Bill > HR5001

This bill aims to enhance oversight and improve the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs through several key provisions. First, it requires federal agencies to send annual reports about these programs to specific congressional committees and publish these reports on their websites, increasing transparency. Second, the bill mandates that the Comptroller General conduct a comprehensive report within three years, examining the diversity of program participants, efforts to attract new and underrepresented businesses, how agencies develop research topics, technology commercialization support, and alignment of awards with agency research priorities. Third, the bill extends the reporting requirement on award timeliness from 3 to 11 years and adds a requirement to report the average and median time agencies take to review and decide on proposals. Additionally, the bill establishes a pilot program at the National Institutes of Health to accelerate the SBIR and STTR award process, aiming to reduce the time between award notification and funding release to approximately 90 days, with a termination date of September 30, 2030. The Comptroller General will be required to submit an evaluation report on this pilot program after three years, providing an analysis of the new peer review procedures and their impact on award times.

Business and Industry

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5001/all-info