The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program was established to stimulate technological innovation, utilize small business to meet Federal research and development (R&D) needs, foster and encourage participation in innovation and entrepreneurship by women and socially or economically disadvantaged persons, and increase private sector commercialization of innovations derived from Federal R&D. Studies by the National Academies of Sciences highlight the challenges that persist across the SBIR programs with the highest expenditures including the Department of Defense, the National Institutes of Health, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Energy, and the National Science Foundation. For example, despite a mandate to encourage participation by women and “disadvantaged persons”, the program, when viewed across agencies, has underperformed in funding ventures founded by Black or Brown entrepreneurs and those with Black or Brown principal investigators. To fulfill its vision as “America’s Seed Fund”, the program must do a better job of identifying and funding underrepresented people of color and their associated ventures.
Prior efforts have highlighted a number of enduring issues with participation from underserved groups:
- Expanding the size of the applicant pool
- Minimizing barriers to selection;
- Providing greater support and training
The current work seeks to build on prior work but investigates the experience of Black and Brown applicants to the program. Specifically, the discovery work explored:
- What are the barriers to participation?
- How well does the current program structure meet their needs?
- What are best practices for engaging the community?
Results from this study can be found here.
Getting involved
Have you applied to the SBIR program, or considered applying?
Please complete the survey. Your data will help to inform changes to the SBIR program to increase opportunities for Black and Brown applicants.
Are you an Entrepreneurship Support Organization?
Please share the survey link with your network.