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NEWS | House Passes 1-Year Extension for SBIR/STTR, NSBA Priority Issue for Small Business

Written by NSBA | Sep 16, 2025 10:00:00 AM
Updated: Sep 24
 
SBIR/STTR are critical programs to small business, and NSBA continues to support extension and permanency for these important causes and Priority Issues.

SEPT. 24, 2025 | Urge Senate to Pass SBIR/STTR Extension

The Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs are set to expire in less than a week on Oct. 1. The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a clean, bipartisan, 1-year extension (H.R. 5100) to keep the programs going while all parties continue to negotiate on a long-term reauthorization. The Senate needs to pass this bill to avoid a lapse in the programs that would be incredibly disruptive to America’s innovative small businesses who depend on SBIR as a source of funding, as well as their government customers.

Please take a few moments to urge your Senators to support H.R. 5100 and make sure that high-tech small businesses are not excluded from government-funded R&D work while Congress continues to negotiate over legislation.

 

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SEPT. 23, 2025 | SBIR/STTR Extension Awaits Passage in Senate  

After House passage of the 1-year SBIR/STTR extension (H.R. 5100) in bipartisan fashion, the bill now must be taken up and passed by the Senate within the next two weeks to avoid a lapse in SBIR/STTR - a lapse that would disrupt small businesses' ability to provide the government with the research and technology it needs to fulfill its missions. 

On Sept. 23, SBTC sent a letter to the Hill urging the Senate to pass this bill promptly, urging action for extension before the September 30, 2025, SBIR termination date. 

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SEPT. 15, 2025 | This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a 1-year clean extension for the SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) and STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) programs.

Supported by NSBA and the Small Business Technology Council (SBTC) within our community, the extension shifts the current expiration from September 30, 2025, to September 30, 2026, with a simple continuation of current rules.

 Although passed in a bipartisan manner in the House, there are different demands in the Senate, including a push to extend the expiration deadline through 2028.
 

The SBIR/STTR programs provide critical support for small businesses doing R&D, especially in emerging technologies and innovations. With the September 30 deadline fast approaching, there is growing concern that without this extension, the programs would lapse.

The short-term extension passed by the House is meant to give Congress more breathing room to negotiate a long-term reauthorization, with negotiations still underway among what is being called the “Six Corners," or the Majority and Minority in both the House and Senate Small Business Committees, plus the House Science Committee.
 

For small businesses, innovators, and researchers, knowing these programs remain in place for at least another year means ongoing projects, grant proposals, and planning will not bethrown into sudden uncertainty.

The House has taken an important first step by keeping SBIR/STTR alive for at least another year. For innovators, startups, and research teams relying on this funding pipeline, this prospective extension provides crucial continuity; Senate action, negotiations, and the shape of long-term reform will determine whether this 1-year patch becomes a steppingstone toward a stronger, more sustainable future for these innovation programs.
 
 
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