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Background:
The Small Business Administration (SBA) helps small businesses in a variety of ways. One program is the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, through which a specific percentage of all federal research and development grant monies are reserved for small business applicants. These funds provide critical seed money to new business innovators, including biotechnology companies.
However, on January 10, 2001, the SBA Office of Hearings and Appeals ruled that any company with venture capital-backing in excess of 51% is no longer eligibile for a SBIR grant. Many biotech companies have since been denied grant money or have opted to delay SBIR submissions in the hope that this issue will be resolved. As a result, work on life-saving and life-enhancing technology is being postponed.
BIO Position:
BIO strongly supports H.R. 2943 & S.1263, "Save America's Biotechnology Innovative Research (SABIR) Act." These bills will restore eligibility for SBIR grants to venture capital-backed small biotechnology companies.
SBIR Press Kit
- On November 9, 2005, BIO hosted a press conference on Capitol Hill to release the letter to Congress from patient groups.
Watch the Press Conference (35 min. Windows Video)
- BIO Press Release (November 9, 2005)
- Letter to Congress from 60 patient groups, medical health advocates, biotechnology and medical device organizations (41 KB PDF, November 9, 2005)
- Fact Sheet
- Senator Kit Bond's (R, MO) Statement, Main sponsor in the Senate
- Congressman Sam Graves' (R, MO-6) Statement, Main sponsor in the House
- Congressman Brian Baird's (D, WA-3) Statement, Original sponsor in the House
- Katy Anderson's Statement, Lymphoma survivor of Chevy Chase, MD
- Suzanne Pattee's Statement, cystic fibrosis patient, Vice President of Public Policy and Patient Affairs, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
- Dr. Gary McGarrity's Statement, President and CEO, Intronn, Inc. (BIO member based in Gaithersburg, MD)
- Michael Manganiello's Statement, Senior Vice President of Government Relations, Christopher Reeve Foundation
- Tim Krauskopf's Statement, Senior Vice President, CardiacAssist Inc. (AdvaMed member based in Pittsburgh, PA)
- Dr. Howard Dickler's Statement, Director for Clinical Research, Division of Biomedical and Health Sciences Research, Association of American Medical Colleges
- Phyllis Greenberger's Statement, President and CEO, Society for Women's Health Research
- Advanced Medical Technology Association Statement
- ALS Association Statement
- FasterCures Statement
- National Venture Capital Association Statement
- RetireSafe Statement
- H.R. 2943 (36 KB PDF)
- S. 1263 (35 KB PDF)
- Letter from NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni M.D. to SBA Administrator Hector V. Barreto (160 KB PDF, June 28, 2005)
- Letter to Congress from nearly 300 CEOs and state biotech associations (153 KB PDF, July 26, 2005)
- Guest opinion from BIO President & CEO Jim Greenwood (526 KB PDF, Washington Times, July 13th, 2005)
- Complete Press Kit in a single PDF file (1.4 MB)
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