Navy Catapult — MCSC Track (2nd Phase II Transition)

Navy Catapult — MCSC Track (2nd Phase II)

Supports experienced MCSC companies with mission-specific second-stage contracts driven by customers.

The Navy Catapult program, accessed through Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC), provides a second Phase II SBIR contract to small businesses whose technologies align with active MCSC acquisition priorities and have been nominated by an MCSC program manager. Catapult awards range from $1.7 million to $13 million and are structured to extend R&D and accelerate transition to operational use. There is no annual call, no open solicitation window, and no self-nomination process: the MCSC program manager identifies the technology, evaluates its fit against current Marine Corps needs, and submits a nomination package through SYSCOM SBIR Program Office channels. Nominations are reviewed on an ongoing basis and approved based on eligibility, priority of naval need, availability of SBIR funding, and potential for additional non-SBIR matching funds.

Eligibility requires that the company meet SBIR small business size and ownership rules—500 employees or fewer, at least 51% US-citizen or permanent-resident owned. Venture capital–majority-owned companies are explicitly allowed under Navy Catapult SBIR eligibility rules. The nominating project must continue or complete work performed under a prior SBIR funding agreement, and the company must be eligible for a second Phase II award. Catapult accepts cross-agency nominations: companies with prior Phase II awards from NSF, Army, Air Force, or other DoD components can be nominated by an MCSC customer if their technology addresses a USMC priority. In FY24, the Navy-wide Catapult portfolio held 188 active agreements totaling $248 million in SBIR/STTR funding plus $63 million in matching; 69 new awards were made in FY24 at values between $1.7 million and $13 million each.

Companies seeking MCSC Catapult nominations should cultivate relationships with MCSC program managers early in their Phase I or Phase II performance periods. The pathway to nomination runs through the technical sponsor who understands the technology's relevance to Marine Corps fielding timelines. Successful Catapult awardees retain access to Phase III sole-source follow-on contracting, which carries no dollar cap, as the endpoint of the SBIR transition pipeline into formal USMC program-of-record procurement.