SBA's Final SBIR/STTR Eligibility Rule: A Safe Harbor for SBIR Financing

Effective January 28, 2013, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) finalized its proposed Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) eligibility rule.  After roundtables, webinars, and public comments over the course of more than half a year, SBA prudently backed off some of the more controversial aspects of the proposed rule in the Final Rule. The Final Rule incorporates SBA's existing SBIR rules to a greater extent, largely simplifying the Final Rule.