Gender and innovation at the US National Institutes of Health.

This paper presents a systematic empirical study of covariates associated with the success of NIH Phase I SBIR-funded research projects, where success is defined in terms of the small, entrepreneurial firm conducting the Phase I research subsequently receiving a follow-on Phase II research award. We find that women-owned firms are especially disadvantaged in this regard. Our findings suggest that SBIR program managers consider recommendations to overcome these disadvantages. Our recommendations could enhance the rate at which follow-on Phase II research projects are funded and possibly the rate at which the developed technologies are commercialized. Plain English Summary: Women entrepreneurs who are awarded Small Business Innovation Research Phase I Awards are less likely than male entrepreneurs to receive follow-on Phase II Awards. We investigate whether women-owned small, entrepreneurial firms, funded through Phase I Small Business Innovation Research awards, are more or less successful than male-owned firms in obtaining follow-on Phase II funding. From an empirical examination of 2059 National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded Phase I research projects, of which 12% are in woman-owned firms, woman-owned firms are less likely to receive follow-on Phase II research funding. In response, we suggest that woman-owned firms increase the diversity of their research base through a research partnership with a university. Thus, the principal finding of this study is our policy recommendations for how NIH can improve the Phase I to Phase II success rate of its funded research to small firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]