SBIR/STTR reauthorised through 2031

President Donald Trump signed a bill on April 13 that restores the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs through September 30, 2031. (sba.gov) The law is S. 3971, the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act. The Senate passed it by voice vote on March 3, and the House approved it 345-41 on March 17 before sending it to Trump on April 2. (congress.gov) (iedconline.org) Small Business Innovation Research is the federal program that steers a slice of agency research budgets to small companies. Small Business Technology Transfer does the same with a stronger requirement to work with a research institution such as a university or federal lab. (congress.gov) Congress created Small Business Innovation Research in 1982 and Small Business Technology Transfer in 1992. Their legal authority expired on September 30, 2025, after Congress missed the reauthorization deadline. (congress.gov) (smallbusiness.house.gov) The programs matter because they are one of Washington’s main ways to fund early research at small firms before private investors or Pentagon procurement contracts arrive. The Congressional Research Service said 11 agencies run Small Business Innovation Research programs and six run Small Business Technology Transfer programs. (congress.gov) The Small Business Administration said the two programs have invested more than $81 billion in more than 34,000 small businesses since 1982. The agency said past recipients include Qualcomm, Biogen, Illumina, iRobot and Anduril. (sba.gov) This reauthorization does more than extend the deadline. Congress.gov says it expands security reviews for applicants, requires agencies to set a maximum number of Phase I and Phase II proposals a company can submit each year, and broadens training for contracting officials on Phase III commercialization awards. (congress.gov) The enrolled bill also tells agencies to judge whether an applicant presents a security risk by using due diligence, applicant disclosures and coordination with intelligence and law-enforcement agencies. It lists foreign-linked risk triggers tied to several federal watchlists, including the Commerce Department Entity List and the Pentagon’s Chinese military company list. (congress.gov) Backers said the rewrite is aimed at stopping foreign adversaries from tapping federally funded research while keeping money flowing to domestic startups. House and Senate sponsors included Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa and Representative Roger Williams of Texas. (sba.gov) (congress.gov) The immediate effect is that agencies now have a five-year runway to keep making these awards again under updated rules. After a six-month lapse, small defense and technology firms have their federal seed-funding pipeline back. (sba.gov) (smallbusiness.house.gov)