Pilot programs will improve small business access to technology - grants available

Business America, Sept 23, 1991

The U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) have awarded six grants to establish pilot programs that will give small business improved access to public and private technology, services, and expertise.

Matching fund grants of $200,000 will go to SBA-sponsored Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) in Missouri, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin. Maryland's SBDC, which is planning a more limited program, will receive a $50,400 grant.

The grants augment SBA's ongoing efforts to improve small businesses' productivity and competiteveness by linking them with commercial, on-line data services and technical information services. NIST manages the program for SBA as part of its responsibility to foster the transfer of appropriate technology to small-and medium-sized businesses.

"This initiative will advance the transfer of technology and expertise to small businesses that might not otherwise have easy or affordable access to it," said SBA Administrator Patricia Saiki. "We believe it will help to demonstrate the tremedous value of technology to building productivity and economic competitiveness in the small business community."

The programs will help pay for small businesses' access to a variety of commercial, on-line data services and technical expertise. For example, a small business might access the latest information about environmental waste, the availability of new lubricants for manufacturing processes, or the latest in vacuum technology. Training small businesses to use data bases independently to obtain technical information and services also is an important part of this project.

The grants are for one year and may be renewed for an additional two years, depending on available funds.