The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program ensure that small businesses receive the resources they need from grants to grow and succeed in areas that require the innovation that is key to the future of our nation. However, there are qualified applicants for these programs that do not receive approval for the grants and never receive feedback to explain how they can be more successful in future applications.

My amendment mandates that every agency with an SBIR or STTR program must specify in their notification that unsuccessful applicants are entitled to constructive feedback. This amendment is a valuable measure to increase the transparency of our federal agencies, and allow our small businesses to learn and be more successful. It would allow firms insight into a rejected application, increase their competitiveness in the future, and ensure accountability in our federal agencies.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 28th, 2008 at 4:06 pm and is filed under Politics, Economy/Budget .