10/21/2009
DoD’s SBIR/STTR Programs to be Reauthorized for One Year
by Rebecca Norman, Graduate Assistant, UALR Lead Center
Rick Schindell, of SBIR Gateway News, reported that the House and Senate Armed Service Committees (HASC and SASC) have reached an agreement on the Fiscal Year 2010 National Defense Reauthorization Act (NDAA), as outlined in the conference report to H.R. 2647. The conference report indicated that the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs of the Department of Defense (DoD) would be reauthorized for one year, ending on September 30, 2010. The report revealed that the DoD's Commercialization Pilot Program (CPP) would also be extended for one year, ending on September 30, 2010.
The NDAA bill is expected to pass within the week after it is brought to the floor, pending signed approval of the President.
This House/Senate conference report has no effect on the other 10 federal agency SBIR/STTR programs that are set to expire on October 31, 2009, unless they are extended by another conference report or reauthorized.
A copy of the SBIR portion of the report can be found at http://www.zyn.com/sbir/insider/SBIR-Armed_Services_Report-100709.pdf.
The action steps taken by the Armed Services Committee to create this conference report reveal that the SBIR and STTR programs are a valuable source of support for the warfighter and are essential to many of America's small high-tech businesses.
We will continue to post updates concerning the progress of the NDAA bill and its effect on the SBIR community.
