In FY13, Congress passed legislation allowing federal agencies with SBIR/STTR programs to use up to 3 percent of their budgets for more intense program support and improvement campaigns. Also known as “pilot administration,” these funds allowed the Air Force SBIR/STTR Program to substantially expand commercialization activities and outreach, launch initiatives to prevent fraud, waste and abuse, and strengthen reporting efforts.
However, as of February, Congress has not passed new legislation nor amended existing legislation authorizing SBIR/STTR programs to continue to use 3 percent of funding for administration. With much regret, we were forced to scale back or eliminate many of the new efforts put into place.
In the spring edition of the newsletter, Air Force SBIR/STTR Program Director David Shahady talks about the reductions and what needs to happen to rekindle those efforts.
Other highlights of this issue include:
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The next round of Air Force SBIR/STTR topics (18.2/18.B) will go into pre-release on April 20 and will include six special topics that are part of a broader focus on accelerating the pace of technology development. These special topics – the first of numerous new experiments by the Air Force SBIR/STTR Program Office to rapidly deliver new capabilities, work at the speed of innovation, and cut costs – will be evaluated equally on technical merit and the potential for commercialization;
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A feature about a portable antenna with tracking capability, which went through multiple iterations under the Air Force SBIR/STTR Program; and
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An update on the rescheduled Air Force Sustainment Center Small Business Industry Days.
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