S. 2812 would permanently authorize and expand the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Those programs help small businesses compete for research and development contracts. The bill also would authorize federal agencies to use a portion of their funding for research and development to cover administrative costs of the SBIR and STTR programs. S. 2812 also would direct the Small Business Association (SBA) to develop a pilot program to provide grants to establish regional collaboratives to help small businesses increase their competitiveness for awards from these programs and would authorize a variety of other activities.
