
businesses and administers two programs specifically geared to technology-related
efforts: the Small
Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small
Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs. That these and
related programs are successful is demonstrated by the fact that
today small business is generating roughly the same number of new
patents as large industry.
The SBIR’s
competitive funding process is uniform throughout participating
Federal agencies. Agencies with extramural research and development
budgets over $100 million are required by law to administer SBIR
programs using an annual set-aside of 2.5% for small companies to
conduct innovative research or research and development (R/R&D)
that has potential for commercialization and public benefit. To
date, over $10 billion has been awarded by the SBIR program.
Departments and agencies currently participating in the SBIR program
are: the National
Institutes of Health, Departments of Agriculture
(USDA), Defense
(DOD), Education
(DoED), Energy
(DOE), and Transportation
(DOT); the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National
Science Foundation (NSF). DARPA
, the
Air Force,
Navy and Army
have their own SBIR/STTR sites.
Federal agencies
with extramural R&D budgets over $1 billion are required to
administer STTR programs using an annual set-aside of 0.15%. The
set-aside will increase to 0.3 percent in FY 2004. Currently, five
Federal agencies participate in the STTR program: DOD, DOE, DHHS
(NIH), NASA and NSF.
Two significant
differences exist between the SBIR and STTR programs.
First, under SBIR Program, the Principal Investigator must have
his/her primary employment with the small business concern at the
time of award and for the duration of the project period; under
the STTR Program, primary employment is not stipulated.
Second, the STTR Program requires research partners at universities
and other non-profit research institutions to have a formal collaborative
relationship with the small business concern. At least 40 percent
of the STTR research project is to be conducted by the small business
concern and at least 30 percent of the work is to be conducted by
the single, "partnering" research institution.
Laws covering these funding programs include the Small Business
Innovation Development Act of 1982, the Small Business Research
and Development Enhancement Act of 1992, and the Small Business
Innovation Research Program Reauthorization Act of 2000.
Advanced
Technology Program (ATP)
The ATP bridges
the gap between the research lab and the market place. Through partnerships
with the private sector, ATP’s early stage investment is accelerating
the development of innovative technologies that promise significant
commercial payoffs and widespread benefits for the nation. As part
of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the ATP provides
a mechanism for industry to extend its technological reach. The
program has strict cost sharing rules, making this a true partnership
between government and industry. Read more about the ATP.
Other
NSF Funding
The NSF Guide
to Programs describes funding opportunities for research and education
in science, mathematics, and engineering. Click
here to access the guide online.
Among the funding opportunities available for business is the Partnership
for Innovation that funds 15-25 promising partnerships per year
among academe, state/local/federal government and the private sector
that will explore new approaches to support and sustain innovation.
Grants average $600,000 and are to be spent over a two-to-three
year period.
Another NSF funding program is Grant
Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI). The
GOALI initiative encourages university-industry partnerships including
collaborative, high-risk/high-gain research, personnel exchanges,
shared equipment and facilities and long-term project initiatives.
About 80 awards are made each year under GOALI, with the average
award being $300,000 to be spent over three years.
Experimental
Program to Stimulate Competitive Research
The Experimental
Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) is a joint
program of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and several U.S.
states and territories. The program promotes the development of
the states' science and technology (S&T) resources through partnerships
involving a state's universities, industry, and government, and
the Federal research and development (R&D) enterprise.
The Department of Defense (DoD) program, Defense
Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR),
is designed to expand research opportunities in states that have
traditionally received the least funding in federal support for
university research. Academic researchers in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas,
Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada,
North Dakota, Oklahoma, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, South Carolina,
South Dakota, the US Virgin Islands, Vermont, West Virginia, and
Wyoming were eligible to receive awards under this competition in
2003.
The Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Army Research Office,
the Office of Naval Research, and the Advanced Technology Development
Directorate of the Missile Defense Agency solicited proposals using
a defense-wide broad agency announcement. The DEPSCoR broad agency
announcement was published on the Internet and accessed by the Experimental
Program to Stimulate Competitive Research State Committees, which
solicited and selected projects for each state's proposal.
The total amount awarded under the program 2003 was $15.7 million
to 18 academic institutions in 14 states to perform research in
science and engineering fields important to national defense. Thirty-one
projects were competitively selected, with an average award being
approximately $500,000.
See the list of projects selected for fiscal 2003
DEPSCoR.
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