Small Business Technology Transfer Grants

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Stored: Small Business Technology Transfer Grants

Small Business Technology Transfer Grants
Type Program
Sponsor Organization National Institutes of Health
Top Organization Department of Health and Human Services
Creation Legislation Small Business Research and Development Enhancement Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-564)
Website Website
Purpose STTR Grants, run by agencies like NIH, fund small businesses and research institutions for R&D with commercial potential, boosting health tech innovation.
Program Start 1993
Initial Funding $20 million (across all agencies)
Duration Ongoing
Historic No

The Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Grants, established in 1993 under the Small Business Research and Development Enhancement Act of 1992, are administered by multiple federal agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) within the Department of Health and Human Services, to provide competitive grants to small businesses (fewer than 500 employees) partnering with research institutions, allocating over $15 billion since inception to support approximately 1,500 projects annually by 2025. Initially funded with $20 million across all participating agencies, it has grown to distribute $300 million in FY 2024 across 1,500 awards at NIH alone, funding innovations like medical devices, biotechnology, and health IT through collaborations with universities and research centers nationwide.[1] Despite its impact, challenges like funding competition and partnership complexities persist (web ID: 5), but it remains a key component of federal innovation support under HHS and other agencies.

Official Site

Goals

  • Foster technological innovation in small businesses through partnerships with research institutions.
  • Facilitate the transfer of technology from universities and research centers to small businesses for commercialization.
  • Increase the commercialization of innovative products and services with public benefit, especially in health-related fields.[2]

Organization

The STTR Grants program is managed by NIH and other federal agencies (e.g., NSF, DOE, NASA), overseen by NIH Director Monica M. Bertagnolli since 2023, with the Small Business Administration (SBA) coordinating across agencies under federal oversight. It operates via annual appropriations, guided by the Small Business Research and Development Enhancement Act and subsequent funding acts like Public Law 117-328 (2022).[3][4]

Partners

History

Authorized by the Small Business Research and Development Enhancement Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-564) and launched in 1993 with $20 million across agencies, the STTR Grants program expanded with annual appropriations, reaching $300 million in FY 2024 at NIH alone.[5] It grew from funding 300 projects annually in 1994 to 1,500 by 2025, addressing disparities with innovations like health tech collaborations (web ID: 5). By 2025, it has awarded over $15 billion across all agencies, though GAO notes funding competition concerns (web ID: 5).

Funding

Initial funding of $20 million in 1993 (across all agencies) supported the program’s launch, with over $15 billion appropriated by 2025 via annual HHS and other agency budgets—e.g., $300 million in FY 2024 at NIH.[6] Ongoing appropriations under the Small Business Research and Development Enhancement Act sustain its operations, with no fixed end as it addresses ongoing innovation needs, requiring a 0.45% set-aside of extramural budgets for participating agencies (web ID: 5).

Implementation

STTR distributes competitive grants annually in three phases (Phase I: Proof of Concept; Phase II: Development; Phase III: Commercialization), requiring small businesses to collaborate with research institutions, tracked via agency-specific systems like NIH’s eRA Commons.[7] It progresses through partnerships with small businesses and universities—e.g., 1,500 projects yearly—and program expansions, adapting to innovation needs with no set end, though partnership complexities remain a challenge (web ID: 5).

Related

External links

Social media

References

  1. ↑ "STTR at NIH". National Institutes of Health. https://sbir.nih.gov/sttr. 
  2. ↑ "SBIR/STTR Policy Directive". U.S. Small Business Administration. https://www.sbir.gov/sites/default/files/SBIR-STTR_Policy_Directive_2023.pdf. 
  3. ↑ "About NIH Leadership". National Institutes of Health. https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/who-we-are/leadership-director. 
  4. ↑ "STTR Program". U.S. Small Business Administration. https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/sttr. 
  5. ↑ "Small Business Research and Development Enhancement Act of 1992". U.S. Congress. https://www.congress.gov/bill/102nd-congress/house-bill/3372. 
  6. ↑ "STTR at NIH". National Institutes of Health. https://sbir.nih.gov/sttr. 
  7. ↑ "eRA Commons". National Institutes of Health. https://era.nih.gov/. 
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