Improving the Department of Defense's Small Business Innovation Research Program

Abstract

Abstract : This document presents the statement of Bruce Held, Senior Policy Researcher at the RAND Corporation, before the Committee on Science and Technology, Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation, United States House of Representatives on April 26, 2007. The testimony draws primarily on research that Mr. Held led in 2004 for the Department of Defense's Small Business Technology and Industrial Base Office (SBTIBO). The purpose of that research was to provide DoD with insights into the current status of its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program in terms of the department's transformational technology priorities, innovation, and the small-business defense industrial base. Following that initial assessment, the project's objective became the recommendation of policy options for making the DoD SBIR program more responsive to the needs of the department. In his invitation to testify, Mr. Held was asked to address the following questions: (1) How could program effectiveness be improved?; (2) What are appropriate award levels?; (3) How should administration costs be funded?; (4) How can the programs increase the participation of innovative small businesses in federal RD and (5) What program enhancements are recommended to address the financing and commercialization assistance needs of participants?