To amend section 9 of the Small Business Act to permit Federal agencies to make awards to small business concerns that have received a Phase II SBIR or STTR award to provide fellowship opportunities, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The SBIR/STTR Innovation Workforce Act amends the Small Business Act to allow federal agencies to provide grants to small businesses that have received Phase II awards from the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. These grants would fund fellowship and internship opportunities at the undergraduate through postdoctoral levels. The bill aims to strengthen the innovation workforce by connecting advanced students and researchers with cutting-edge small businesses while promoting diversity and inclusion in STEM fields.
Who Benefits and How
Small businesses that have received SBIR or STTR Phase II awards benefit by gaining access to new grant funding to support fellowship programs, helping them attract talented researchers and students while offsetting labor costs. Students and postdoctoral researchers in STEM fields benefit from expanded fellowship and internship opportunities funded by federal agencies. Women, socially disadvantaged individuals, and economically disadvantaged individuals particularly benefit as the bill mandates enhanced outreach to increase their participation in these programs. Nonprofit organizations with expertise in diversity outreach also benefit, as they may receive grants or partnership agreements to facilitate these outreach efforts.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal agencies administering SBIR and STTR programs bear the primary burden through increased administrative responsibilities. They must create and manage new grant programs, ensure compliance with outreach requirements, and track fellowship placements. These agencies can only use up to 3% of their existing SBIR/STTR budgets for this purpose, meaning they must reallocate funds from other activities or use alternative funding sources. While the burden is primarily administrative rather than requiring new appropriations, agencies will need to develop processes for reviewing grant applications, monitoring outreach effectiveness, and overseeing third-party partnerships.
Key Provisions
- Authorizes federal agencies to provide grants directly to SBIR/STTR Phase II recipients or through partnerships with third parties to fund fellowship and internship programs at undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels
- Requires mandatory enhanced outreach to increase participation of women, socially disadvantaged individuals, and economically disadvantaged individuals in all fellowship opportunities
- Permits agencies to partner with or provide grants to nonprofit organizations with relevant experience to support diversity outreach efforts
- Limits funding to either amounts authorized under subsection (mm) or no more than 3% of the funds required to be expended under existing SBIR/STTR program requirements
- Applies the same fellowship provisions to both subsection (f) and subsection (n) of section 9 of the Small Business Act, covering both SBIR and STTR programs
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Amends the Small Business Act to authorize federal agencies to provide fellowship grants to small businesses that have received SBIR or STTR Phase II awards
Who Benefits
- Small businesses with SBIR/STTR Phase II awards
- Students and postdoctoral researchers seeking fellowship opportunities
- Women and socially/economically disadvantaged individuals
Who Bears Costs
- Federal agencies (administrative burden and funding allocation from existing SBIR/STTR budgets)
Key Policy Areas
Small Business, Innovation, Workforce Development, Education
Primary Purpose
Amends the Small Business Act to authorize federal agencies to provide fellowship grants to small businesses that have received SBIR or STTR Phase II awards
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Support innovation workforce development by incentivizing small businesses to provide educational opportunities while promoting diversity and inclusion"
Identified Gains
- Small businesses with SBIR/STTR Phase II awards
- Students and postdoctoral researchers seeking fellowship opportunities
- Women and socially/economically disadvantaged individuals
- Nonprofit organizations supporting outreach
Identified Costs
- Federal agencies (administrative burden and funding allocation from existing SBIR/STTR budgets)
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMs. Scholten introduced the following bill; which was referred to …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Nonprofit organizations with experience in outreach services, Students and postdoctoral researchers in STEM fields
Small businesses that have received SBIR or STTR Phase II awards
Women and socially/economically disadvantaged individuals
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "federal_agency"
- → Any Federal agency participating in SBIR or STTR programs
- "small_business_concern"
- → Small business concerns that have received SBIR or STTR Phase II awards
- "third_party_organization"
- → Nonprofit organizations with relevant experience in outreach services
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
SBIR or STTR Phase II awards (second phase of the multi-phase grant program)
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology