Ahead of September Expiration, Ranking Member Markey Calls for Permanency of Small Business Innovation Research Program

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Release dated March 5, 2025, from Ranking Member Markey on a Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee hearing titled "Golden Age of American Innovation: Reforming SBIR-STTR for the 21st Century," at which Markey called for making the SBIR and STTR programs permanent. It says the programs are set to expire on September 30, 2025, if they are not reauthorized by Congress. The release says Massachusetts has the highest per-capita award rate of any state and has received more than 24,000 SBIR awards totaling $8.3 billion. Witness Ken Mahmud, Executive Vice President of Triton Systems, is quoted saying the programs enabled the company to make a significant impact in both the military and commercial space.

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Title: Ahead of September Expiration, Ranking Member Markey Calls for Permanency of Small Business Innovation Research Program
Date: 2025-03-05

Ahead of September Expiration, Ranking Member Markey Calls for Permanency of Small Business Innovation Research Program

March 5, 2025

Massachusetts Small Business Witness Testimony Highlights Success of SBIR

Ranking Member Markey delivers opening remarks (left), Dr. Ken Mahmud testifies in front of the committee (right)

(Washington, March 5) - Ranking Member Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) called for making the Small Business Innovation Research Program and the Small Business Technology Transfer Program (SBIR/STTR) permanent at today’s Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee hearing titled, “Golden Age of American Innovation: Reforming SBIR-STTR for the 21st Century.” The SBIR and STTR programs are set to expire on September 30, 2025, if they are not reauthorized by Congress.

Massachusetts has the highest per-capita award rate of any state and is the second largest recipient of SBIR/STTR awards in the country, receiving more than 24,000 SBIR awards totaling $8.3 billion and 2,000 STTR awards totaling over $720 million. Ranking Member Markey and his witness, Dr. Ken Mahmud, Executive Vice President of Triton Systems, in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, highlighted the success of the SBIR/STTR program, which enabled Triton Systems to deliver breakthrough technologies.

Ranking Member Markey said, “The success of the SBIR/STTR program is due to Massachusetts’ business plan: attract the best and brightest, provide a world class education, and provide opportunities for small businesses to compete on a level playing field. The SBIR/STTR programs have contributed to the ‘golden age of innovation’ we have experienced over the last forty years. Without these programs, Americans would not have novel technologies at their fingertips as they do today, such as LASIK eye surgery or early Qualcomm wireless communication systems.”

Ranking Member Markey continued, “These programs are highly efficient and pay dividends for the American people. They work because they prioritize merit and competition. We should not place limits on the number of awards or the amount of funding that go to deserving small businesses. While SBIR and STTR have enjoyed bipartisan support for several decades, we have not yet been able to make them permanent. I have worked throughout my time in Congress to make improvements to the programs and ensure that their authorization never lapses, and it is critical we do so again.”

Dr. Ken Mahmud said, “The Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs have enabled Triton Systems to make a significant impact in both the military and commercial space, as intended by Congress, helping to sustain America’s technology leadership in both spheres. I want to thank all members of the Small Business Committee, without whose support and championship, the SBIR program would not continue to exist.”

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