Small Business: In brief

Democrats on the House Small Business Committee, concerned over President Bush's proposed fiscal 2007 budget, released a report detailing the effect of the proposed cuts on small-business development programs.Among the 100 federal small-business assistance programs studied in the report, 75 programs, many of them meant to boost IT spending and research, are marked either for cuts or elimination. Among the IT-focused programs proposed for elimination is the Environmental Technology Verification program, run by the Environmental Protection Agency. With $3.2 billion in funding in fiscal 2006, this program offers to test and verify new environmental technologies for small companies that otherwise could not afford such testing.Another program that faces termination is the Advanced Technology Program, which the Commerce Department operates. Designed to spur innovation, the program provides multiyear funding to companies and industry-led ventures that take on high-risk technology projects. The program had $80 million in funding in fiscal 2006.Avineon Inc., Alexandria, Va., won a five-year contract worth more than $8 million to provide the Navy with technical and analytical support for the design and evaluation of a system that creates virtual flight paths for pilots.Under terms of the small-business contract, awarded by the Navy's Naval Flight Information Group, Avineon will develop flight procedures using Terminal Instrument Procedures criteria to meet Navy, Defense Department and Federal Aviation Administration standards.The Terminal Instrument Procedures system also helps procedure-design specialists ensure that the aircraft remain safely clear of obstacles and obstructions.Avineon will combine new FAA tools with strategic war-fighting efforts to integrate U.S. air assets worldwide. The new system will give the military and FAA better automated communication and on-flight flexibility for both commercial and defense air control.