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G2G Bioscience Bulletin – March 16, 2026

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G2G Bioscience Bulletin – March 16, 2026

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MARCH 18, 2026 UPDATE

Yesterday, the House passed the reauthorization of SBIR/STTR programs (S. 3971 – Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act) by a decisive 345–41 vote, following a unanimous Senate vote two weeks ago. As a reminder, this bill reauthorizes the program through the end of FY 2031 and notable provisions include:
  • Requiring all SBIR offices to place an annual limit on applications to prioritize truly small businesses over large, entrenched companies that know how to game the system
  • Establishing Strategic Breakthrough awards to enable agencies to scale the most promising technologies
  • Strengthening due diligence standards and closing loopholes to ensure awardees safeguard tech against misuse by adversarial nations
This is a major win for the U.S. innovation ecosystem and the thousands of startups that rely on non-dilutive federal funding to bridge R&D and commercialization. While the bill now heads to the President’s desk, there may be a short delay due to broader legislative dynamics. Either way, reauthorization is effectively secured — providing much-needed stability and runway for small businesses, researchers, and commercialization partners across the country.

G2G Highlights

  • G2G with Women’s Health Advocates (WHA) the Endo & Adeno Coalition, Krampz Wellness and partners organized an Endometriosis & Adenomyosis Capitol Hill Day on March 10 and an accompanying Congressional Briefing on March 9 to advocate for better research and care for patients.

  • On March 12, G2G participated in the 2026 Wilson Sonsini Entrepreneur & Investor Life Sciences Summit in Salt Lake City, that convened Utah’s entrepreneurs, investors, and life sciences leaders. The forum was facilitated by BioUtah, and BYU’s Tech Transfer Office and College of Life Sciences

  • G2G Founder & CEO Liz Powell was among the women’s health leaders at the inaugural HHS National Conference on Women’s Health. Key issues addressed include conditions such as Alzheimer’s, endometriosis, menopause and bone health, as well as ecosystem challenges in gaining access to capital, securing FDA approval, and reimbursement.

Funding Opportunity

New ARPA-H Program: Developing self-monitoring ecosystems to “know thyself” (Delphi). Highlights:

  • Aims to develop more affordable, precise, and reliable wearable or ingestible biosensor devices that empower people and their care teams to make smarter decisions about health and wellness.
  • Upcoming Deadlines: Proposer’s Day: March 27, Solution Summary Due: April 8

Updates from Washington

Congress
  • FY 2027 Appropriations: The President’s budget request is now expected to be released late this month or early next. Both chambers are moving forward with their appropriations processes in spite of this delay. Meanwhile, there has been no resolution for the sole pending FY 2026 appropriations bill that funds the Department of Homelands Security (DHS).
  • Rare Disease: Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) is seeking information from the FDA on its recent rejection or imposition stringent requirements on several rare disease therapies.
  • Title X: Democratic Senators have sent a letter to HHS Secretary Kennedy urging him to ensure uninterrupted access to family planning and preventative care services at clinics funded under the program, through a one-year full funding extension for current grantees. This comes ahead of existing awards expiring at the end of this month.
  • Legislation:
    • Two proposals from the National Security Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB) were recently introduced:
      • America’s Living Library Act of 2026: Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a project to collect, catalog and sequence genomic information of flora and fauna on American public lands. The provisions include the creation of a public database to store collected genomic information, to include high quality, standardized, AI-ready datasets.This bill was introduced in both chambers by the congressional NSCEB commissioners - Senators Todd Young (R-IN) & Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Reps. Stephanie Bice (R-OK) & Ro Khanna (D-CA)
      • AI-Ready Bio-Data Standards Act: Directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to establish standards at the convergence of AI and biotechnology to support American leadership over China. The bill is sponsored in both chambers by the three of the NSCEB Commissioners, with Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-CA), substituting as the House Republican lead.
    • SBIR/STTR: The the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act, the compromise reauthorization bill, has passed the Senate unanimously. The bill has been placed on the House suspension calendar. This procedure is utilized for non-controversial legislation, as it requires bill passage with a two-thirds majority. It is therefore expected that the reauthorization will pass this week, and be enacted into law imminently.
    • Hearings: On Wednesday, Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing on the US dependance on China for its drug supply. Key points discussed include:
      • Tax and regulatory policies that drove US drug manufacturers to build facilities in China, and corresponding incentives from the Chinese government
      • Lack of transparency in enforcing FDA standards overseas and limited supply chain mapping, and associated national security risks
      • Implementation of the CLEAR LABELS Act and NSCEB recommendations to mitigate the impact of and/or reverse  the current situation
Administration & Agencies:
  • FDA:
    • The agency issued draft guidance that aims to reduce the number studies that biosimilar producers need to conduct to prove equivalence to brand name biologics, with the aim of reducing costs and improving flexibility and competition.
    • Recent analysis indicates that the number of advisory committee meetings that the agency has convened to allow stakeholders to comment on difficult regulatory matters sharply declined in 2025.
    • The agency’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee has advised manufacturers develop flu vaccines for the next season using World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations, despite the US withdrawing from WHO and more stringent requirements advocated for by outgoing CBER Director Vinay Prasad.
  • NIH: A report indicates that the National Cancer Institute (NCI) is 42% behind its median pace in awarding grants for fiscal years 2020-2025. Only a single new grant has been awarded since the start of FY 2026, despite an increase in funding to NCI.
  • CMS: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has released its report recommending an increase in doctor payments by 0.5%, while also finding that Medicare Advantage insurers are substantially inflating program costs.
  • DoD: The Defense Health Agency (DHA) will release the RFP for its $10B Omnibus IV multi-award contract for defense medical R&D services in late May
  • White House, Other HHS Divisions & Departments:
    • 340B: Citing significant logistical burdens, a coalition of hospitals participating in the program has asked HHS to force Novo Nordisk to rescind its policy change requiring submission of more detailed claims data on dispensing the company’s drugs.
    • Grants: A federal judge has issued an injunction against the Trump administration from cutting off $600M public health funding to four Democratic-led states. However, enforcement of this action is limited and lies with a higher court.
    • Medical Product Sterilization: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a proposed rule that removes more stringent emissions standards on facilities using ethylene oxide to sterilize medical equipment and other products that was put in place by the Biden Administration.