Ranking Member Markey Applauds House Passage of Legislation to Reopen Small Business Innovation Programs

Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act passes House of Representatives, to become law

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Washington (March 17, 2026) - Small Business Committee Ranking Member Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) released a statement following House passage of bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs for five years. Thanks to Ranking Member Markey's leadership, theSmall Business Innovation and Economic Security Act protects the merit-based competitive nature of the programs, prevents small businesses from being immediately kicked out of the program, and ensures that the smallest small businesses can access the programs. The legislation is expected to become law, which would re-open the SBIR/STTR programs and keep them authorized through September 30, 2031.

"Today's passage of the bipartisan Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act is a win-win-win-win-for American small businesses, for workers, for the innovation economy, and for the communities they serve. This bill is a more than $4 billion shot in the arm for our innovation economy in Massachusetts and around the country. The federal government and the American people deserve to have access to the most innovative technologies. The SBIR/STTR programs have invested in technologies that we take for granted-from the world's smallest heart pump to GPS. Thanks to this five-year reauthorization, small businesses-our most nimble allies in the innovation economy-can continue to supply agencies with the best ideas to solve our toughest challenges.

"While this legislation does not include every improvement I would like to see, it will reopen these essential programs after an unnecessary and harmful lapse and help small businesses plan for the future. We must work to make these programs permanent because entrepreneurs and innovators should be in the lab focusing on their work-not worrying about what is happening in Washington."

The SBIR/STTR programs are essential to the innovation ecosystem, awarding more than $77 billion to 33,000 small businesses to spur life-changing inventions such as the world's smallest heart pump, continuous glucose monitors for Type-1 diabetics, and breakthroughs in treating diseases such as HIV, COVID-19, cancer, and Alzheimer's. Massachusetts small businesses are ranked 2^nd nationally in the SBIR/STTR program, with more than 2,600 small businesses winning over $9 billion in SBIR/STTR awards to develop and commercialize innovative technologies.

Thanks to Ranking Member Markey's leadership, the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act:

• Reauthorizes the SBIR/STTR programs for five years. Ranking Member Markey delivered the assurance small businesses need to take the necessary risks to invest their time and resources in developing technologies that will one day solve the problems of tomorrow by reauthorizing the program for five years.
• Rejects lifetime caps and preserves merit-based competition in the SBIR/STTR program. More than 3,700 U.S. small businesses, including nearly 300 in Massachusetts, will continue to have full access to more than $4 billion in SBIR and STTR funding every year because of Ranking Member Markey's defense of the innovation economy.
• Protects the STTR program and research institutions' ability to participate. Ranking Member Markey fought against proposed cuts to the STTR program, ensuring that innovation and collaboration between small businesses and research institutions, such as Harvard University, Tufts University, and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Massachusetts, can continue to thrive.
• Ensures all SBIR funding is retained. Ranking Member Markey fought to ensure that any agency that is unable to spend their Fiscal Year 2026 SBIR/STTR funding due to the extended lapse will be authorized to carry over such funding into Fiscal Year 2027. This will ensure that no funding is lost as a result of the programs' lapse.
• Maintains strong foreign due diligence requirements and requires transparency from agencies. Ranking Member Markey successfully extended the 2022 bipartisan foreign due diligence program and secured guidelines for agencies to notify small businesses when they've been flagged for potential foreign risk, allowing small businesses to mitigate such risks and remain competitive for SBIR/STTR funding.

Ranking Member Markey fought hard to reauthorize and improve the SBIR/STTR programs, fighting tirelessly against changes that would harm the success of small businesses and weaken the programs' proven track record.

• Earlier this month, Ranking Member Markey passed the bipartisan Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act out of the Senate by voice vote to reauthorize the SBIR/STTR programs.

• In December, Ranking Member Markey went to the Senate floor to advocate for the passage of a temporary bipartisan, bicameral extension to reopen the SBIR/STTR programs and allow them to operate while reauthorization negotiations continued.
• In September, Ranking Member Markey returned to the Senate floor to pass a bipartisan, bicameral one-year extension of the SBIR/STTR programs but was blocked by Senate Republicans.
• Earlier in September, Ranking Member Markey went to the Senate floor to pass the SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2025 and defend small businesses but was blocked by Senate Republicans.
• In August, Ranking Member Markey hosted a listening session at MIT to hear directly from Massachusetts' research and innovation small businesses and industry leaders about the importance of the SBIR/STTR programs.

• In May, Ranking Member Markey introduced the SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2025 to permanently authorize and expand the SBIR/STTR programs.

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