Department of War Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA)

Department of War Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) is sponsored by Department of War (DoW). This opportunity supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes.

**SBIR/STTR program reauthorized though 30 September 2031** **Information about the Federal-wide SBIR/STTR Programs is available on the Small Business Administration’s website**,https://www. sbir. gov/about.

**DoW specific information is available on the Defense SBIR/STTR website,**https://www. defensesbirsttr. mil/ MISSION: Drive the Department’s innovation leveraging U.S. small businesses and academia’s expertise, delivering innovative technology to the Warfighter, and growing the defense industrial base through commercialization.

VISION: Be recognized across the DoW enterprise as an impactful source of technological innovation. Continue to streamline pathways for small businesses to engage with the DoW, fostering a collaborative environment to transition and commercialize technologies that bolster national security and operational effectiveness.

**DoW SBIR/STTR Program Goals** * Stimulate technological innovation for DoW to maintain technological superiority and military readiness to deter military operations from U.S. adversaries' military operations. * Increase private sector commercialization of Federal R&D to increase competition, productivity, and economic growth.

* Stimulate a partnership of ideas and technologies between innovative small businesses and research institutions (STTR). * Through a competitive awards-based program, SBIR/STTR enables small businesses to explore their technological potential and provides the incentive to profit from its commercialization.

* By including qualified small businesses in the nation’s R&D arena, high-tech innovation is stimulated, and the United States gains entrepreneurial spirit as it meets its specific R&D needs.

* A minimum of 2/3 of the research/work must be performed by the proposing Small Business in Phase I * A minimum of 1/2 of the research/work must be performed by the proposing Small Business in Phase II * Primary employment of the Principal Investigator must be employed by the small business* **Small Businesses MUST partner with a U.S. Research Institution** * At least 40% of the work must be performed by the proposing Small Business * At least 30% of the work must be performed by the Research Institution * Small Businesses must manage and control the STTR funding agreement * Principal Investigator may be employed at either the Small Business or the Research Institution The Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering (OUSW(R&E)) oversees DoW Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs.

These competitive programs are Congressionally-mandated set-asides to encourage domestic small businesses’ engagement in research and development, scientific excellence, and technological innovation through federal research fund investment in critical American priorities to build a strong national economy and accelerate Warfighter capabilities.

OUSW(R&E) serves as the Office of the Secretary of War's point of contact for Congress, the Small Business Administration (SBA), Government Accountability Office (GAO), and the interagency SBIR/STTR community. Our organization also seeks technology partnership opportunities within DoW and with other federal agencies.

Each DoD Service and Component develops SBIR/STTR topics that are primarily mission oriented, providing SBCs the opportunity to become part of the national technology base that feeds both the military and the private sectors of the nation.

Participating Components: * Department of the Air Force * Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency * Defense Logistics Agency * Defense Microelectronics Activity * Defense Threat Reduction Agency * Chemical and Biological Defense * Office of the Secretary of War * United States Special Operations Command For SBIR, Federal agencies with extramural R&D budgets that exceed $100 million are required to allocate a portion of that budget to SBIR.

Participating agencies include the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency, NASA, and the National Science Foundation. For STTR, Federal agencies with extramural R&D budgets that exceed $1 billion are required to reserve a portion of that budget for STTR awards to small businesses.

Participating agencies include the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, NASA, and the National Science Foundation.

Each program is structured in three phases: Phase I (optional)* $323,090 cap (typically 3 to 12 months) Sequential/Cross Agency Phase II* $2,153,927 cap (typically 15 to 24 months) * Continued Research and Prototype *Phase II values can exceed these numbers if funds are available via a simple waver process Phase II Enhancement* Non-SBIR/STTR $ match with additional period of performance One should check whether they are eligible at: SBIR/STTR Eligibility Guide Only United States small businesses are eligible to participate in the SBIR/STTR programs.

A small business must meet the applicable size and eligibility standards at the time of Phase I and Phase II awards, including being organized for profit with a place of business in the United States, being more than 50 percent owned and controlled by eligible individuals or small business concerns, and having no more than 500 employees, including affiliates.

For STTR, the partnering nonprofit research institution must be located in the United States and meet one of the recognized definitions: nonprofit college or university, domestic nonprofit research organization, or Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC). **Announcement Schedule** **DoW Agency-wide announcement includes:** * Service/Component Unique Instructions * Not all Components participate in each announcement.

* Multiple announcements provide opportunities to participate throughout the fiscal year. * Although the announcement may be referred to as a “SBIR,” or possibly as a “SBIR topic,” the actual request for proposals may be a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) or–a Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO). _*DoW Services and Components may elect to release topics under the SBIR/STTR BAAs or CSOs once a month throughout fiscal year 2026.

New research topics will pre-release on the first Wednesday of each month, based on the schedule above. Each release will have corresponding open and close dates applicable to the topics within that release. Any topic released that deviates from the open/close schedule will be noted within the Component-specific instructions and on DSIP.

_ The award instrument is dependent upon the situation, solution, and proposed team.

Only these instruments are used for DoD SBIR/STTR awards: * Firm-fixed price (FFP) - Phase I contracts are typically awarded as FFP * Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) – Phase II contracts are typically awarded as a CPFF, however may also be awarded as FFP or OT on a case-by-case basis * Other Transactions for Prototypes (OT) (commercial-like agreements for acquisition of military-focused prototypes) * Only considered for Phase II awards **Defense SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal (DSIP)** * DSIP is the official proposal submission website for the Department of War.

* SBIR/STTR Phase I, Direct to Phase II, or Phase II proposals to any DoW Component must be submitted through the DSIP. https://www. dodsbirsttr.

mil/submissions/login