Those of us who are involved in the SBIR program in some way, whether it is researching and preparing proposals, or executing Phase I and Phase II contracts, the concept of the SBIR program going on hiatus, or disappearing completely makes the heart skip a beat.  I’ve personally worked with companies that are dependent on the SBIR program to jump start new projects, and I consider myself an expert in the SBIR proposal process.  So yes, I’m worried.

Here’s what the current status is: the existing SBIR authorization is set to expire at the end of this month.  Yes, that’s less than two weeks away.  As of right now, no solicitations will be released after that point unless the program is reauthorized.  There is one exception: the Department of Defense SBIR program has been reauthorized through the end of September 2010, which will allow for two more submission cycles between now and then.

SBIR Gateway has a great summary of the politics of the SBIR reauthorization.  This topic has been on my radar for a while but the fact that Congress is still dragging its feet is getting me nervous.  I’m planning to start by mailing my Congressmen, and tell them how much this program means to me, my business, and my clients’ businesses.