Department of War SBIR/STTR Program
Department of War (formerly Department of Defense) SBIR/STTR Program
Status not published
Multiple Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) releases per fiscal year, plus rolling Commercial Solutions Openings and open topics. FY2026 solicitation schedule published at defensesbirsttr.mil.
Award sizes are set per Service/Component, not centrally. The FY2026 Phase I release instructions state 'The Phase I period of performance is generally between six to twelve months' and that 'Contract value varies among the DoW Services/Components; it is important for proposing SBCs to review Service/Component-specific instructions regarding award size.' As a concrete example, Army publishes SBIR Phase I up to $250K over 3-6 months, STTR Phase I up to $204K over 6 months, SBIR Phase II up to $2M over 12-18 months and STTR Phase II up to $1.36M over 24 months. All sit within the SBA guideline ceilings ($323,090 Phase I / $2,153,927 Phase II as of April 2026).
U.S. Department of War (formerly Department of Defense)
public · national
Deadline: One call a year — Multiple Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) releases per fiscal year, plus rolling Commercial Solutions Openings and open topics. FY2026 solicitation schedule published at defensesbirsttr.mil.
Published by the funder, FY2022. This rate is measured unstated, so the odds from a standing start are lower.
Moderate — a form and supporting documents.
Who can apply
- Up to 500 employees
- Sectors: deeptech, ai, manufacturing
- Stage: idea stage, pre-seed, seed and Series A
- R&D activity required
- Locally registered entity required
Largest SBIR/STTR agency by dollar volume. Standard eligibility: US for-profit small business concern with 500 or fewer employees including affiliates, majority US-owned and controlled. Additional foreign-ownership and malign-influence screening applies to defence awards. SAM.gov registration with a UEI and CAGE code is explicitly mandatory: 'Proposing SBCs must register in SAM here. Registration in SAM will generate the Unique Entity ID (UEI) number and the Commercial and Government Entry (CAGE) code. The UEI is required for registration in the U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Company Registry.'
How to apply
- Register in SAM.gov - 'Registration in SAM will generate the Unique Entity ID (UEI) number and the Commercial and Government Entry (CAGE) code.' — link
- Register in the SBA Company Registry using the UEI, and create an account on the Defense SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal (DSIP). — link
- Select a topic from an open BAA release and submit the proposal through DSIP before the closing date.
- Optionally pursue a Direct to Phase II award where offered - 15 U.S.C. 638(cc) allows a Phase II award without a prior Phase I, though DoW 'does not guarantee Direct to Phase II opportunities will be offered in future solicitations'.
What you will need
- Technical volume responding to a specific topic
- Cost volume
- Company commercialization report
- SAM.gov registration producing UEI and CAGE code, plus SBA Company Registry registration
Related reading: How grant deadlines actually work · UEI and SAM.gov registration, explained · SBIR vs STTR: what actually differs
"Contract value varies among the DoW Services/Components; it is important for proposing SBCs to review Service/Component-specific instructions regarding award size."
Verified on 14 August 2026
Source: www.dodsbirsttr.mil
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