{
  "id": "ACQ-16",
  "category": "Small-business innovation",
  "capability": "Fund small-business research and commercialization through SBIR",
  "summary": "Set aside qualifying extramural R&D funding for phased competitive small-business innovation awards, including permitted direct-to-Phase II routes.",
  "legal_basis": [
    {
      "citation": "15 U.S.C. §638(f), (g), (m), (cc)",
      "url": "https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title15-section638&num=0&edition=prelim",
      "kind": "statute",
      "note": "Primary statutory text; primary GovInfo baseline and amendment audit identified in research narrative."
    },
    {
      "citation": "P.L. 119-83, §2, 4, 9, 10",
      "url": "https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-119publ83/html/PLAW-119publ83.htm",
      "kind": "statute",
      "note": "Enacted public law, not a pending bill."
    }
  ],
  "authority_holder": "Participating federal agency; DoD and component SBIR program/award officials",
  "actor_chain": {
    "planner": [
      "DoD/component SBIR-STTR program office and technical topic owner"
    ],
    "resource_owner": [
      "Component extramural R&D budget owner"
    ],
    "approver": [
      "Authorized component grants/contracting official; required research-security reviewers"
    ],
    "executor": [
      "Service or Defense Agency SBIR-STTR office and award officer"
    ],
    "partners": [
      "SBA program-wide policy",
      "Eligible small business; acquisition customer; research-security and counterintelligence partners"
    ]
  },
  "actor_sources": [
    {
      "title": "SBA participating agencies — DoD component SBIR/STTR offices",
      "url": "https://www.sbir.gov/participating-agencies"
    }
  ],
  "requirements": [
    "Eligible small business; competitive scientific/technical and commercialization evaluation.",
    "Research-security diligence and disclosure checks; beginning FY2027, the nondelegable agency program director must set a proposal cap, with the statutory topic-waiver process."
  ],
  "limits": [
    "Neither a general small-business loan nor automatic entitlement to an award.",
    "Direct-to-Phase II requires qualifying feasibility showing and agency implementation; do not confuse stale 2025 expiry with current extension."
  ],
  "funding": [
    "Required SBIR share generally at least 3.2% of eligible extramural R&D; actual appropriation, exclusions and balances still require validation.",
    "P.L. 119-83 allows remaining FY2026 required-expenditure funds to be used in FY2027."
  ],
  "coordination_path": "Component requirement/topic owner → SBIR office → competitive/security evaluation → contracting/grants officer → acquisition transition sponsor.",
  "availability": "Express statutory pathway; award-specific appropriations, available balances, delegations, implementation and approvals not independently verified.",
  "confidence": "High on express authority and cited conditions; execution assignment is illustrative unless statute expressly names it.",
  "currentness": "GovInfo 2024 Code (includes FY2025 NDAA, P.L. 118-159) read in full for cited provision; targeted FY2026 NDAA P.L. 119-60 amendment/repeal sweep. No claim of complete legislative currency through 2026-10-02; remaining 2026 delta needs counsel validation. P.L. 119-83 enacted 2026-04-13 § §9–10 extends SBIR to 2031-09-30; OLRC indexed 15 U.S.C. §638 currency 2026-09-29.",
  "family": "Research, innovation and experimentation",
  "mechanisms": [
    "Other statutory tools"
  ],
  "goal_ids": [
    "develop-technology"
  ],
  "office_links": [
    {
      "office_id": "defense-agencies",
      "role": "executor",
      "label": "Service or Defense Agency SBIR-STTR office and award officer"
    }
  ]
}