What is the real per-recipient economic value?

USD 1,000,000 maximum. Award minimum: not published. Dilution/equity: none.

Which jurisdictions and applicants are eligible?

US small businesses meeting SBIR ownership, size, principal-investigator and place-of-performance rules; the DHS solicitation and SBA policy govern exact constraints.

Direct fit to a published homeland-security topic; Technical merit and feasibility; Commercialization potential and credible small-business execution

What burden or follow-on should I expect?

Federal SBIR award terms, technical reports and phase milestones; SVIP uses separate milestone-based Other Transaction phases and must not be conflated with SBIR. Phase II may follow successful Phase I; Phase III uses non-SBIR funding. SVIP has separate phased awards.

DHS S&T SBIR (plus Silicon Valley Innovation Program)

USD 1,000,000 maximum; see notes for structure · US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) — Science & Technology Directorate

The Department of Homeland Security Science & Technology Directorate SBIR program funds small businesses on homeland-security technologies (borders, cyber, first responders, screening, resilience). DHS also runs the Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP), a separate OTA-based path with rolling calls and non-dilutive milestone funding for startups. Current status: unknown; Topic solicitations, not rolling; no live universal 2026 submission cutoff was confirmed on the program page. Award economics: USD 1,000,000 maximum; dilution/equity: none.

Tier 2sbirdhshomeland-securitysvip

Apply Official site Open in the live directory

Key facts

Funder	US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) — Science & Technology Directorate
Amount	USD 1,000,000 maximum; see notes for structure
Decision time	Phase I feasibility followed by invitation/competition for Phase II; topic solicitations govern evaluation and dates.
Eligibility	US small businesses meeting SBIR ownership, size, principal-investigator and place-of-performance rules; the DHS solicitation and SBA policy govern exact constraints.
Restrictions	Federal SBIR award terms, technical reports and phase milestones; SVIP uses separate milestone-based Other Transaction phases and must not be conflated with SBIR. Dilution/equity: none.
Status	unknown

Always confirm on the official page before applying — dates and terms change.

Application process

Find an open DHS SBIR topic
Register in required federal systems
Submit Phase-I technical and commercialization proposal
Complete feasibility award and reports
Compete for invited/eligible Phase-II development funding

Background

US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) — Science & Technology Directorate operates DHS S&T SBIR (plus Silicon Valley Innovation Program). The official-source pass separates the currently actionable opportunity from historical cohorts and separates per-recipient value from headline program envelopes. DHS materials describe Phase II up to $1m; historical Phase-I caps vary by solicitation.

How the application really works

Find an open DHS SBIR topic → Register in required federal systems → Submit Phase-I technical and commercialization proposal → Complete feasibility award and reports → Compete for invited/eligible Phase-II development funding

Tips

Demonstrate: Direct fit to a published homeland-security topic
Demonstrate: Technical merit and feasibility
Demonstrate: Commercialization potential and credible small-business execution

Watch out for

Current status is unknown; do not use an archived form.
Dilution/equity treatment: none.
Federal SBIR award terms, technical reports and phase milestones; SVIP uses separate milestone-based Other Transaction phases and must not be conflated with SBIR.

Track record

DHS materials describe Phase II up to $1m; historical Phase-I caps vary by solicitation.

No current agency-wide acceptance rate published.

Frequently asked questions

Is this opportunity actionable now?: unknown. Topic solicitations, not rolling; no live universal 2026 submission cutoff was confirmed on the program page.
What is the real per-recipient economic value?: USD 1,000,000 maximum. Award minimum: not published. Dilution/equity: none.
Which jurisdictions and applicants are eligible?: US small businesses meeting SBIR ownership, size, principal-investigator and place-of-performance rules; the DHS solicitation and SBA policy govern exact constraints.
How does selection work?: Find an open DHS SBIR topic; Register in required federal systems; Submit Phase-I technical and commercialization proposal; Complete feasibility award and reports; Compete for invited/eligible Phase-II development funding. Phase I feasibility followed by invitation/competition for Phase II; topic solicitations govern evaluation and dates.
What appears to win?: Direct fit to a published homeland-security topic; Technical merit and feasibility; Commercialization potential and credible small-business execution
What burden or follow-on should I expect?: Federal SBIR award terms, technical reports and phase milestones; SVIP uses separate milestone-based Other Transaction phases and must not be conflated with SBIR. Phase II may follow successful Phase I; Phase III uses non-SBIR funding. SVIP has separate phased awards.

Sources

www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/sbir — Official DHS SBIR program and live-topic route (checked 2026-08-10)
www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/how_to_do_business_with_dhs_presentation.pdf — Official phase amounts and durations (checked 2026-08-10)
www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/st_innovation_programs_and_tools_booklet.pdf — Official submission and phased-program overview (checked 2026-08-10)