US for-profit small business ( 50% US-owned/other-SBC-owned; work primarily in the US. STTR requires a US research-institution partner. Some components favor dual-use/commercially ready tech.

What burden and restrictions apply?

Awards are contracts or grants with technical milestones, invoices, cybersecurity and federal compliance; Phase II and transition funding are separately competed or negotiated. Funds pay only the awarded topic's allowable R&D costs; lobbying, unsupported costs and work outside contract scope are excluded.

DoD SBIR/STTR (Defense-wide, via DSIP)

Phase I typically ~$100,000–$250,000 (component-dependent); Phase II typically ~$1,000,000–$2,000,000 · US Department of Defense (DoD) — components incl. Army, Navy, Air Force, DARPA, DTRA, DLA, MDA, SOCOM · deadline 2026-10-21

Department of Defense SBIR/STTR umbrella program covering all military components. Topics are now released on a rolling monthly Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) schedule and submitted through the Defense SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal (DSIP). Includes both conventional topics and 'Open Topics' for dual-use commercial tech. Current lifecycle: open; next verified deadline 2026-10-21. Real economics: Phase I typically ~$100,000–$250,000 (component-dependent); Phase II typically ~$1,000,000–$2,000,000.

Tier 2sbirsttrdefensedual-use

Apply Official site Open in the live directory

Key facts

Funder	US Department of Defense (DoD) — components incl. Army, Navy, Air Force, DARPA, DTRA, DLA, MDA, SOCOM
Amount	Phase I typically ~$100,000–$250,000 (component-dependent); Phase II typically ~$1,000,000–$2,000,000
Deadline	2026-10-21
Decision time	Typically ~2–4 months from close to Phase I selection (varies by component)
Eligibility	US for-profit small business (<500 employees), >50% US-owned/other-SBC-owned; work primarily in the US. STTR requires a US research-institution partner. Some components favor dual-use/commercially ready tech.
Restrictions	Awards are contracts or grants with technical milestones, invoices, cybersecurity and federal compliance; Phase II and transition funding are separately competed or negotiated. Funds pay only the awarded topic's allowable R&D costs; lobbying, unsupported costs and work outside contract scope are excluded.
Status	open

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

Application process

Register SAM.gov (UEI), SBIR.gov company registration, and create a DSIP account
Monitor monthly BAA releases (pre-released first Wednesday of the month) and select topic(s)
Engage during the topic Q&A / pre-release period with the topic author
Submit proposal package (technical volume, cost volume, company commercialization report) via DSIP
Component technical evaluation and selection
Phase I award (contract/agreement); invited Phase II follows

Background

US Department of Defense (DoD) — components incl. Army, Navy, Air Force, DARPA, DTRA, DLA, MDA, SOCOM operates DoD SBIR/STTR (Defense-wide, via DSIP). This pass separates direct cash, repayable finance, credits, incentives and umbrella programs so later ranking does not compare unlike instruments. DoD operates the shared DSIP topic and submission infrastructure. The federal SBIR/STTR framework provides a competitive Phase I-to-Phase II pathway. Phase III uses non-SBIR funding and is not guaranteed.

How the application really works

Register SAM.gov (UEI), SBIR.gov company registration, and create a DSIP account → Monitor monthly BAA releases (pre-released first Wednesday of the month) and select topic(s) → Engage during the topic Q&A / pre-release period with the topic author → Submit proposal package (technical volume, cost volume, company commercialization report) via DSIP → Component technical evaluation and selection → Phase I award (contract/agreement); invited Phase II follows

Tips

Show direct fit with defense and dual-use technology.

Watch out for

Current lifecycle is open.
Awards are contracts or grants with technical milestones, invoices, cybersecurity and federal compliance; Phase II and transition funding are separately competed or negotiated.
Funds pay only the awarded topic's allowable R&D costs; lobbying, unsupported costs and work outside contract scope are excluded.

Track record

DoD operates the shared DSIP topic and submission infrastructure.
The federal SBIR/STTR framework provides a competitive Phase I-to-Phase II pathway.
Phase III uses non-SBIR funding and is not guaranteed.

The reviewed official corpus does not publish an applicant denominator and comparable selection rate.

Frequently asked questions

Is this actionable now?: open. Next verified deadline: 2026-10-21.
What is the real economic value?: Phase I typically ~$100,000–$250,000 (component-dependent); Phase II typically ~$1,000,000–$2,000,000
Who is eligible?: US for-profit small business (<500 employees), >50% US-owned/other-SBC-owned; work primarily in the US. STTR requires a US research-institution partner. Some components favor dual-use/commercially ready tech.
How does selection work?: Register SAM.gov (UEI), SBIR.gov company registration, and create a DSIP account; Monitor monthly BAA releases (pre-released first Wednesday of the month) and select topic(s); Engage during the topic Q&A / pre-release period with the topic author; Submit proposal package (technical volume, cost volume, company commercialization report) via DSIP; Component technical evaluation and selection; Phase I award (contract/agreement); invited Phase II follows. Typically ~2–4 months from close to Phase I selection (varies by component)
What burden and restrictions apply?: Awards are contracts or grants with technical milestones, invoices, cybersecurity and federal compliance; Phase II and transition funding are separately competed or negotiated. Funds pay only the awarded topic's allowable R&D costs; lobbying, unsupported costs and work outside contract scope are excluded.
What evidence exists?: DoD operates the shared DSIP topic and submission infrastructure. The federal SBIR/STTR framework provides a competitive Phase I-to-Phase II pathway. Phase III uses non-SBIR funding and is not guaranteed. The reviewed official corpus does not publish an applicant denominator and comparable selection rate.

Sources

www.dodsbirsttr.mil — Official US Department of Defense program, topics and public contact (checked 2026-08-10)
www.sbir.gov/about — Official federal eligibility, phases, ownership and data-rights framework (checked 2026-08-10)
www.dodsbirsttr.mil/topics-app — Official live defense topic evidence where applicable (checked 2026-08-10)