Funder · Federal agency

Department of the Army

Supports mission-focused military innovation through small-business technology programs, transition competitions, and prototype development pathways.

United States

Key stats

Annual funding-

Programs12

Active grants2

Total grants15

About

The Department of the Army is a major U.S. innovation funder for Army-directed technology development, especially in transition-ready, mission-focused areas. Its innovation channels include the Army SBIR/STTR portfolio and the xTech competition family, with additional foundational and applied research under DEVCOM ARL/ARO.

Army SBIR/STTR uses three phases and is generally associated with Phase I …

Programs & grants under this funder

G-TEAD USARPAC ACE 27-01: Autonomous Sustainment powered by xTech

Pays cash prizes for autonomous resupply tech demonstrated for the Army in the Pacific.

1 grant

G-TEAD USARPAC ACE 27-01: Autonomous Sustainment powered by xTech

Closed

$1.5M pool

Army SBIR/STTR

Offers research teams and universities in United States to connect defense and robotics teams to commercialization pathways and real buyers.

Army xTech Competitions

Helps Army xTech Competitions for Prize competitions that connect startups with United States Army technology needs.

3 grants

xTech|Adaptive Strike

Between cycles

$1.5M pool

xTech|Edge Strike: Ground

Offers Army xTech competition finalists mentorship and support to transition their tech, no equity taken.

Awards up to $8 million in cash prizes for low-cost missile interceptor technology.

Offers up to $603,000 in cash prizes and SBIR contracts for scalable military AI solutions.

National Security Hackathon (by Army xTech)

Awards $50,000 in cash prizes to top teams at a national-security hackathon backed by the US Army.

1 grant

National Security Hackathon (by Army xTech)

Between cycles

$50K pool

xTech|Inversion

Pays up to $1,000,000 in cash prizes to small businesses commercializing curated Army IP.

xTech | Kinetic Reach

Pays up to $1.5 million across a field of cash prizes, including up to $150,000 each to five final winners, to small and large businesses that pitch agile military-sustainment technology to the U.S. Army.

1 grant

xTech | Kinetic Reach

Closed

$1.5M pool

xTech|Live at eMerge Americas 2026

Awards up to $600,000 in cash prizes to teams pitching live at eMerge Americas 2026.

1 grant

xTech|Live at eMerge Americas 2026

Closed

$600K pool

xTech|Phantum

Pays up to $200,000 in cash prizes to U.S. small businesses developing quantum sensor and photonics technology.