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xTech|Search 10 is the tenth round of the U.S. Army's flagship open-topic prize competition, the Expeditionary Technology Search, and it is currently open with a submission window running 10 September to 19 October 2026.
The Army uses xTechSearch to surface commercially traded, dual-use technologies that could deliver game-changing capability, with modernization priorities that explicitly include AI and machine learning, autonomy, and general warfighting requirements.
The mechanism is worth understanding precisely because it differs from a conventional SBIR: companies enter by submitting a short white paper, the Army competitively down-selects up to sixteen finalists, and only those finalists become eligible to submit a Phase I Army SBIR proposal under topic ARM26BX05-NP011 for a follow-on award of up to 300,000 dollars over six months.
Participation in the prize competition is therefore a mandatory prerequisite for the contract, and a company that discovers the SBIR topic without the competition will find it cannot bid. The competition is a total small business set-aside.
xTechSearch is deliberately aimed at firms that do not normally compete for defence awards, and the white paper format is substantially lighter than a full SBIR proposal, which makes this one of the lowest-friction entry points into Army funding for an AI or autonomy startup with a working commercial product.
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Or search similar grants →According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Open to for-profit small business concerns organised in the United States with no more than 500 employees including affiliates; this is a total small business set-aside. Entry is by white paper submitted to the xTech|Search 10 competition during the 10 September to 19 October 2026 window. The Army will competitively down-select up to sixteen finalists, and only finalists are eligible to submit a Phase I Army SBIR proposal under topic ARM26BX05-NP011 for a follow-on award of up to 300,000 dollars over a six-month period of performance - participation in the prize competition is a mandatory prerequisite for the SBIR submission. The competition is open-topic but is steered by Army modernization priorities including AI and machine learning, autonomy, and general warfighting requirements; dual-use commercial technologies are explicitly favoured. Standard SBIR ownership rules apply at the contract stage, including majority ownership by U.S. citizens or permanent resident aliens. Confirm the current submission window, finalist count, prize structure and topic requirements on xtech.army.mil and the DoD SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal before submitting, as xTech round parameters change between competitions. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows the follow-on Army SBIR Phase I award is up to 300,000 US dollars over a six-month period of performance, and amount_min and amount_max are both set to 300,000 because that is the single published award value. Cash prizes are also paid at the competition stages, but the Army has not published a per-stage prize figure for xTech|Search 10 on the competition page, so the 300,000 dollar Phase I contract is the only reliably sourced number and the one applicants should plan budgets around. The important structural point is that the prize money and the SBIR contract are sequential, not alternative: you cannot submit a Phase I proposal under ARM26BX05-NP011 without first being named an xTech|Search 10 finalist, so the white paper is the real gate and the 300,000 dollars is only reachable through it. Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
Applications for Army xTech|Search 10 Open-Topic Prize Competition with Follow-On SBIR Topic ARM26BX05-NP011 for AI, Autonomy and Dual-Use Technologies are due October 19, 2026. Build your timeline backwards from this date to cover registrations, approvals, and final submission checks.
Army xTech|Search 10 Open-Topic Prize Competition with Follow-On SBIR Topic ARM26BX05-NP011 for AI, Autonomy and Dual-Use Technologies is funded by U.S. Army xTech Program (Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology), Army SBIR|STTR. Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
Start from the official opportunity page linked in this listing — it carries the sponsor's submission instructions.
The NSF Computer and Information Science and Engineering: Future Computing Research (Future CoRe) program (NSF 25-543) supports foundational computing research and education with a strong emphasis on AI and machine learning. The program funds research that advances the foundations of computing including AI/ML theory, algorithms, systems, and applications. Future CoRe supports small to medium-sized research projects that can have significant impact on computing foundations. The program has target dates of February 5, 2026 and September 10, 2026 for proposal submissions (note: these are target dates, not deadlines, meaning proposals may be submitted at any time but will be reviewed in batches around these dates). Investigators may not serve as PI, co-PI, or Senior/Key Personnel on more than two proposals submitted within any consecutive 12-month period across all Future CoRe programs. This is one of NSF's primary mechanisms for funding fundamental AI and machine learning research at U.S. academic institutions, covering areas such as machine learning theory, natural language processing, computer vision, robotics foundations, and human-AI interaction.
The ONR Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (N00014-25-S-B001) is the Office of Naval Research's primary mechanism for soliciting research proposals across all naval science and technology priority areas. The BAA accepts proposals on a rolling basis through September 30, 2026 and covers ONR's full spectrum of research interests with particular emphasis on AI-related topics including autonomous maritime systems, human-machine teaming, machine learning for sensor fusion, cooperative autonomous swarm technology, undersea autonomy, and AI-enabled decision superiority. Proposals can be funded through multiple mechanisms including individual investigator grants, the Young Investigator Program (~$510K over 3 years for early-career faculty), and Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) awards ($1.5M/year for 3-5 years for research teams). ONR recommends contacting relevant program officers before submitting to discuss alignment with current research priorities. The BAA supports basic research (6.1), applied research (6.2), and advanced technology development (6.3) across the full range of naval-relevant science and engineering disciplines.
DE-FOA-0003600 is the DOE Office of Science's FY 2026 open, rolling solicitation for financial assistance, providing roughly $500 million across seven program areas: Advanced Scientific Computing Research, Basic Energy Sciences, Biological and Environmental Research, Fusion Energy Sciences, High Energy Physics, Nuclear Physics, and Isotope R&D and Production. AI and machine learning research is supported directly through Advanced Scientific Computing Research, while Biological and Environmental Research funds atmospheric process research, environmental systems process research, and earth-energy systems modeling — making this a major channel for AI-enhanced climate and earth system modeling work. DOE anticipates 200 to 350 new awards ranging from $5,000 to $5 million each, with project periods from six months to five years. The FOA opened September 30, 2025 and accepts applications on a rolling basis through the end of FY 2026.
After SBIR reauthorization, the U.S. Army released five new small-business topics under Army FUZE — Ka-Band metamaterial radar, a Li-ion 6T battery open topic, in-transit-visibility blockchain, modular UAS payloads, and the xTech|Phantum prize competition. Awards run from $150K to $300K per Phase I. But the bigger story is the Army's shift from funding parts to funding whole systems. Here is what each topic funds and how to compete.
Read articleOn June 3, the Department of the Navy pre-released FY26 Release 3 SBIR/STTR — 12 conventional BAA topics and a Counter-Unmanned Air Systems Commercial Solutions Opening. Topics span adaptive sensor management, anomalous behavior detection, satellite imagery optimization, real-time zero-trust data for combat systems, and gun weapon systems modernization. The proposal window runs June 24 to July 22, 2026. The technical questions cutoff is June 23. NAVAIR and NAVSEA are hosting a Counter-UAS webinar on June 16. Here is what the topic mix actually signals about Navy priorities and how small businesses should position.
Read articleFor Program Year 2026, NASA replaced its single January SBIR/STTR solicitation with a Broad Agency Announcement that releases topics in appendices throughout the year — with proposal limits resetting each time. Phase I awards now run up to $225,000. Here is what the structural shift means, why it favors prepared companies, and how to build a year-round SBIR strategy around it.
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