Last update on this petition - Congress has tasked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate how the 6-month SBIR/STTR lapse affected small businesses. The last date for comments is this weekend.
Please help communicate how important these programs are – and what the lapse meant for your business – by doing one or both of the following by this weekend.
- Email your comments on how the SBIR/STTR lapse affected your company (cash flow, hiring, project timelines, commercialization, partnerships, etc.) to sbirsttrsurvey2026@gao.gov (GAO’s survey inbox)
- If you are an SBIR/STTR awardee, check your main point of contact email for a survey link from GAO, subject line “GAO Survey of SBIR/STTR Program Lapse is Active”. Survey takes about 5-10 minutes to complete, mostly multiple choice questions.
SBIR/STTR provide billions in competitive R&D funding to small businesses every year and are a critical engine for innovation, jobs, and regional growth. Clear, specific stories from founders, researchers, and employees will help GAO and Congress see the real cost of letting SBIR/STTR lapse—and strengthen protections so this never happens again.
Grateful that the government is taking this seriously and listening to small businesses; thank you for taking a few minutes to speak up so we can keep these programs strong for the future!