Sponsors (2)
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
Last progress May 1, 2025 (10 months ago)
Introduced on May 1, 2025 by Edward John Markey
Makes targeted amendments to the Small Business Act to strengthen the SBIR and STTR programs across federal agencies. Changes raise required agency spending levels for SBIR/STTR over time, expand commercialization and acquisition support (including training for procurement staff and a Technology Commercialization Official at agencies), improve outreach and assistance to underrepresented researchers and small firms, extend and revise multiple pilot programs and end dates, add reporting and oversight requirements (including an NIH pilot to speed awards), and make several technical edits and definitional updates. The bill is largely programmatic and administrative — it changes program rules, timelines, outreach, reporting, and training rather than creating major new appropriations.
SBIR Commercialization Improvement Act
Updated 7 hours ago
Last progress August 1, 2025 (6 months ago)
SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2025
Updated 6 hours ago
Last progress May 1, 2025 (10 months ago)
States that the table of contents for this Act follows (section contains the heading and the sentence ‘‘The table of contents for this Act is as follows.’’).
Amend Section 9 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638) by striking subsection (m).
Amend Section 9(n)(1)(A) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638(n)(1)(A)) by striking specified language (the excerpt does not show the language being removed).
Amend Section 34(i) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 657d(i)) by striking the date "September 30, 2005" and inserting "September 30, 2030", thereby extending the statutory date in that provision.
Amends section 9(f)(1) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638) to set SBIR minimum expenditure levels for certain agency budgets as: fiscal years 2017–2025 (replacing “2017 and each fiscal year thereafter”), then not less than 4% in FY 2026–2027, 5% in FY 2028–2029, 6% in FY 2030–2031, and 7% in FY 2032 and each fiscal year thereafter.
Updated 7 hours ago
Last progress June 12, 2025 (8 months ago)
Updated 7 hours ago
Last progress September 8, 2025 (5 months ago)
Updated 7 hours ago
Last progress July 25, 2025 (7 months ago)
Updated 7 hours ago
Last progress July 17, 2025 (7 months ago)
Who is affected and how:
Small businesses that participate or seek to participate in SBIR/STTR: Directly affected. They will face expanded opportunities (greater agency set‑asides over time, more commercialization support, internship/fellowship opportunities tied to Phase II), improved technical and business assistance, and potentially faster paths to Phase III/procurement. Some competition and award rules change (including participation limits for particular businesses).
Federal agencies that run SBIR/STTR (including DoD, NIH, and others): Directly affected. Agencies must meet higher set‑aside targets, create or appoint Technology Commercialization Officials, provide or allow procurement and Phase III training for acquisition staff, comply with new reporting and database update requirements, and in some cases transfer portions of program funds to SBA or other uses. These changes increase administrative and reporting duties.
SBA and oversight bodies (GAO/Comptroller General): Directly affected. SBA must implement training, update databases, oversee commercialization policy, and report. GAO is tasked with producing assessments; both will need to expand oversight activities.
Research universities and institutions, including minority‑serving institutions (HBCUs, Hispanic‑Serving Institutions): Affected. The bill strengthens outreach and support, increases visibility in SBIR/STTR subcontracting data, and aims to improve participation by researchers at these institutions.
Contracting officers and acquisition staff: Affected. Must receive training and apply standardized Phase I–III processes; DoD must notify SBA of certain Phase III denials, increasing coordination.
NIH grant/program applicants and administrators: Affected by a pilot to speed award timing; NIH must establish the pilot within a year and report and evaluate results within three years, with the pilot ending in 2030.
Practical effects and tradeoffs:
Positive effects: Likely improved commercialization outcomes, better access and outreach for underrepresented schools and regions, increased transparency, and faster transition of research to market if procurement alignment works as intended.
Administrative costs and burden: Agencies and the SBA will face added reporting, training, database maintenance, and oversight tasks that may require internal staff time or reallocation of existing resources; some pilot provisions authorize transfers or share changes rather than direct new appropriations.
Timeline and certainty: Several deadlines and pilot sunset dates are explicit (e.g., 1‑year database update, NIH pilot timelines, 2030 pilot end dates), which gives timebound expectations but also requires agencies to act within relatively short windows.
Overall, the law is programmatic and administrative: it focuses on improving SBIR/STTR effectiveness, commercialization, outreach, and oversight rather than creating major new funding streams.