SBIR Program Expires In 7 Days And Counting
Today may be Friday the 13th, but the Small Business Administration is facing a real horror next Friday. That’s when the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant program is scheduled to expire. I know what you’re probably thinking: Why on earth does this matter to the peHUB audience? VC-backed startups are, you know, backed by VCs. If $100k is going to make or break them, then there are bigger issues to deal with. My answer is twofold: First, VC-backed companies could use SBIR grants to fund experimental research outside of their primary product plans. This is particularly true if a company could develop an application specific to DoE or DoD. After all, part of SBIR’s mission is to stimulate Moreover, SBIR grants could be used by seed-stage life sciences companies to pursue alternate applications for their developing therapies. Second, you’re right. This has no impact on VC-backed companies. Since the program’s inception, it has stated that qualifying companies must be 51%-owned by individual U.S. citizens. SBA’s initial interpretation
