WASHINGTON — The U.S. Small Business Administration is seeking nominations for awards honoring the critical economic role small businesses play in federally funded research and development through SBA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.

According to a news release, three awards will be given, one for companies that have participated in the SBIR/STTR programs, one for individuals who advocate on behalf of the programs, and a third Hall of Fame award recognizing companies that have an extended period of extraordinary success of research, innovation and product commercialization within the SBIR or STTR program.

The Tibbetts Awards are named after Roland Tibbetts, who was instrumental in developing SBIR, a program to ensure small businesses get a chance to compete for federal research and development funding, along with the opportunities it provides to profit from commercialization of the technologies they develop.

The SBIR and STTR programs currently account for more than $2.5 billion per year in federal R&D funds and are coordinated by the SBA in cooperation with 11 other federal agencies with large external research and development budgets.

Nominations for these awards will close at 5 p.m. on Jan. 31. To submit a nomination, visit tibbetts.challenge.gov and sbirhof.challenge.gov.