Questionnaire Methodology In preparing this report, we used three survey instruments, as follows: a survey of small businesses that had received SBIR awards, a questionnaire to project officers responsible for monitoring SBIR projects at DOD, DOE, HHS, NASA, and NSF containing general questions on their agencies' SBIR program, and a questionnaire to the same project officers concerning specific SBIR projects. For this report, we sent the survey contained in appendix II to small The sample was designed to have sampling errors of no more than 5 percent at the 95-percent confidence level (sampling errors for subsets of the sample could be higher). (App. II shows sampling errors in parentheses for selected key variables.) 1(GAO/RCED-87-161BR, July 27, 1987). Questionnaire Methodology Questionnaire Procedures Survey Results Table V.1: Sampling Plan We developed the questionnaire after discussions with agency officials and consultants. We conducted pretests with eight companies in the Washington, D.C., and Boston areas that participated in SBIR projects. During each session, an individual respondent filled out the questionnaire in the presence of two GAO observers. After the pretests, we revised the questionnaire as necessary to increase clarity and ease of response. We mailed questionnaires to the principal investigator of each project in the sample. Because we based our sample on projects rather than companies, 212 companies received 2 or more questionnaires. A total of 954 companies received our questionnaire. We sent follow-up letters to nonrespondents, including a second copy of the questionnaire, and also sent a final reminder to nonrespondents to encourage them to return their questionnaires. We received 1,113 completed questionnaires out of 1,406 that were mailed, yielding a response rate of 79 percent. These responses were weighted to account for our stratified sampling of agency projects. Appendix II shows the questionnaire and the frequency of responses to individual questions. Questionnaire Methodology General Questions to Working with agency officials at DOD, DOE, HHS, NASA, and NSF, we identified and sent questionnaires to 530 officers who had been responsible for monitoring and/or assessing the 739 SBIR projects started at these agencies during fiscal years 1983 and 1984 that resulted in Phase II awards. These five agencies are responsible for 96 percent of all SBIR funds. Questionnaire Procedures Survey Results Questionnaire We developed questions concerning the SBIR program after discussions with agency officials and consultants. We conducted pretests with SBIR project officers at DOD, DOE, HHS, and NSF. During each session an individual project officer filled out the questionnaire in the presence of two GAO observers. After pretesting, the questionnaire was revised as necessary to increase clarity and ease of response. We sent follow-up letters to nonrespondents, including a second copy of the questionnaire. Later, we made a final follow-up to the remaining nonrespondents by telephone. We received 495 completed questionnaires from the 530 project officers that we had identified, yielding a response rate of 93.4 percent. Appendix III shows the questionnaire and the frequency of responses to individual questions. Each project officer who received a questionnaire with general questions about the SBIR program also received one or more questionnaires about specific SBIR projects that were started during fiscal years 1983 and 1984 that resulted in Phase II awards, a total of 739 projects. We followed up nonresponses to this questionnaire in conjunction with the questionnaire concerning general questions about the SBIR program. We received questionnaires concerning 691 projects, a response rate of 93.5 percent. The questionnaire concerning specific SBIR projects was developed and pretested in conjunction with the general questions concerning the SBIR program. Appendix IV shows the questionnaire and the frequency of responses to individual questions. Letter From the Department of Agriculture Concerning the SBIR Program I am pleased to respond to your request for an evaluation by the U.S. Department of In our opinion the SBIR program is proving to be a sound investment of Federal R&D funds for the following reasons: (1) The research community that applies to the SBIR program is completely (2) The quality of successful SBIR proposals compares favorably to the quality of |