SBA Will Try to Simplify Application Process SBA will explore ideas to make it easier for businesses to find out if they are eligible for socioeconomic programs and will try to create a common application form for those programs. The agency will also seek to establish a common application for the Small Business Innovation Research Program. The initiatives are part of SBA’s regulatory review plan under a presidential order requiring agencies to look for ways to reduce the burden of regulations. For companies seeking information about socioeconomic programs, SBA said it will explore the feasibility of building a one-stop website for small firms to enter basic information, such as revenue and ownership, to determine whether they are eligible for the programs. To make it easier for companies to apply for socioeconomic programs, the agency will analyze whether it can develop a single certification process that would collect common information that is required for all of the programs. Currently prospective 8(a) or SDV businesses, for example, must enter the same information on multiple forms. A company wanting to participate in the Small Business Innovation Research Program must file separate, redundant forms with each agency that has an SBIR program. SBA said it will try to create a single portal to collect common information that could be automatically transferred into each participating agency’s application system. SBA said it will begin studying the initiatives over the next year. President Obama ordered agencies to conduct regular reviews of their regulations with an eye toward modifying them or rescinding those that had outlived their usefulness.