Try, Try Again? Gender Differences in Experience and Evaluation of Innovation in the NASA SBIR program

Gender differences in innovation financing are well documented but poorly understood. We study applicants to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Small Business Innovation Research program, a public initiative seeking to increase access for women. Despite a mission objective to fund more women, the NASA SBIR program lags in female representation. Econometric analysis reveals indirect bias against female PI applicants in the review process. Specifically, we find that females receive: (1) significantly lower proposal scores and (2) lower assessments of their technology than comparable males. Prior experience with the program helps reduce some of the bias while worsening other aspects of it. These results negatively impact diversity in innovation. We propose a series of policy recommendations to overcome this bias