DOD SBIR/STTR Open Topics - Autonomy and Unmanned Systems
Quick Facts
- Agency
- Department of Defense
- Funding
- $100,000-$1.8M per phase
- Deadline
- Rolling (Rolling / Open)
- Status
- Active
- Eligibility
- US small businesses, STTR includes universities
About This Grant
DOD SBIR/STTR Open Topics - Autonomy and Unmanned Systems is sponsored by Department of Defense. Open solicitations for AI-driven autonomous swarms, drone tech dual-use for defense and civilian wildfire response. This program should be reviewed carefully against your organization's mission, staffing capacity, timeline, and compliance readiness before you commit resources to a full application. Strong submissions usually translate sponsor priorities into concrete objectives, clear implementation milestones, and measurable public benefit.
For planning purposes, treat rolling deadlines or periodic funding windows as your working submission target unless the sponsor publishes an updated notice. A competitive project plan should include a documented need statement, implementation approach, evaluation framework, risk controls, and a realistic budget narrative. Even when a grant allows broad program design, reviewers still expect credible evidence that the proposed work can be executed within the grant period and with appropriate accountability.
Current published award information indicates $100,000-$1.8M per phase Organizations should verify the final funding range, matching requirements, and allowability rules directly in the official opportunity materials before preparing a budget. Finance and program teams should align early so direct costs, indirect costs, staffing assumptions, procurement timelines, and reporting obligations all remain consistent throughout drafting and post-award administration.
Eligibility guidance for this opportunity is: US small businesses, STTR includes universities If your organization has partnerships, subrecipients, or collaborators, define responsibilities and compliance ownership before submission. Reviewers often look for implementation credibility, so letters of commitment, prior performance evidence, and a clear governance model can materially strengthen the application narrative and reduce concerns about delivery risk.
A practical approach is to begin with a focused readiness review, then build a workback schedule from the sponsor deadline. Confirm required attachments, registration dependencies, and internal approval checkpoints early. This reduces last-minute issues and improves submission quality. For the most accurate requirements, always rely on the official notice and primary source links associated with DOD SBIR/STTR Open Topics - Autonomy and Unmanned Systems.
Official Opportunity Details
Extracted from the official opportunity page/RFP to help you evaluate fit faster.
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Learn how we help, and about our programs See how our mission and goals affect small businesses * Economic and Annual Reports Interact with our SBIR/STTR portfolio’s data sets * Portfolio - Company Data Better understand the application process and eligibility * Find Topics and Solicitations * Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Stay connected with our innovation ecosystem * Federal and State Technology (FAST) * Growth Accelerator Fund Competition (GAFC) **Topics and solicitations are known by many names** including Request for Proposals (RFP), Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), or simply Topic/Solicitation.
No matter what it's called, they outline specific rules and guidance on how to prepare a response, also called an application or a proposal. Participating Agencies post SBIR/STTR funding opportunities on a regular periodic basis throughout the year. Some agencies have multiple solicitations throughout the year, while others may only have one solicitation release each year.
Once you identify a relevant agency to target, learn more about that specific agency's process. Funding planner with estimated dates. All agencies have a 45 day lead in period.
DHS is from September to October 2025, DoD has multiple dates, DOE is from May to August, and September to January, DOT is February to April, ED is November to January 2026, EPA is April to June, HHS is April to May, June to August, and September to November, NASA is February to April, May to June, and August to October, NOAA is November to February 2026, NSF is January to April, June to August, and USDA is June to August.
**Note:**Department of Defense releases are the first Wednesday of each month, and closes the last Wednesday of the following month _(e. g. , opens 03/26/2025, closes 04/23/25)_ **NOTE:** The Solicitations and topics listed on this site are copies from the various SBIR agency solicitations and are not necessarily the latest and most up-to-date.
For this reason, you should visit the respective agency SBIR sites to read the official version of the solicitations and download the appropriate forms and rules. For best search results, use the search terms first and then apply the filters. **Search results are downloadable for 10,000 or fewer records.
** Select a Solicitation Status - [x] **Department Of Agriculture** - [x] ⮡National Institute of Food and Agriculture - [x] **Department of Commerce** - [x] ⮡National Institute of Standards and Technology - [x] ⮡National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - [x] **Department of Defense** - [x] ⮡Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency - [x] ⮡Defense Health Agency - [x] ⮡Defense Logistics Agency - [x] ⮡Defense Microelectronics Activity - [x] ⮡Defense Threat Reduction Agency - [x] ⮡Missile Defense Agency - [x] ⮡National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency - [x] ⮡Office for Chemical and Biological Defense - [x] ⮡Office of the Secretary of Defense - [x] ⮡Space Development Agency - [x] ⮡Special Operations Command - [x] ⮡Strategic Capabilities Office - [x] **Department of Education** - [x] ⮡Institute of Education Sciences - [x] ⮡Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services / National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research - [x] **Department of Energy** - [x] **Department of Health and Human Services** - [x] ⮡Administration for Community Living - [x] ⮡Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health - [x] ⮡Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - [x] ⮡Food and Drug Administration - [x] ⮡National Institutes of Health - [x] **Department of Homeland Security** - [x] ⮡Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction - [x] ⮡Domestic Nuclear Detection Office - [x] ⮡Domestic Nuclear Detection Office SBIR Program - [x] ⮡Science and Technology Directorate - [x] **Department of the Interior** - [x] **Department of Transportation** - [x] **Environmental Protection Agency** - [x] **National Aeronautics and Space Administration** - [x] **National Science Foundation** - [x] **Nuclear Regulatory Commission** - [x] **Small Business Administration** * Report Fraud, Waste & Abuse * SBA Connect Accessibility **Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR)** **Need website support or have feedback?
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Eligibility Requirements
- US small businesses, STTR includes universities
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can apply for DOD SBIR/STTR Open Topics - Autonomy and Unmanned Systems?
Based on current listing details, eligibility includes: US small businesses, STTR includes universities Applicants should confirm final requirements in the official notice before submission.
What is the typical funding level for DOD SBIR/STTR Open Topics - Autonomy and Unmanned Systems?
Current published award information indicates $100,000-$1.8M per phase Always verify allowable costs, matching requirements, and funding caps directly in the sponsor documentation.
When is the deadline for DOD SBIR/STTR Open Topics - Autonomy and Unmanned Systems?
The current target date is rolling deadlines or periodic funding windows. Build your timeline backwards from this date to cover registrations, approvals, attachments, and final submission checks.
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