Small Business Research Initiative: Standards

(asked on 6th January 2017) - View Source

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Small Business Research Initiative; and if he will make a statement.


This question was answered on 11th January 2017

We do not currently hold data on individual firms. However, we do hold information on the number of contracts awarded under the scheme.

Firms are awarded Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) funding through contracts on a competitive basis in two phases:

(i) Phase 1, which typically provides up to £100,000 for companies to test the feasibility of their ideas;

(ii) Phase 2, which typically provides up to £1,000,000 for companies to develop a prototype or demonstrator.

The details of Phase 1 and Phase 2 SBRI contracts awarded are below:

2009/10

2010/11

2011/12

2012/13

2013/14

2014/15

2015/16

Phase 1

340

164

246

313

327

418

268

Phase 2

93

21

28

106

55

96

55

On 21 November, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced that she had asked David Connell from the Centre for Business Research at the Cambridge Judge Business School to review the Small Business Research Initiative.

The review is examining how we can maximise the impact of the SBRI programme to improve procurement outcomes for government, support and stimulate innovation by SMEs.

The review will report in spring this year.

Reticulating Splines