Small Business Innovation Research

"SBIR" redirects here. For speaker boundary interference response, see Loudspeaker ยง Placement. Not to be confused with SBIRS.

The Small Business Innovation Research (or SBIR) program is a U.S. government funding program, coordinated by the Small Business Administration, intended to help certain small businesses conduct research and development (R&D). Funding is provided through contracts or grants. The recipient projects must have commercialization potential and meet specific U.S. government R&D needs.

Funds are obtained by allocating a percentage of the total extramural (R&D) budgets of the 11 federal agencies with extramural research budgets exceeding $100 million. Approximately $2.5 billion is awarded through this program each year. The United States Department of Defense (DoD) is the largest agency in this program with approximately $1 billion in SBIR grants annually. Over half the DoD awards go to firms with fewer than 25 people, and a third to firms with fewer than 10. A fifth are minority or women-owned businesses. Historically, a quarter of the companies receiving grants are receiving them for the first time.

In April 2021, the DoD reported on a lack of due diligence for SBIR recipients, which permitted funds to go toward companies linked to the People's Liberation Army. In 2022, Congress reauthorized the program with additional disclosure requirements for companies that have ties to "any foreign country of concern, including the People's Republic of China."

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