(I managed a small SBIR category for NASA.) Despite the rhetoric, they do provide a sustainable flow of work to many organizations (sometimes referred to as "SBIR shops").
About basic vs. applied research: What I was trying to say is: The relative lack of breakthrough success for SBIR seems to imply that smaller, more nimble (market-responsive?) organizations are not the answer.
http://www.sbir.gov/federal_links.htm
(I managed a small SBIR category for NASA.) Despite the rhetoric, they do provide a sustainable flow of work to many organizations (sometimes referred to as "SBIR shops").
About basic vs. applied research: What I was trying to say is: The relative lack of breakthrough success for SBIR seems to imply that smaller, more nimble (market-responsive?) organizations are not the answer.