| SBIR is authorized to September 30, 2008 Reauthorization must be addressed during this 110th Congress |
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Two-Cents sessions scheduled to date:
Boston, MA, March 21, 2008
Syracuse, NY, April 17, 2007
San Diego, CA, May 3, 2007
Los Angeles, CA, May 4, 2007
San Francisco, CA, May 8, 2007
Denver, CO, May 10, 2007
Cincinnati, OH, July 10, 2007
Others being arranged
If you are interested in
participating in a session
scheduling a session OR
using similar format to run a related session(s) with SBIR involved in your area
Contact : (781) 595-2920
ann.eskesen@inknowvation.com
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| SBIR enabling legislation and reauthorization |
| After an extended, and often bitter political effort, the original SBIR enabling legislation was achieved and signed into law by President Reagan in July 1982, The program was subsequently reauthorized
- for the first time in 1986 - with sunset date extension and specific omission of certain DOD funding from the base pool.
- again in 1992 - with extensive program management issues, phased-in increase in the SBIR percentage and broadening of the base pool against which that percentage applies
- most recently, in 2000 - useful and important clarifications on a few matters but no serious adaptations to program function.
Always highly controversial, achieving SBIR related legislation has never been easy. In 2000, in fact, legislative authority for continued full SBIR functioning actually ran out September 30, 2000 -BEFORE reauthorization had been achieved. Only some very creative political maneuvering by strong SBIR advocates at the time kept the program viable until mid-December 2000 when reauthorization was finally accomplished during the closing minutes of Congress. |
Opportunity to provide your input:
Over the next few weeks/months, in close collaboration with local and state players in many locations, a series of Interactive Working Sessions are being held around the country to provide opportunity for the SBIR-involved to provide their input into the Reauthorization process.
The Two-Cents Process:
Based on the concept of structured
Brainstorming and with the focus on content development, these interactive sessions are designed to engage the SBIR Community directly in the task of identifying and addressing issues - large and small - which affect
- how the SBIR (and STTR) programs are managed and supported, and - perhaps even more important -
- how these technology development programs are now working for the different types of firms which are involved.
Who is being heard?
For some time, discussions have been underway - primarily in Washington DC - re. issues to be addressed in the next SBIR Reauthorization. Useful progress has been made. To date, however, there has been relatively limited input into that process by those most directly affected -- the SBIR-STTR Awardees themselves. With the Two-Cents Process - discussed in more detail on the next page - the objective is to address that deficiency.
Twenty-Five years of achievement.
A mature and established effort over (now) almost twenty-five years, the scale and scope of SBIR activity is extensive ans level of achievement impressive - see data on Page 2. More importantly, however, the world is very different place, and business conditions within which participant small firms must now work are radically changed.
It would seem clear that this Fourth SBIR reauthorization in particular
should be about much more than simply continuing the program as is. It
should be about ensuring that SBIR
- remains relevant to the current - and changed - needs of those involved
- and is structured to support transition of the technology to use-condition.
Only then can we be assured that the critical economic impact of SBIR can
be sustained.
If SBIR is important to you, put in YOUR Two-Cents
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