WASHINGTON, April 30, 2025 -- ML Mackey, CEO of Beacon, recently provided testimony to the House Small Business Committee on the importance of galvanizing the SBIR/STTR Programs which provide a continuous pathway to Federal R&D funds for the smaller high-tech innovators across the country. Mackey's testimony was informed by her leadership role as CEO and Co-founder of Beacon, a digital innovator in the Defense Industrial Base (DIB). Her thought leadership is also informed by her experience on the Executive Committee of the National Defense Industrial Association's (NDIA) Board, as well as serving as a member of both the SBA's Invention, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship Advisory Committee and the National Academies of Sciences Army Science & Technology Roundtable. Her expertise lends critical industry insight into the technology development process and provides actionable recommendations for supporting the efforts of these programs.
Retaining new entrants... is a critical element to building a modern, diverse, and resilient US Defense Industrial Base.
Mackey's recommendations largely focused on cementing the reauthorization of the SBIR/STTR programs, increasing support for participants to transition technologies developed in the programs to commercialization, and the diligence necessary to oversee program implementation and increase agency accountability. Beacon has transitioned SBIR investment into digital products deployed across the DoD, including on 200+ U.S. Navy ships and multiple shore-based locations worldwide. Given this success with Federal innovation funding, Mackey spoke to the importance of deliberate and efficient inclusion of contributions from smaller high-tech innovators' to national security.
Speaking to the Committee members, Mackey said, "Attracting and retaining new entrants that can rapidly deliver innovative technologies and capabilities to the warfighter is a critical element to building a modern, diverse, and resilient U.S. DIB. These technologies can also provide the decisive advantage needed to deter or win a fight. Your work to defend deliberate and efficient approaches to include small business high-tech innovators in the U.S. DIB is a valuable proposition for the government and a direct enabler of innovation and growth."
The hearing, titled "Fostering American Innovation: Insights into SBIR/STTR Programs" was held in Washington, D.C. on February 26, 2025, at 10 am EST. The aim of the hearing was to assess how the SBIR/STTR Programs enable commercial innovators while protecting national security interests.
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