Bill > HR2981

This bill, known as the Technology and Research Accelerating National Security and Future Economic Resiliency Act of 2013 (or TRANSFER Act of 2013), amends the Small Business Act to establish an "Innovative Approaches to Technology Transfer Grant Program" across federal agencies that already have a Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program. The purpose of this new program is to support creative methods for transferring technology from institutions like universities, non-profit research organizations, and federal labs to small businesses, thereby speeding up the commercialization of federally funded research. The bill outlines what kinds of activities can be funded, such as providing early-stage research money, identifying promising technologies, and offering business development support. It also details the application process, requiring applicants to describe their innovative approaches, their contribution to local economic development, and a plan for long-term sustainability. A key requirement is that successful grant proposals must include a plan to form a Program Oversight Board composed of experts from various sectors to manage award programs for individual projects and evaluate their progress. The bill specifies the percentage of each agency's external budget that must be dedicated to this program for fiscal years 2014 through 2017, starting at 0.05% and increasing to 0.1%. Furthermore, agencies are mandated to develop evaluation plans, collect annual data from grant recipients to assess the program's outcomes, and submit reports on program activities to Congress. Finally, the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) will be required to include information about this new grant program on the SBA's public database for small businesses involved in STTR and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programs.