SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2025

Key Points

• This bill extends two major programs that give federal grants to small businesses for scientific research and high-tech development. It ensures these programs keep running through at least 2030, providing steady support for American startups working on new inventions.
• The plan would gradually double the amount of money large federal agencies must set aside for small business research. By 2032, agencies like the Department of Defense and NASA would have to spend 7% of their research budgets on these small business grants, up from the current 3.2%.
• To help the next generation of scientists, the bill creates new internship and fellowship opportunities. Small businesses that win these grants could hire students from college through the doctoral level, with a special focus on recruiting women and people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
• The bill adds new security rules to protect American technology. It would ban any small business from receiving these grants if they are mostly owned or controlled by certain foreign governments or entities, such as those from China, Russia, North Korea, or Iran.
• Federal agencies would be required to do more outreach to minority-serving colleges and Hispanic-serving institutions. This is intended to help more diverse researchers partner with small businesses and win a larger share of the available grant money.
• Small businesses would get more help turning their inventions into real products. The bill increases funding for business and cybersecurity advice and requires agencies to appoint a specific official to help guide companies through the process of selling their tech to the government or the public.

Votes

No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.