Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) / Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs (Phase I) is sponsored by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The USDA SBIR/STTR programs focus on transforming scientific discovery into products and services with commercial potential and/or societal benefit in agriculturally-related areas. This can include app development for agricultural technology, rural development, and smart farming. Phase I aims to demonstrate technical feasibility.

The Department of Defense FY2026 Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) provides funding for U.S. universities to acquire research equipment and instrumentation in areas important to national defense, including AI and machine learning hardware. The program is administered jointly by the Army Research Office (ARO), Office of Naval Research (ONR), and Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), with approximately $34 million available and 95 awards anticipated. DURIP funds the acquisition of specialized computing hardware for AI/ML research (GPU clusters, TPUs, neuromorphic processors), robotics and autonomous systems testbeds, sensor arrays and data collection systems for machine learning training, high-performance computing infrastructure for defense-relevant AI research, and laboratory equipment for human-AI interaction studies. The program specifically supports equipment that enhances research-related education in DoD-priority disciplines. While general-purpose computing is not eligible, computing equipment directly supporting DoD-relevant AI research programs qualifies. No cost sharing is required.