§16393 Small Business Advocacy and Assistance

Summary

Requires the Secretary to have each National Laboratory and each single-purpose research facility name a small business advocate. The advocate must push for more small business involvement (including socially and economically disadvantaged firms) in buying, research, development, demonstrations, product work, licensing, and tech transfer. The advocate must report to the lab director about how many small businesses take part and how to improve that. The advocate must give small businesses access to facilities, training, mentoring, and information. The advocate must raise internal awareness of small business capabilities and set rules and measures for these efforts. Requires each National Laboratory director (and lets single-purpose facility directors do so) to run a small business help program. That program can make small businesses better subcontractors or give technical help up to $10,000 per instance. The Secretary must also set up a voucher program through the Chief Commercialization Officer, with lab directors, to give vouchers for work at labs (research, development, demos, tech transfer, training, workforce development, commercialization, or other uses a director approves). The program must have a fast approval process, require cost-sharing under section 16352, and include an annual report under section 16391a listing progress and the number and locations of businesses helped. Funds for the help program cannot be used as direct grants. Authorized money: $5,000,000 for each fiscal year 2006–2008 for the help program, and $25,000,000 for each fiscal year 2023–2027 for the voucher program. Definitions (one line each): Director — the director of each National Laboratory and each single-purpose research facility; National Laboratory — as defined in law; Small business concern — as defined in law.