US Small Business Administration is hosting another road tour for entrepreneurs

The U.S. Small Business Administration is launching another road tour to connect entrepreneurs and inform them about the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.

The SBIR and STTR programs were established to provide more funding and research opportunities to small businesses across the U.S. Combined, the programs provide over $3.7 billion in funding from the federal government across 5,000 awards to small businesses working in different tech areas each year.

The tour will hit 17 states, stopping in cities across the Southeast, Midwest, Rockies and the Central South regions of the U.S. The SBA reports that this is its sixth year putting on the road tour, which is led by its Office of Investment and Innovation and 11 federal agencies.

“SBA is focused on helping small businesses grow and expand,” said SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza in a statement. “The Road Tours bring the federal managers to the entrepreneur and target areas and individuals that are underrepresented when it comes to receiving federal R&D funding. This tour reflects our continued commitment to ensure those innovators are aware of SBIR/STTR program resources.”

Each stop on the road tour will be hosted by a local organization and attendees can expect to hear presentations from federal agencies that are participating in the SBIR and STTR programs.

The 2020 SBIR road tour schedule will stop in these areas:

• The Southeast Tour (April 13 to 17) — Richmond, Virginia; Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina; Columbia, South Carolina; Atlanta/Athens, Georgia
• The Midwest Tour (June 1 to 5) — Omaha, Nebraska; St. Louis, Missouri; Champaign-Urbana, Illinois; Bloomington, Indiana
• The Rockies Tour (Aug. 10 to 14) — Bozeman, Montana; Idaho Falls, Idaho; Salt Lake City, Utah; Laramie, Wyoming
• The Central Southern Tour (Nov. 2 to 6) — Jackson, Mississippi; Shreveport, Louisiana; Dallas; Oklahoma City; Fayetteville, Arkansas

Find more info about the road tour and event registration on its website.