H.R. 3239: Research Advancing to Market Production for Innovators Act

This bill, titled the Research Advancing to Market Production for Innovators Act, aims to enhance the commercialization processes in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Here’s a breakdown of what the bill would do:

Improvements to Commercialization Selection

The bill proposes several changes to how the peer review process for the SBIR and STTR programs operates. Key changes include:

• Reducing the review timeframe from one year to 180 days.
• Adding requirements for peer reviews to consider the likelihood of commercialization along with scientific and technical merit.
• Ensuring that at least one reviewer has expertise in commercialization during the assessment process.

Improvements to Phase Flexibility

The bill increases the flexibility of federal agencies in managing their SBIR and STTR program awards. Key aspects include:

• Allowing certain federal agencies to utilize funds more effectively under these programs.
• Setting limitations on the total awards provided by federal agencies each fiscal year, with specific percentages allocated to different agencies.

Creation of Technology Commercialization Officials

Each federal agency involved in the SBIR and STTR programs would designate an official responsible for technology commercialization. Responsibilities of this official would include:

• Providing guidance for awardees on transitioning technologies to the market.
• Identifying promising technologies and advocating for them to receive further funding or contracts.
• Coordinating with other agencies to find additional markets for these technologies.

Improvements to Technical and Business Assistance

The bill mandates enhancements to the technical and business assistance provided to SBIR and STTR award recipients. This includes:

• Allowing small businesses to select the type of technical assistance they need.
• Incorporating cybersecurity assistance into the available resources.
• Permitting award recipients to use funds to hire staff for necessary training or technical support.

I-Corps Participation

Federal agencies would be required to offer participation in Innovation Corps (I-Corps) programs to award recipients, including:

• Facilitating participation in team-based training courses.
• Allowing award funds to be used to support this additional training.

Commercialization Impact Assessment

The bill establishes a requirement for annual reports assessing the commercialization impacts of award recipients. These assessments would look at various metrics, including:

• Total federal contracts received post-award.
• Revenue generated from sold products and services tied to research funded by SBIR and STTR programs.
• The number of new companies and patents developed from these programs.

Patent Assistance

The bill would also aim to assist award recipients with intellectual property protection through an agreement with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). This includes:

• Establishing a prioritized patent examination program for SBIR and STTR recipients.
• Providing outreach and information on existing USPTO programs aimed at support and protection.

Reporting Requirements

The Administrator of the Small Business Administration would be required to brief Congress on how these improvements are being implemented and their effects.

Relevant Companies

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