Small Business Innovation Research: SBA Should Work with Agencies to Improve the Data Available for Program Evaluation
Abstract
Federal agencies with a budget of at least $100 million for research and development (R&D) conducted by others must participate in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. SBIR has four purposes: meet federal R&D needs, stimulate technological innovation, increase commercialization (e.g., sales) of innovations based on federal R&D, and encourage participation in innovation by small businesses owned by disadvantaged individuals and women. The Small Business Administration (SBA) oversees the efforts of participating agencies, which make awards to small businesses using SBIR funds. Congress directed SBA to develop a database with commercialization data for government use in evaluating the program. GAO was asked to determine the following: (1) how agencies have addressed SBIR's purposes, and (2) the extent of data available to evaluate progress in increasing commercialization. GAO analyzed program documents and interviewed officials at SBA and five agencies that accounted for about 96 percent of SBIR awards. These agencies were the Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of Energy (DOE), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Health and Human Services' National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the National Science Foundation (NSF). GAO recommends that SBA work with participating agencies to do the following: (1) collect data on applications from small businesses owned by disadvantaged individuals and women, and (2) identify best practices for verification of commercialization data. SBA, DOE, and NSF generally agreed with these recommendations; the other agencies GAO reviewed neither agreed nor disagreed.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA565281
Entities
People
- Antoinette Capaccio
- Cheryl Williams
- Christine Senteno
- Cindy Gilbert
- Cynthia Norris
- Frank W. Rusco
- Kiki Theodoropoulos
- Laurie Ellington
- Nancy Crothers
- Stephen D Carter
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office