Navy SBIR Transition Program (STP)

Navy SBIR Transition Program (STP)

Supports United States small businesses with no-cost transition services, market research, mentoring, and buyer showcase access.

The Navy SBIR Transition Program (STP), now in its 27th year, is a free, non-cash support program operated by the Department of the Navy's SBIR/STTR Programs Office. The program's mission is to connect technologies developed under Navy Phase II SBIR and STTR awards with warfighters, government acquisition personnel, technical staff, prime contractors, system integrators, and potential industry partners. The STP operates as a bridge between completed Phase II research and actual Department of Defense procurement, addressing the widely documented "Valley of Death" between laboratory prototypes and fielded military capability.

There is no cash award attached to STP participation — all benefits are delivered as services at no cost to the small business. The program provides six categories of support: collaboration (messaging refinement and marketing material development); education (webinars and acquisition policy guides); research (in-depth market research reports prepared for each participating technology); mentoring (one-on-one coaching from experienced business consultants); connections (facilitation of introductions between small businesses and Navy stakeholders and industry); and promotion (Virtual Transition Marketplace listings and virtual showcase events). Eligibility requires holding an active Navy Phase II SBIR or STTR award as of March of the relevant cohort year. Only U.S.-registered small businesses with fewer than 500 employees qualify for Navy Phase II awards and, by extension, for STP.

Companies selected for STP gain access to the Virtual Transition Marketplace (VTM), published through navystp.com, which allows defense buyers to discover and engage with available technologies. The program is particularly valuable for Navy Phase II awardees who lack internal business development resources to navigate government acquisition. Success within STP is best achieved by companies that arrive with a clearly defined technology application, are willing to engage actively with showcase events, and use the market research reports to identify specific Navy Program Offices or prime contractor partnerships as next steps toward a Phase III contract.