sba

The administration’s FY15 budget request for the Small Business Administration (SBA) is $710 million. Of this amount, $47.5 million is for business loan subsidy and $197.8 million is for non-credit programs. Through the Opportunity, Growth and Security Initiative the administration also proposes public-private investment funding to support the scaling-up of new advanced manufacturing firms into full-scale commercial production.

In response to public comments on SBIR/STTR rule changes resulting from the National Defense Authorization Act for FY12, the Small Business Administration (SBA) amended its policy directives for the programs, including changes to eligibility and the award process. The amendments also involve minor clarifying changes to ensure participants better understand certain program requirements.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) released a new funding announcement for the Federal and State Technology Partnership (FAST) Program — FAST awards are intended to fund projects that provide outreach, financial support and/or technical assistance to technology-based small business concerns participating in, or interested in participating in, the Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) program. Proposed projects may serve a single or multiple states. SBA intends to commit approximately $1.9 million to support up to 20 awards to eligible applications.

Each year, SSTI provides Digest readers with a comprehensive review of technology-based economic development spending in the the president's federal budget request. The year's edition includes proposed FY14 spending on R&D, STEM education, manufacturing, broadband, small business support, technology transfer, entrepreneurship, innovation workforce initiatives and more.

The full report is available for download in pdf format (626 kb).

SBA and the Department of Commerce launched Startup University in response to a series of roundtables with accelerators and universities that highlighted the need for a forum to share best practices and build connections between universities and startups. Users can post and comment on specific programs or general ideas that foster these positive relationships. Many programs listed in the forum will be presented at this week's NCET2 Conference. Explore the online forum here...

Two small grant programs and a minor reorganization of related functions within the U.S. Small Business Administration are the aims of a bill introduced Nov 26 by Democratic Sens. Mary Landrieu and John Kerry. "Today's Entrepreneurs are Advancing Mentorship Act of 2012," or the TEAM Act (S. 3638) for short, would create an Office of Entrepreneurial Support within SBA to administer the grant programs, oversee online entrepreneurship education and resources, coordinate programs targeting youth entrepreneurship, and host international groups interested in U.S. entrepreneurship.

The U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) debenture program provided $2.95 billion in financing to small businesses in FY12, according to a recent SBA release. SBICs around the country help small businesses to expand by providing them with access to long-term capital. For the third year in a row, SBIC activity reached an all-time high, growing 14 percent over FY11 and 85 percent over FY10. Read the announcement...

The Small Business Administration released two Requests for Information (RFIs) on amendments to the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. In compliance with the SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2011, SBA has made several key changes to the SBIR/STTR programs relating to eligibility, the award process, program administration and fraud, waste and abuse. Although the SBA has already published the final changes, it is requesting comments on the various amendments made.

With veteran unemployment rates exceeding the already-high national unemployment rate, organizations and agencies around the country are seeking ways to plug veterans into the innovation economy. These efforts capitalize on the leadership skills and technical knowledge of military veterans by helping them become entrepreneurs. Operation Boots to Business is a new nationwide initiative, backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), that will provide entrepreneurship training courses at military bases to help veterans transition into business ownership.

Two of the Small Business Administration's (SBA) proposed changes to the federal SBIR/STTR programs have caught the attention of small business advocates and groups warning of loopholes in the language that they say could negatively impact U.S. companies and affect eligibility.