Parkinson's Action Network

House Passes SBIR Reauthorization Act

The Parkinson’s Action Network applauds the House of Representatives for passing H.R. 5819, the SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act. H.R. 5819 reauthorizes the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and allows small businesses that receive venture capital funding to participate in the SBIR program. The SBIR/STTR program must be reauthorized by Congress before September 30, 2008. PAN is optimistic that the Senate will consider the legislation in the near future.

To read Amy Comstock Rick's SBIR testimony before the Small Business Committee, click here

To read PAN’s letter of support to Representative Velazquez and Representative Chabot, please read below.

April 22, 2008

The Honorable Nydia Velazquez
2361 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Fax: (202) 226-5276

The Honorable Steve Chabot
B363 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington DC 20515
Fax: (202) 225 3587

Dear Chairwoman Velazquez and Ranking Member Chabot:

On behalf of the entire Parkinson’s community, the Parkinson’s Action Network (PAN) supports legislation to reauthorize the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Specifically, PAN supports Title II of the SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act (H.R. 5819), which will allow small businesses that receive venture capital funding to participate in the SBIR program.

The Parkinson’s Action Network strongly supports the entire NIH SBIR program, which is an essential source of patient-oriented research funding needed to hasten discovery of better treatments and cures for people living with Parkinson’s and many other diseases. For several years, the Parkinson’s community has advocated for a better balance between NIH funding for basic scientific research and treatment-oriented research, known as translational and clinical research. Unfortunately, however, due to a lack of overall funding and in order to maintain basic research grants, NIH not only has not focused more on translational research, but has actually cut these programs.

The SBIR program is one of few sources of funding for science that aims to move promising ideas from basic research concepts to real therapeutic possibilities for patients. This is an area in which SBIR grants have a significant role to play, as grants for this kind of research are otherwise difficult if not impossible to obtain. It is not simply that this program is about funding, it is that this program makes possible promising translational and clinical research that would not otherwise occur. For Americans fighting un-treated and under-treated diseases, that is invaluable.

PAN strongly supports Title II of H.R. 5819, which ensures that SBIR funding is available to small companies conducting the best science with the most promise for patients. This section of the bill is necessary to overturn the current SBA eligibility ruling that has eliminated from SBIR grant consideration research projects that otherwise merit funding, simply because of the financial structure of the company. The very companies that are doing a good enough job to attract venture capital money have been, because of that success, barred from federal support for promising research even though that federal support is badly needed. This section of the bill is needed to make it possible for the SBIR program to review and fund the most promising science for patients.

As PAN continues working toward better treatments and cures for Americans, we thank each of you and the Small Business Committee for supporting a robust SBIR program at NIH. We look forward to continuing to work with you on this critical issue for the Parkinson’s community, the small business community, and all American families facing disease and disability.

Sincerely,

Amy Comstock Rick