DHS SVIP

DHS SVIP

Invests research teams and institutions for DHS SVIP OTA initiatives in cybersecurity, defense innovation, and artificial intelligence.

The Department of Homeland Security Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP) is DHS S&T's non-SBIR pathway for startups, using Other Transaction Authority rather than standard Federal Acquisition Regulation procurement. The current solicitation instrument is OTS 70RSAT21R00000006, a five-year OTA issued in May 2021. Funding is structured across three to four phases at up to USD 200,000 per phase, for a potential total of USD 800,000 (four phases) to USD 2 million if additional phases are approved, disbursed over approximately 24 months. Funding is non-dilutive; companies retain equity and intellectual property. SVIP explicitly targets organizations that do not typically work with the federal government, making prior government contracting experience irrelevant or even a disqualifying signal.

Eligibility is open to for-profit U.S. small businesses and startups regardless of location — there is no Silicon Valley residency requirement despite the program name. Technology focus areas include AI and autonomous systems, border security, chemical and biological explosive defense, counter-terrorism, cybersecurity and information analysis, first responder capability, food and agriculture defense, integrated disaster resilience, physical security and critical infrastructure resilience, and wildfire technology. Applications are submitted via the DHS SVIP application portal at dhs.gov/science-and-technology/svip-application-process.

As of 2026, active status carries uncertainty: a lapse-in-federal-funding notice was observed on the DHS S&T website, and the five-year OTS instrument from May 2021 would reach natural expiry by mid-2026. Applicants should verify program status directly before investing time in an application. When active, SVIP operates on a rolling intake basis with DHS program managers evaluating submissions against published challenge topics. Winning teams advance phase-by-phase with each phase requiring a demonstration milestone before the next tranche is released.