- The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is a Congressionally-mandated program which was established in 1982 (with subsequent reauthorizations in 1986, 1992, and 2000 until 2008) to increase the participation of small businesses in federal research and development (R&D).
- The goal of the dual-use SBIR program is to tap into the innovativeness and creativity of the small business community to help meet government R&D objectives. At the same time, these small companies develop technologies, products, and services which they can then commercialize through sales in the private sector or back to the government.
- Each participating government agency with an extramural R&D budget of at least $100M must reserve 2.5% of its extramural R&D budget for competitively selected SBIR awards to small businesses. The Army participates with the Navy, Air Force, Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA), Special Operations Command (SOCOM), Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), Missile Defense Agency (MDA), National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the Chemical Biological Defense Program under the overall DoD SBIR program; however, the Army program is autonomous in that it seeks to support Army-specific goals within the framework of the DoD SBIR program.
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