Statement from Natalie Madeira Cofield,
President and CEO, Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO)

On the Introduction of the SBIR and STTR Reauthorization Act of 2025

The Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO) commends House Small Business Committee Ranking Member Nydia M. Velázquez and Senate Small Business Committee Ranking Member Edward J. Markey for their bold and visionary leadership in introducing the SBIR and STTR Reauthorization Act of 2025. This legislation represents a critical step toward sustaining and strengthening two of the federal government’s most successful and inclusive innovation engines—the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.
For more than four decades, these programs have served as catalysts for entrepreneurial ingenuity, channeling more than $70 billion in research and development funding into the hands of over 30,000 small businesses. Their impact spans sectors, including clean energy, life sciences, public health, and national security, demonstrating that when small businesses are empowered with the right tools and support, they deliver transformative solutions for our nation and economy.
At a time of mounting global competition and constrained federal resources, the United States must continue to invest in its most agile, resilient, and innovative enterprises. Small businesses—particularly those led by women, people of color, and entrepreneurs in rural and undercapitalized communities—must remain at the forefront of national innovation strategies. This legislation strengthens that commitment by dismantling barriers to access, expanding funding allocations, and ensuring a clear pathway from invention to commercialization.
Making these programs permanent, increasing the allocation of federal research dollars to small businesses, and enhancing support for proposal development and commercialization, this legislation lays the groundwork for a more equitable and dynamic innovation ecosystem. The reauthorization of the FAST Partnership Program and targeted inclusion initiatives are particularly critical to ensuring that talent, not geography or background, determines opportunity.
We urge swift and bipartisan support for this legislation. AEO is proud to stand with congressional leaders and the broader small business community in championing policies that unlock opportunity, fuel innovation, and drive inclusive economic growth.
We extend our deepest congratulations to Ranking Members Velázquez and Markey for their leadership and unwavering commitment to America’s small business future