The Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship (SBE) passed by a vote of 19 to 0, their 'SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2008'' aka S. 3362.  This is a completely new bill and not related to H.R. 5819, the House's SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act passed in the House, April 2008.  Here are some of the major points of the bill: 

1.  Award Amounts - Both SBIR and STTR raised to $150k phase I, and $1m phase II, with the ability to exceed the guidelines by a maximum of 50%.  The agencies must report and justify all awards exceeding the guidelines. 

2.  Increase in SBIR/STTR Cap (allocation) - SBIR will be increased from 2.5% to 3.5% at a rate of .1% over 10 years, EXCEPT for NIH, which will stay at 2.5%.  STTR will double from 0.3% to 0.6% over 6 years. 

Although it is unusual for DOT to have more than one SBIR phase I solicitation per year, they just opened a second phase I solicitation July 18, 2008.  This is a smaller (3 topic) solicitation that will close September 5, 2008.  DOT's previous FY-2008 solicitation was released on April 15, 2008 and closed on June 3, 2008.

The DOT solicitation is contracts based, so it is available on FedBizOpps, but the best place to get it is on DOT's SBIR site at www.volpe.dot.gov/sbir  It's available in Word, PDF or html. 

To paraphrase an old automobile ad campaign, the SBIR program reauthorized for two years by the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday is not your father’s SBIR program as it was created and sustained for the past 25 years. Nor would it be the same, smaller STTR program if the bill becomes law.
 
H.R. 5819 means bigger awards, but fewer awards. It means more flexibility as to when research projects can enter the SBIR/STTR process. It clarifies and expands eligibility to include companies owned by venture capital firms. It opens up significant subcontracting opportunities. It has, for the first time, requirements to give preferences in SBIR/STTR awards to companies based on geographic and demographic considerations.
 
Also reauthorized in the bill is a dramatically changed Federal and State Technology Partnership (FAST). FAST would make two-year matching grants of up to $250,000 to support state SBIR/STTR outreach and proposal assistance. An amendment introduced by Rep Carney (R-PA) that was passed by voice vote, requires the Small Business Administration (SBA) to give preference in making FAST awards to proposals involving Small Business Development Centers that are certified by the SBA to assist technology companies (SBTDCs).
 
Whether or not the program is improved or impaired by all of the proposed changes is a matter of debate among members of Congress, the broader SBIR community, and other entities serving as champions and opponents on specific elements of the bill. Whether it means more innovation or less remains to be seen over the two years of its authorization.
 

A new resource for small business, the research community and the public launched today at www.sbir.gov. The SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) program together with the STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) program stimulates technological innovation and provides opportunities for small business. Both Federal Government programs support leading-edge collaboration between the private and public sectors.

Debate continues over the Small Business Expansion Act. Passed in the House in September and now awaiting action in the Senate. The bill, H.R.3567, would allow for small companies that are majority-owned by VC firms to continue to qualify for small-business programs. Biotech and high-tech firms support the measure because the backing they require to develop their products can be extensive. Critics contend that the bill provides unfair advantages, such as access to Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants, for companies with deep pockets, thereby depriving needier companies of the funds. Jere Glover, Executive Director of the Small Business Technology Council describes the bill as “the worst piece of small-business legislation I’ve seen in 25 years.” The Small Business Administration agrees on this point.

The DoD SBIR 2007.3 solicitation is open for proposal submission from August 20, 2007 through 6 a.m. EST September 19, 2007. Four DoD components -- the Department of the Air Force, the Department of the Navy, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) -- have R&D topics in this solicitation under which Phase I proposals are sought. The Solicitation, which contains detailed information on the parameters of the SBIR program and how to submit a proposal, and Topics are available at http://www.dodsbir.net/solicitation. You may also search the topics by going to http://www.dodsbir.com/Topics.

The SBIR/STTR program is a specialized form of funding for the purpose of helping to provide early-stage Research and Development funding to small technology companies (or individual entrepreneurs who form a company).   Solicitations are released periodically from federal agencies that present technical topics of R&D which the agency is interested in funding.   Companies are invited to compete for funding by submitting proposals answering the technical topic needs of the agency's solicitation.  These needs span the technology spectrum -- from aviation and agriculture to medicine and manufacturing.  The Technology Research & Development Center (TREND)

The DoD SBIR 2007.2 solicitation is open for proposal submission from May 14, 2007 through 6 a.m. EST June 13, 2007. Six DoD components -- the Department of the Army, the Department of the Navy, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Office of Secretary of Defense (OSD), the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), and the Defense Microelectronics Activity (DMEA) -- have R&D topics in this solicitation under which Phase I proposals are sought. The Solicitation, which contains detailed information on the requirements of the SBIR program and how to submit a proposal, and Topics are available at http://www.dodsbir.net/solicitation. Search the topics by going to http://www.dodsbir.com/Topics.� You may also contact TREND for assistance with the SBIR program details by email to ancap1@uaa.alaska.edu or 907.274.7232.

The SBIR and STTR agencies currently accepting proposals, or soon to be, are listed below with links to their sites.� �

There is an Alaska-specific topic coming out in EPA?s 2007 SBIR solicitation that opens March 15 2007 and closes May 23 2007.� It will include a ?Tribes and Small Communities? with a subtopic on Alaska solid waste management and alternatives to open burning at small garbage dumps. The Technology Research & Development Center (TREND)wants to make� Alaska?s environmental companies aware of this unique opportunity. The announcement has not been formerly released, but will be available at http://es.epa.gov/ncer/sbir/�