DARPA SBIR/STTR

DARPA SBIR Phase I

Funds United States small businesses validating high-risk defense science concepts for practical technical development.

DARPA SBIR Phase I is a competitive feasibility-stage award administered by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency under the DoD-wide Small Business Innovation Research program. DARPA participates in the Department of Defense's monthly BAA release cycle, with topics published on the first Wednesday of each month through the Defense SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal (DSIP) at dodsbirsttr.mil. Topics span DARPA's seven technical offices: Aerospace, Biological Technologies, Defense Sciences, Information Innovation, Microsystems Technology, Strategic Technology, and Tactical Technology. Direct-to-Phase II is supported for topics that explicitly opt in and where prior non-SBIR work has demonstrated feasibility.

Phase I awards are typically $250,000 over approximately six months, below the SBA statutory cap of $323,090 (as updated October 2024). Awards are structured as cooperative agreements. Eligibility is restricted to U.S.-registered, U.S.-citizen-or-permanent-resident-majority-owned small businesses with 500 or fewer employees. The principal investigator's primary employment must be with the small business, and at least two-thirds of Phase I work must be performed by the small business itself. All R&D must be conducted in the United States. VC-majority-owned companies are eligible under SBA Section 5107 provisions applicable to DoD SBIR. Annual Phase I pool across DARPA SBIR is estimated at approximately $70 million. DARPA topics are released under the Annual BAA format with at least 45 days notice before proposal deadline.

Proposals are evaluated by DARPA program managers using merit review with topic subject-matter experts rather than a published numerical scoring rubric. During topic pre-release, small businesses are encouraged to communicate directly with topic authors by name and phone. Once the BAA opens, written questions must be submitted through the DSIP Topic Q&A system. Phase I awardees are eligible to apply for Phase II, with awards typically reaching $1.8 million over 24–36 months.