SBIR/STTR Website Improvement Act

This bill makes the small business research programs (SBIR and STTR) more transparent. Agencies would have to post more details about who gets awards and which research partners they hire, including each partner’s name, location, and type (college, nonprofit, or federal lab). For colleges, the site would also show if they are special types defined in federal law, such as Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribal Colleges, Predominantly Black Institutions, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander–serving institutions, Alaska Native– or Native Hawaiian–serving institutions, and others. The Small Business Administration must update its SBIR/STTR databases to include this information for Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III awards within one year after the law takes effect. Overall, it requires agencies to collect and make more information available to the public about SBIR/STTR awardees and their research partners.

• Who is affected: Small businesses with SBIR/STTR awards; universities, nonprofits, and federal labs they subcontract; federal agencies that run these programs; and the public who use the databases.
• What changes: More award and subcontractor details are posted online; SBA databases are updated to cover Phase I–III and include partner info.
• When: The database updates are due within one year after enactment.