DoW STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer)

DoW STTR — Open Topics

Supports United States innovation teams in strategic technology areas across security and digital fields.

The Department of War Small Business Technology Transfer program is a companion mechanism to SBIR that mandates formal research partnerships between for-profit U.S. small businesses and U.S. universities or federally funded research and development centers. Unlike SBIR, STTR requires the small business to subcontract a statutory minimum percentage of the research work to the named research institution, ensuring that laboratory expertise at U.S. universities is directly connected to defense technology development. STTR topics are published alongside SBIR topics on the Defense SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal and follow the same FY26 BAA and Annual BAA release cadence with three pre-scheduled cycles per year. Participating components include the Army, Air Force, Navy, DARPA, Defense Health Agency, Missile Defense Agency, DTRA, OSD, Space Force, and USSOCOM, each releasing STTR-designated topics that require university co-investigation.

Eligibility requires a for-profit U.S. small business as the prime contractor — nonprofits, universities, and individuals may not serve as prime. The small business must identify at least one U.S. research institution co-investigator in the proposal. STTR follows the same three-phase commercialization arc as SBIR: Phase I for feasibility, Phase II for prototype development, and Phase III for transition without additional SBIR/STTR set-aside. Award amounts track SBIR norms but final values are topic- and component-specific. STTR topics are a filtered subset of the full dodsbirsttr.mil topic pool — applicants must select topics labeled STTR in the portal.

STTR is most competitive for teams that can demonstrate an existing research relationship between the small business technical lead and the university co-investigator, giving reviewers confidence that the proposed division of labor is practical. Topics cover national security domains including advanced materials, AI, autonomous systems, aerospace, quantum, and biodefense. All proposals must be submitted electronically through DSIP; DoW does not accept unsolicited proposals outside active topic windows.