Kelly Ayotte : Ayotte Renews Support for SBIR Ahead of Small Business Committee Hearing

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Ahead of today's hearing on the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) called on Congress to permanently reauthorize the program before it expires in 2017.

'Through the public-private partnerships it helps forge, SBIR has supported numerous small businesses in New Hampshire and across the nation as they grow our economy and create jobs. This program provides meaningful opportunities for innovation and development while also contributing to our economy and national security,' said Senator Ayotte. 'Like too many other critical programs, SBIR has been kept alive through short term patches - it was extended 14 times between 2008 and 2011. Permanently renewing this program would provide certainty and allow New Hampshire's small tech firms to continue to make valuable contributions to our national security.'

Senator Ayotte is a strong supporter of the SBIR program and was instrumental in including an amendment reauthorizing SBIR for six years in the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act. In 2013, she and Senator Jeanne Shaheen held a Small Business Committee field hearing in New Hampshire, where several small business owners emphasized the importance of SBIR.

SBIR aims to increase participation of small defense and technology companies in federally funded research and development through competitive grants. The funding comes from within government agencies' existing research and development budgets. The SBIR program was created in 1982 through legislation authored by former New Hampshire Senator Warren Rudman. New Hampshire firms have received nearly $523 million from 1983-2015, for 1,806 total awards.

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