DoW SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research)

DoW SBIR — Open Topics

Supports United States defense innovators in AI, aerospace, and advanced systems development.

⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.

The Department of War (DoW, formerly Department of Defense) Small Business Innovation Research program is the primary federal mechanism for contracting early-stage R&D directly with American small businesses. Operating under a $841 billion national defense budget, DoW runs three pre-scheduled BAA/CSO release cycles per fiscal year plus Annual BAAs that allow components to publish topics throughout the year with at least 45 days' notice before each proposal deadline. As of May 2026, 132 topics are active or in pre-release across participating service components including the Army, Air Force, Navy, DARPA, Space Force, Defense Health Agency, Missile Defense Agency, DTRA, DLA, NGA, OSD, SDA, and USSOCOM. Release 1 of FY26 opened May 6, 2026 (closed June 3, 2026) and Release 2 was in pre-release as of May 27, 2026 (closing June 24, 2026). The Commercial Solutions Opening mechanism runs continuously between BAA cycles for innovative commercial technology submissions.

Eligibility is limited to for-profit U.S. small businesses meeting SBA size standards (typically under 500 employees), registered and operating in the United States. The principal investigator must be primarily employed by the small business at time of award. Phase I awards prove technical feasibility; Phase II funds prototype development; Phase III is commercialization and production with no SBIR set-aside required. Individual topic pages specify component-specific eligibility requirements. All proposals must be submitted through the Defense SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal (DSIP) — DoW does not accept unsolicited proposals outside open topic windows.

DoW SBIR topics span national security applications including AI, autonomous systems, aerospace, quantum technologies, cybersecurity hardware, space, advanced materials, manufacturing, and biodefense. Award floors and ceilings vary by component and phase but Phase I contracts commonly range from $50K to $250K and Phase II from $750K to $1.75M. Winning proposals directly address a published topic's technology gap with a clear path from feasibility through prototype to eventual transition into a DoW program of record or commercial defense market.