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SBIR Funding to Reach $1.1 Billion

April 12, 1996

Funds available for the federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program are estimated to top $1.1 billion in FY97 if the President’s budget request is enacted. With FY96 budget appropriations still pending for some agencies, SBIR managers are hesitant to project FY97 set asides for their programs, but in interviews with SSTI staff, the managers provided projections for FY97 based on the President’s budget request.

Federal agencies with extramural research budgets in excess of $100 million are required to set aside 2 percent of the R&D funding for the SBIR Program. The percentage increases to 2.5 percent in FY97. That percentage increase provides much of the explanation for the increase in total SBIR funding from FY96 to FY97.

SBIR Program Budgets ($ millions)

Agency

FY 95 (actual)

FY 96 (est.)

FY 97 (proj.)

Agriculture

9.3

8.7

11.0

Commerce

6.0

6.0

8.0

Defense

445.0

448.0

560.0

Education

3.5

2.7

3.0

Energy

70.0

70.0

85.0

EPA

7.2

7.0

8.7

NASA

118.3

116.3

150.0

NIH

175.2

183.9

230.0

NSF

41.0

39.0

52.0

Transportation

9.0

9.0

9.0

TOTAL

884.5

890.6

1,116.7

 

Meanwhile, Congress has not reauthorized the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program. Program managers are waiting

to see what changes Congress might make to STTR and are only able to provide estimates of FY96 spending.

Federal agencies with extramural R&D budgets in excess of $1 billion are required to set aside 0.15% of the R&D funding for the STTR Program.

STTR Program Budgets ($ millions)

Agency

FY95

FY96

Defense

21.5

34.0

Energy

3.5

5.0

NASA

5.4

9.6

NIH

8.7

13.8

NSF

1.0

1.0

TOTAL

40.1

63.4

 

sbir, sttr, gao