The long-awaited legislation to reauthorize the SBIR/STTR program now has a name and bill number: Senate Bill S.3971 will be known as the “Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act” once it becomes law. S.3971 passed the Senate on 3/3/2026. To become law, the bill still requires House passage & the President’s signature. These are some highlights of key elements and changes:
AUTHORIZES both SBIR & STTR (and existing pilots) until Sept 30, 2031
EXPANDS Direct to Phase II to the STTR program and adds DOE and NASA (keeps NIH, DOD & Education)
NEW Strategic Breakthrough Awards: Up to $30 M as Phase II follow on, and requires outside matching funds
UPDATED Foreign Influence disclosures: A list of Prohibited Entities is mandated that will result in award denial. Agencies MUST provide reason for denials, AND resubmission of denied proposals is allowed
NEW Each Agency must define annual proposal limits (by company, solicitation or Topic) starting October 1, 2026
NEW Phase III improvements (staff training and simplified & standard procedures)
UPDATES Technical and Business Assistance (TABA):
All Agencies must participate (previously voluntary)
Amounts remain the same ($6,500 Phase I, $50,000 Phase II),
NEW—allows TABA funds to be used internally
NEW I-Corps Participation: Allows TABA funds to be used to pay for I-Corps
Several administrative reporting updates for the participating Agencies
Connect with BBCetc consultants before the rush! Agencies have been planning this moment for months and are waiting to open solicitations. We can help build a strong proposal with clear technical objectives now.
SPECIAL From the Sources Mouth:
SBIR Reauthorization & What It Means for Your Funding Strategy
Join a special 1-hour From the Sources Mouth that will cover the SBIR/STTR reauthorization language. The session will be led by John Williams, Executive Director of SBIRC.org, a key leader who spearheaded the reauthorization language. This session will review what's changed, how to prepare, and outline how each participating agency is responding to the new requirements.
NIH just announced that there will be no April 5th deadline. It is now stated at the top of their seed.nih.gov website:
NIH has no active Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs); therefore, there is no April 5, 2026 receipt date (see NOT-OD-26-006). Any future NOFOs will be forecasted at Grants.gov prior to opening for applications.
At this point we can only assume the next deadline will be Sept 5th. We will continue to keep you posted when the program is reauthorized and NIH releases its omnibus.
From the Source's Mouth with CBRND
Join this 1-hour overview and learn from the source how the DOD Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (CBRND) Program can help align your innovative technology with high-priority defense problems, strengthen proposal relevance, and design solutions that are more likely to move beyond Phase I into real-world DoD adoption.
The five-month lapse in SBIR/STTR program reauthorization has created significant uncertainty for companies with submitted applications to the NSF, NIH, and other agencies. As reported above, the SBIR/STTR programs will be reauthorized soon. Once this occurs, agencies will resume activity for submissions that were under serious consideration for awards. There is also the possibility that some agencies will revisit submissions that were previously reviewed and were considered competitive but not funded in recent cycles. If your application falls into either of these categories, now is a good time to be proactive. Read more on how you can prepare.
Non-dilutive Funding Opportunities
Updated! Several agencies have Explore non-dilutive funding opportunities from NSF, DoD, DARPA, CDMRP, ARMY, USDA and more!
The SBIR/STTR Spring Innovation Conference brings together a network of SBIR leadership from industry, academia, national labs, military and local investors. BBCetc staff will be in attendance to connect with federal program managers and pass the details on to you. If you're planning to attend, please visit our booth, #518.
Use code 26SBIREXPO at checkout when you select the “TechConnect Expo Floor Only” registration option.
About BBCetc
BBC Entrepreneurial Training & Consulting, LLC (BBCetc) works with technology-based entrepreneurs and companies across the U.S. on strategies to advance their R&D efforts to commercialization. The BBCetc team is nationally recognized for its success in helping clients secure federal funding through the SBIR and STTR programs. BBCetc services include research grant assistance, SBIR/STTR training and proposal development assistance, and grants and contract management.
