The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is a United States government initiative, established under the Small Business Innovation Development Act of 1982. It is not a single company, but a federal program coordinated by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and mandated across 11 federal agencies. The program's mission is to stimulate technological innovation, use small businesses to meet federal R&D needs, foster and encourage participation by socially and economically disadvantaged persons, and increase private-sector commercialization of innovations derived from federal R&D funding. It operates in three phases, providing equity-free funding to small businesses to conduct R&D and evaluate commercial potential.

Founded in

United States