Debunking SBIR/STTR Myths: Strategies to Protect and Optimize the Value of SBIR & STTR Program Authorities (2026 Update)
Format: Live webinar (on-demand recording available on July 30, 2026)
Date: July 16, 2026
Time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
Duration: Approx. 90 minutes
Presented by: Jeff Cuskey (Consultant & Expert Witness)
Learning Credits: 1.5 CPEs, 1.5 ATCs
*Your registration includes access to the on-demand recording.
This webinar provides insight into the SBA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, including program regulations, common myths, and strategies for protecting and maximizing a participant’s rights, value, and wealth under these programs.
The session also covers significant changes included in the 2026 SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act, including new authorities that allow certain federal agencies to award SBIR Phase II contracts of up to $30 million for periods of up to four years to support the commercialization, production, and scaling of critical technologies.
What You’ll Learn
- Key SBIR and STTR program regulations and requirements
- Common myths and misconceptions surrounding the programs
- Strategies to protect and optimize SBIR/STTR rights, value, and intellectual property
- How SBIR/STTR policies differ from traditional government contracting regulations
- Ways to address government misinterpretations and reluctance to use SBIR/STTR authorities
- Major updates contained in the 2026 SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act
Program Background
The SBIR Program was established under the Small Business Innovation Development Act of 1982 to strengthen the role of innovative small businesses in federally funded research and development (R&D).
The STTR Program, created by the Small Business Technology Transfer Act of 1992, was modeled after SBIR and designed to facilitate the transfer of technology developed by research institutions through small business entrepreneurship.
Why This Matters
Although SBIR and STTR are widely recognized as two of SBA’s most successful small business programs, their unique rules, regulations, and data rights provisions are often misunderstood by both small businesses and participating federal agencies.
More than four decades after the launch of SBIR, these programs continue to face challenges stemming from lack of awareness, misunderstanding, and resistance to fully utilizing the authorities available under the law.
Target Audience: Small businesses that want to pursue non-dilutive SBIR/STTR funding to help them complete the maturation and commercialization of their innovative technological solutions, products and/or services.
Speaker
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Jeff CuskeySenior Procurement Counselor & Founder, GOVCON Consulting & Expert Witness ServicesJeff Cuskey has over 34 years of experience in federal and defense acquisition and contracting. He is a nationally known government procurement consultant, speaker, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program and Defense Contracting expert witness, and two-time Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (APTAC) Economic Impact Award recipient. Over his extensive professional career, he has provided contracting advice to thousands of clients, covering a broad range of complex government contracting topics and issues. While serving in the U.S. Navy, Jeff held various leadership, acquisition, and contracting positions, including assignments as the Navy’s multi-billion-dollar F/A-18 Strike Fighter Program Business Financial Manager (CFO) and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Deputy Contracting Officer. After retiring from the Navy at the rank of Commander, he taught defense-focused MBA acquisition and contracting, fiscal law and regulations, and program management courses at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), Monterey, CA. Jeff has an MS degree in Acquisition and Contract Management from NPS and is a Certified Professional Contracts Manager (CPCM), Certified Federal Contracts Manager (CFCM), and Certified Schedules Contracts Manager (CSCM). In 2020 APTAC recognized Jeff as its Betty McDonald Outstanding Member Achievement Awardee for his significant contributions and deep commitment not just to the procurement profession but also to the APTAC organization, its members, and his supported large and small business contracting clients.
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