Small Business Innovation Research awards drive economic opportunities

West Virginia Forward’s findings noted that the Mountain State receives fewer Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards than its peer states. To help increase these funding dollars to West Virginia, Marshall University, Robert C. Byrd Institute, the Alliance for the Economic Development of Southern West Virginia and West Virginia Small Business Development Center earlier this month hosted the SBIR National Road Tour in Huntington. This marked the largest SBIR Road Tour event hosted in the Mountain State, with 140 attendees and 75 one-on-one meetings between small business innovators and 13 federal agencies.  
 
Marshall President Jerry Gilbert spoke about how West Virginia Forward provides us a roadmap to economic progress. Capturing SBIR funding is important to growing our small businesses and startups.