WASHINGTON — Entrepreneurs from across the country showed Members of Congress and officials from the Small Business Administration firsthand how the Small Business Investment Research (SBIR) program makes their work possible at a special event on Capitol Hill this morning.

Small Business Committee Chairman Steve Chabot (R-OH), who was joined at the event by Ranking Member Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) and SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet, said: “In this era of globalization, making it easier for small businesses to develop and commercialize new, innovative products is essential for America’s competitiveness and national security.”

Chairman Chabot added, “this program is important because the awards go to small innovators who have always been at the cutting edge of science and technology.  You are the ones who have the outlook needed to take big risks in search of big rewards.  Maybe you quit your job to start a business in your garage.  Maybe you worked on the side with one of your colleagues to turn an idea into reality.  Whatever your individual story, the entrepreneurial spirit is what drove you to create new technology.”

The SBIR program allocates close to $2.5 billion in federal research dollars per year to early stage companies, researchers, and entrepreneurs who are creating cutting edge technology. Coordinated across 11 government agencies throughout all 50 states, the program helps start-ups and researchers become thriving, job-creating enterprises.

Chabot addresses entrepreneurs, talks with SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet and visits the Trident Systems booth at the SBIR Day Expo on Capitol Hill

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