SBIR and the Phase III Challenge of Commercialization

In response to a Congressional mandate, the National Research Council conducted a review of the Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) at the five federal agencies with SBIR programs with budgets in excess of $100 million (DOD, NIH, NASA, DOE, and NSF). The project was designed to answer questions of program operation and effectiveness, including the quality of the research projects being conducted under the SBIR program, the commercialization of the research, and the program's contribution to accomplishing agency missions. This report summarizes the presentations at a symposium exploring the effectiveness of Phase III of the SBIR program (the commercialization phase), during which innovations funded by Phase II awards move from the laboratory into the marketplace. No SBIR funds support Phase III; instead, to commercialize their products, small businesses are expected to garner additional funds from private investors, the capital markets, or from the agency that made the initial award. Table of Contents Front Matter I. Introduction II. Proceedings, Opening Remarks Introduction Meeting Mission Needs Panel I: The SBIR Program: Different Needs, Common Challenges Panel II: Transitioning SBIR: What Are the Issues for Prime Contractors? Panel III: Challenges of Phase III: SBIR Award Winners Panel IV: Best Practice for Agency Programs: Program Executive Offices and Program Offices Panel V: Lessons Learned Concluding Remarks Appendix A. Biographies of Speakers Appendix B. Participants List Appendix C. Bibliography