31 

 APPENDIX 



Committee on Small Business 



Subcommittee on Government Programs 



The House of Representatives 



Opening Remarks 



of 



The Honorable Glenn Poshard 



April 6, 1995 



I thank Chairman Torkildsen for holding this morning's hearing on the Small 

 Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) program and the Small Business Technology 

 Transfer (STTR) pilot program. As one of the drafters of the STTR program, I look 

 forward to today's testimony, and I want to thank the panel for joining us to discuss 

 these two programs so very important to moving our nation's small business 

 community into the 21st century. 



I believe the SBIR has been successful in its efforts to stimulate technological 

 innovations developed by small businesses. In the twelve years this program has been 

 in existence, over 33,000 SBIR awards have been made to move hi-tech products, 

 processes and services out of the laboratory and into the commercial marketplace. 



This program's ability to foster small business owners and entrepreneurs to 

 enter into a highly competitive and unpredictable market has had tremendous results. 

 One in four SBIR participants have recorded commercial sales success within six years 

 of receiving their award. The program has been equally successful in bringing new 

 innovations and products into the world market including those that improve the 

 environment and the physical well-being of people in the United States and around the 

 world. 



It is my understanding a number of agencies, including some testifying before 

 the committee today, have concerns over the SBIR set-aside being increased from two 

 percent to two and a half percent in Fiscal Year 1997. I understand the concern many 

 share for the concept of set-asides, however, we must recognize the fact that it is the 

 small business sector that continues to create more jobs than any other business sector 

 in America. 



