[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 187 (Thursday, September 26, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59410-59411]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-23492]


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SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

[Docket Number: 2013-0008]


Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology 
Transfer Programs Commercialization Benchmark

AGENCY: Small Business Administration.

ACTION: Notice; reopening of comment period and delay of effective 
date.

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SUMMARY: The Small Business Administration (SBA) is reopening the 
comment period for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and 
Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Commercialization Benchmark 
notice, which was published in the Federal Register on August 8, 2013, 
with a 30-day public comment period. We are reopening the comment 
period to allow all interested parties an additional period of time to 
comment on this notice. In addition, SBA is also delaying the effective 
date for application of the Commercialization Benchmark until after the 
close of this additional comment period.

DATES: Effective Date: November 15, 2013.
    Comment Date: Comments to this notice must be received on or before 
October 28, 2013.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket Number 2013-
0008 by any of the following methods:
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments.
    Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier: Edsel Brown, Jr., Assistant Director, 
Office of Innovation, Small Business Administration, 409 Third Street 
SW., Washington, DC 20416.
    SBA will post all comments to this notice without change on 
www.regulations.gov. If you wish to submit confidential business 
information (CBI) as defined in the User Notice at www.regulations.gov, 
you must submit such information to Edsel Brown, Jr., Assistant 
Director, Office of Innovation, Small Business Administration, 409 
Third Street SW., Washington, DC 20416; or send an email to 
[email protected]. Highlight the information that you consider to be 
CBI and explain why you believe SBA should hold this information as 
confidential. SBA will review the information and make the final 
determination whether to publish it.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Edsel Brown, Jr., Assistant Director, 
Office of Innovation, Small Business Administration, 409 Third Street 
SW., Washington, DC 20416; telephone (202) 205-6450; email 
([email protected]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 5165 of the SBIR/STTR 
Reauthorization Act of 2011, Public Law 112-81, 125-Stat. 1298, as 
implemented by section 4(a)(3) of the SBIR and STTR Policy Directives, 
requires each of the eleven SBIR/STTR participating agencies to 
establish an SBA-approved commercialization rate benchmark for small 
business concerns (SBC or firm) that have been awarded multiple prior 
Phase II awards. The commercialization benchmark establishes the level 
of Phase III commercialization results a firm must have achieved from 
work it performed under prior Phase II awards in order to be eligible 
to receive a new Phase I award. The benchmark will apply only to small 
business concerns that have received more than 15 Phase II awards 
during the last 10 fiscal years, excluding the two most recently 
completed fiscal years.
    On August 8, 2013, SBA published a notice in the Federal Register 
at 78 FR 48537 to announce the approved SBIR/STTR commercialization 
benchmark and to solicit comments from the public on said benchmark. 
The 30-day comment period ended on September 9, and consistent with 
statutory authority, the benchmark is scheduled to take effect on 
October 7, 2013. However, in response to a request from interested 
parties and impacted stakeholders for additional time to provide 
comments on the benchmark, SBA is reopening the comment period for an 
additional 30 days. As a result of this extended

[[Page 59411]]

comment period, SBA is also delaying the effective date of the 
benchmark until November 15, 2013. SBA will review all comments 
received in response to the Commercialization Benchmark Notice and will 
issue the final commercialization benchmark requirement within the 
timeframe noted above in the DATES section of this notice. The final 
requirement will be posted on www.sbir.gov.

    Dated: September 20, 2013.
Pravina Raghavan,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Investments and Innovation.
[FR Doc. 2013-23492 Filed 9-25-13; 8:45 am]
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