Senator Coons, Curtis celebrate passage of key section of innovation bill

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and John Curtis (R-Utah) celebrated the passage of a bill to reauthorize the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs that contained a key section of his Research Advancing to Market Production (RAMP) for Innovators Act. The House passed the bill, the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act, this week, following Senate passage in early March.

SBIR and STTR are crucial programs that drive federal R&D investments to small businesses and startups. As part of the bill to reauthorize them, Congress approved a portion of Senator Coons' bipartisan RAMP for Innovators Act, improving technical and business assistance for awardees and helping more small businesses turn federally supported research into market-ready products. The effort was led in the House by Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.)

"Delaware's incredible small businesses are making discoveries, inventing new products, supporting our communities, and growing our economy every day," said Senator Coons. "When the federal government helps small businesses access federal research funds - and our small businesses have the opportunity to provide cutting-edge products to the federal government - everybody wins. I'm glad the House and Senate passed this crucial bill for our small businesses, and I urge the president to sign it."

"America's small businesses are turning big ideas into real-world solutions that strengthen our economy and national security," said Senator Curtis. "Our bipartisan legislation to make it easier for entrepreneurs to move research from the lab to the marketplace has now passed the House and Senate. Next stop: the White House."

"Pennsylvania's Sixth District is home to world-class research institutions and innovative small businesses, but too often great discoveries struggle to reach the marketplace. After years of bipartisan and bicameral collaboration, I'm proud that key provisions from my RAMP for Innovators Act are included in the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act now headed to the President's desk," said Representative Houlahan. "These reforms give entrepreneurs more flexibility to use Technical and Business Assistance funding to hire the expertise they need to scale and open the door to I-Corps training - the startup 'bootcamp' that helps innovators turn promising research into real products and companies. I'm grateful to Senator Chris Coons and Representative Troy Balderson for their continued partnership in advancing this work and helping ensure American innovators can bring the next generation of technologies to market."

The SBIR and STTR programs, often referred to as America's seed fund, help small businesses develop cutting-edge technologies while addressing federal research and development needs. These programs have played a critical role in supporting breakthroughs in areas including defense, health care, energy, and advanced manufacturing.

Senator Coons has long championed policies that help entrepreneurs, researchers, and small manufacturers scale their ideas, create jobs, and strengthen U.S. competitiveness. His RAMP for Innovators Act aims to help small businesses that receive SBIR and STTR funds commercialize their federally-funded innovations. The legislation extending the SBIR and STTR programs includes key provisions from his bill that will expand and improve small businesses' access to the technical and business assistance they need to bring their innovations to market while integrating the SBIR and STTR programs with other key federal innovation programs.

Senator Coons is a member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.