SOCOM SBIR (via SOFWERX)

SOCOM SBIR Release 1

Supports two focused technical streams for special operations through dedicated defense research calls.

SOCOM SBIR 26.BZ Release 1 is a USSOCOM-sponsored Small Business Innovation Research solicitation administered through SOFWERX and DEFENSEWERX, offering two Direct-to-Phase-II (D2P2) topics for qualified US small businesses. Topic SOC26BZ01-DV001 seeks a compact LIDAR system designed for integration aboard unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), enabling underwater navigation, mapping, or obstacle detection in the maritime domain. Topic SOC26BZ01-DV002 is the IRONWALKER program. Direct-to-Phase-II awards allow companies with equivalent prior research to bypass Phase I feasibility work and proceed directly to prototype development under a Phase II contract, substantially compressing the time from selection to deliverable hardware.

Eligibility is restricted to US small businesses meeting standard Small Business Administration SBIR criteria; universities, non-profits, and large businesses are ineligible as prime awardees. STTR-style research institution partnerships are not part of this solicitation structure. D2P2 applicants must demonstrate prior work equivalent to a Phase I effort. The final submission deadline is June 3, 2026 at noon Eastern Time. Award amounts are not published in the available source; SBIR Phase II awards are typically in the range of hundreds of thousands to low millions of dollars, but the specific ceiling for these topics must be verified in the official solicitation on defensesbirsttr.mil or through SOFWERX directly.

Applicants must submit through SOFWERX's standard SBIR process; contact for this solicitation is sbir@socom.mil. Companies with fielded or prototype UUV-compatible LIDAR hardware, underwater sensing systems, or technologies relevant to the IRONWALKER topic should act immediately given the June 3 deadline. Successful Phase II awardees gain a direct pathway to USSOCOM procurement and potential follow-on Phase III sole-source contracts.