Last month the Department of Defense (DOD) asked SBTC to come up with a list of possible improvements to make the DOD's SBIR program more efficient. The parameters for SBTC’s recommendations were that the improvements had to be non-legislative and could be quickly implemented. To address this issue, SBTC formed a committee of about 16 small businesses that have had experience working with the DOD SBIR program. After coming up with a number of good ideas, the committee whittled the recommendations down to five main topics.

1)     The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and the Director of Defense Research and Engineering (DDR&E) should direct DOD to prioritize the use of SBIR technology in acquisition programs.

2)     Simplify and streamline the SBIR contracting process.

3)     Provide incentives and rewards to government organizations and prime contractors for successful transitioning and commercialization of SBIR technology.

4)     Educate DOD contracting, management, and technical personnel.

5)     Increase SBIR allocation in the DOD from 2.5 percent to 5 percent, and implement scheduled 1 percent increase in SBIR transitioning funding immediately, rather than over 10 years.

SBTC believes that implementing these changes will improve DOD’s ability to provide important technological innovations to the warfighter quickly, while also allowing small businesses to make the transition to Phase I to Phase II to commercialization in a more streamlined, faster manner.

Thank you to all the members of the DOD SBIR Advisory group for all your hard work and time.

Please click here to view the full text of SBTC’s DOD Recommendations.