Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs: Background and Issues

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program was established in 1982 by the Small Business Innovation Development Act to increase the participation of small innovative companies in federally funded R&D. In establishing the program, Congress found that technological innovation plays an important role in job creation, productivity improvements, and U.S. competitiveness; that small businesses are among the most cost-effective performers of R&D and particularly capable of bringing R&D results to market in the form of new products; and that despite the role of small businesses as ¯the principal source of significant innovations in the Nation, the vast majority of federally funded R&D is performed by large businesses, universities, and federal laboratories. This book provides background and examines issues in the SBIR and small business technology transfer programs.