SBIR PD 2002
Policy Directive - Section 3
Definitions


3. Definitions

(a) Act. The Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.), as amended.

(b) Additionally Eligible State. A State in which the total value of funding agreements awarded to SBCs (as defined in this section) under all agency SBIR Programs is less than the total value of funding agreements awarded to SBCs in a majority of other States, as determined by SBA's Administrator in biennial fiscal years and based on the most recent statistics compiled by the Administrator.

(c) Applicant. The organizational entity that, at the time of award, will qualify as an SBC and that submits a contract proposal or a grant application for a funding agreement under the SBIR Program.

(d) Affiliate. This term has the same meaning as set forth in 13 CFR part 121--Small Business Size Regulations, Sec. 121.103, What is affiliation?

(e) Awardee. The organizational entity receiving an SBIR Phase I, Phase II, or Phase III award.

(f) Commercialization. The process of developing marketable products or services and producing and delivering products or services for sale (whether by the originating party or by others) to Government or commercial markets.

(g) Cooperative Agreement. A financial assistance mechanism used when substantial Federal programmatic involvement with the awardee during performance is anticipated by the issuing agency. The Cooperative Agreement contains the responsibilities and respective obligations of the parties.

(h) Eligible State. A State: (1) where the total value of SBIR and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program awards made to recipient businesses in the State during fiscal year 1995 was less than $5,000,000 (as reflected in SBA's database of fiscal year 1995 awards), and (2) that certifies to SBA's Administrator that it will, upon receipt of assistance, provide matching funds from non-Federal sources in an amount that is not less than 50 percent of the amount of assistance provided.

(i) Essentially Equivalent Work. This occurs when (1) substantially the same research is proposed for funding in more than one contract proposal or grant application submitted to the same Federal agency; (2) substantially the same research is submitted to two or more different Federal agencies for review and funding consideration; or (3) a specific research objective and the research design for accomplishing an objective are the same or closely related in two or more proposals or awards, regardless of the funding source.

(j) Extramural Budget. The sum of the total obligations for R/R&D minus amounts obligated for R/R&D activities by employees of a Federal agency in or through Government-owned, Government-operated facilities. For the Agency for International Development, the ``extramural budget'' must not include amounts obligated solely for general institutional support of international research centers or for grants to foreign countries. For the Department of Energy, the ``extramural budget'' must not include amounts obligated for atomic energy defense programs solely for weapons activities or for naval reactor programs. (Also see Section 7(i) of this Policy Directive for additional exemptions related to national security.)

(k) Feasibility. The practical extent to which a project can be performed successfully.

(l) Federal Agency. An executive agency as defined in 5 U.S.C. 105, or a military department as defined in 5 U.S.C. 102, except that it does not include any agency within the Intelligence Community as defined in Executive Order 12333, Section 3.4(f), or its successor orders.

(m) Funding Agreement. Any contract, grant, or cooperative agreement entered into between any Federal agency and any SBC for the performance of experimental, developmental, or research work, including products or services, funded in whole or in part by the Federal Government.

(n) Funding Agreement Officer. A contracting officer, a grants officer, or a cooperative agreement officer.

(o) Grant. A financial assistance mechanism providing money, property, or both to an eligible entity to carry out an approved project or activity. A grant is used whenever the Federal agency anticipates no substantial programmatic involvement with the awardee during performance.

(p) Innovation. Something new or improved, having marketable potential, including (1) development of new technologies, (2) refinement of existing technologies, or (3) development of new applications for existing technologies.

(q) Intellectual Property. The separate and distinct types of intangible property that are referred to collectively as ``intellectual property,'' including but not limited to: patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, SBIR technical data (as defined in this section), ideas, designs, know-how, business, technical and research methods, other types of intangible business assets, and all types of intangible assets either proposed or generated by an SBC as a result of its participation in the SBIR Program.

(r) Joint Venture. An association of concerns with interests in any degree or proportion by way of contract, express or implied, consorting to engage in and carry out a single specific business venture for joint profit, for which purpose they combine their efforts, property, money, skill, or knowledge, but not on a continuing or permanent basis for conducting business generally. A joint venture is viewed as a business entity in determining power to control its management.

(s) Outcomes. The measures of long-term, eventual, program impact.

(t) Outputs. The measures of near-term program impact.

(u) Principal Investigator/Project Manager. The one individual designated by the applicant to provide the scientific and technical direction to a project supported by the funding agreement.

(v) Program Solicitation. A formal solicitation for proposals whereby a Federal agency notifies the small business community of its R/R&D needs and interests in broad and selected areas, as appropriate to the agency, and requests proposals from SBCs in response to these needs and interests. Announcements in the Federal Register or the GPE are not considered an SBIR Program solicitation.

(w) Prototype. A model of something to be further developed, which includes designs, protocols, questionnaires, software, and devices.

(x) Research or Research and Development (R/R&D). Any activity that is:
(1) A systematic, intensive study directed toward greater knowledge or understanding of the subject studied;
(2) A systematic study directed specifically toward applying new knowledge to meet a recognized need; or
(3) A systematic application of knowledge toward the production of useful materials, devices, and systems or methods, including design, development, and improvement of prototypes and new processes to meet specific requirements.

(y) Small Business Concern. A concern that, on the date of award for both Phase I and Phase II funding agreements:
(1) is organized for profit, with a place of business located in the United States, which operates primarily within the United States or which makes a significant contribution to the United States economy through payment of taxes or use of American products, materials or labor;
(2) is in the legal form of an individual proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company, corporation, joint venture, association, trust or cooperative, except that where the form is a joint venture, there can be no more than 49 percent participation by foreign business entities in the joint venture;
(3) is at least 51 percent owned and controlled by one or more individuals who are citizens of, or permanent resident aliens in, the United States, except in the case of a joint venture, where each entity to the venture must be 51 percent owned and controlled by one or more individuals who are citizens of, or permanent resident aliens in, the United States; and
(4) has, including its affiliates, not more than 500 employees.

(z) Socially and Economically Disadvantaged SBC. See 13 CFR part 124-8(A) Business Development/Small Disadvantaged Business Status Determinations, Sec. Sec. 124.103 (Who is socially disadvantaged?) and 124.104 (Who is economically disadvantaged?).

(aa) SBIR Participants. Business concerns that have received SBIR awards or that have submitted SBIR proposals/applications.
(bb) SBIR Technical Data. All data generated during the performance of an SBIR award.

(cc) SBIR Technical Data rights. The rights an SBC obtains in data generated during the performance of any SBIR Phase I, Phase II, or Phase III award that an awardee delivers to the Government during or upon completion of a Federally-funded project, and to which the Government receives a license.

(dd) Subcontract. Any agreement, other than one involving an employer-employee relationship, entered into by an awardee of a funding agreement calling for supplies or services for the performance of the original funding agreement.

(ee) Technology Development Program.
(1) the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research of the National Science Foundation as established under 42 U.S.C. 1862g;
(2) the Defense Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research of the Department of Defense;
(3) the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research of the Department of Energy;
(4) the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research of the Environmental Protection Agency;
(5) the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration;
(6) the Institutional Development Award Program of the National Institutes of Health; and
(7) the National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program of the Department of Agriculture.

(ff) United States. Means the 50 states, the territories and possessions of the Federal Government, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau.

(gg) Women-Owned SBC. An SBC that is at least 51 percent owned by one or more women, or in the case of any publicly owned business, at least 51 percent of the stock is owned by women, and women control the management and daily business operations.