The Small Business Administration (SBA) has released a solicitation to create new Regional Innovation Clusters (RICs) focused on "Strengthening Domestic Industrial and Manufacturing Capability." This program, overseen by SBA's Office of Investment and Innovation (OII), seeks the service of contractors to "build connect, and support" networks of stakeholders invested in aiding "high-growth, technology-focused" small businesses.
The RIC program defines regional clusters as "geographically concentrated groups of interconnected businesses, suppliers, service providers, and associated institutions in a particular industry or field" in regions across the US. With the goal of commercializing innovative technologies to meet government and industry needs, clusters serve as networking hubs that provide resources for and guidance on "funding, procurement, and supply chain" processes in a specific industry. For this solicitation, applicants are limited to submitting a proposal to only one target industry of interest. Industries of interest are:
- Advanced manufacturing
- Critical minerals
- Nuclear energy
- Disruptive technologies including quantum information and enabling technologies; artificial intelligence; information technology (related to cyber and data storage; and semiconductors.
According to the Statement of Objectives, new RICs will be responsible for four different components: (1) “small business support service in a specific industry;” (2) “creation and expansion of cluster network in a specific industry;” (3) “cluster management and oversight; and (4) report metrics and development including quarterly and annual reporting and program evaluation. As stated in the solicitation, SBA is seeking commercial support through a request for quotation (RQA); this opportunity is an open competition for non- and for-profit entities that will serve as a contractor to create new RICs by providing skills, knowledge, training, and resources to small businesses. SBA is non-committal on the type of institution that can apply. Overall, the submitting organization should have the capabilities necessary to support regional economies through fostering small business job opportunities, boosting revenue growth, and increasing capital in industries and technologies critical to economic security. Applicants are encouraged to include the region and industry they wish to target in their proposal. While a successful cluster should leverage the region's strengths, participants may hold strategic partnerships outside of the geographic region of the cluster.
This open competition for non- and for-profit entities only; universities may participate as strategic partners to applicants. Responses to this solicitation are due by 4:00 PM ET on August 8, 2025. All technical questions must be submitted by 4:00 PM ET on July 28, 2025, to sba_ric_2025@gsa.gov. SBA expects to make awards based on which proposals best meet the objectives of this solicitation. More information is available on SAM.gov under Notice ID number 47QACA25K0452