Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program is sponsored by Various Federal Agencies (e.g., Department of Defense, National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, USDA, NOAA, EPA). The SBIR program is a highly competitive program that encourages small businesses to explore their technological potential and provides the incentive to profit from its commercialization.

It funds research and development (R&D) across various scientific and technological areas.

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 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.

of War 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) Select a Solicitation Status Department Of Agriculture ⮡ National Institute of Food and Agriculture ⮡ National Institute of Standards and Technology ⮡ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ⮡ Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (5) ⮡ Defense Health Agency (2) ⮡ Defense Logistics Agency (3) ⮡ Defense Microelectronics Activity ⮡ Defense Threat Reduction Agency ⮡ National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency ⮡ Office for Chemical and Biological Defense ⮡ Office of the Secretary of Defense ⮡ Space Development Agency ⮡ Special Operations Command ⮡ Strategic Capabilities Office ⮡ Institute of Education Sciences ⮡ Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services / National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research Department of Health and Human Services (11) ⮡ Administration for Community Living ⮡ Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (7) ⮡ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ⮡ Food and Drug Administration ⮡ National Institutes of Health (1) Department of Homeland Security ⮡ Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction ⮡ Domestic Nuclear Detection Office ⮡ Domestic Nuclear Detection Office SBIR Program ⮡ Science and Technology Directorate Department of the Interior Department of Transportation (10) Environmental Protection Agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration National Science Foundation Nuclear Regulatory Commission Small Business Administration Showing 1-10 of 57 results NIH, CDC and FDA Small Business Innovation Research Grant (Parent SBIR [R43/R44] Clinical Trial Optional) Open Release Date: May 28, 2026 Open Date: August 5, 2026 Close Date: April 6, 2027 NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase IIB Strategic Breakthrough Award (Parent [R44] Clinical Trial Optional) Open Release Date: May 28, 2026 Open Date: August 5, 2026 Close Date: April 6, 2027 NIH Small Business Technology Transfer Grant (Parent STTR [R41/R42] Clinical Trial Optional) Open Release Date: May 28, 2026 Open Date: August 5, 2026 Close Date: April 6, 2027 SBIR/STTR Commercialization Readiness Pilot (CRP) Program (Parent SB1 Clinical Trial Optional) Open Release Date: May 28, 2026 Open Date: August 5, 2026 Close Date: April 6, 2027 The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs (also known as America's Seed Fund) are major sources of early-stage funding for U.S. technology development and commercialization.

NIH SBIR and STTR awards... Real-time Zero Trust Data and Access Control for Combat Systems Open Release Date: June 3, 2026 Open Date: June 24, 2026 Close Date: July 22, 2026 The Navy relies on combat system data for critical decision-making in wartime. This data must be secure to prevent unauthorized access and ensure its integrity.

Current security measures are struggling to keep up with evolving threats, making it difficult to... Predictive Movement for Object Oriented Tracking Open Release Date: June 3, 2026 Open Date: June 24, 2026 Close Date: July 22, 2026 Maritime Targeting Cell is a high-tech “fusion” node, which receives massive amounts of data from diverse sources (e.g., satellites, sensors), making it difficult to process and interpret effectively.

Current tracking relies heavily on manual methods,... High Spectral/Spatial/Temporal Resolution MWIR Hyperspectral Imager Open Release Date: June 3, 2026 Open Date: June 24, 2026 Close Date: July 22, 2026 Hyperspectral MWIR infrared imagers are required to characterize signatures of military targets, both cooperative and hostile.

The specific need is the characterization of missile plume and hardbody signatures in static and free flight tests. This threat...

Safe Falling and Failing For Humanoid Robots Open Release Date: June 3, 2026 Open Date: June 24, 2026 Close Date: July 22, 2026 Within the sector of humanoid robotics, there has been significant progress in technological maturity, opening their applicability to Air Force operations, such as maintenance activities, hazardous environment exploration, and assistance with physically...

Humanoid Robotic Fleet Management Open Release Date: June 3, 2026 Open Date: June 24, 2026 Close Date: July 22, 2026 Within Air Force depots for aircraft maintenance and sustainment, there are many workloads that present significant challenges for human personnel due to reasons including high physical demand, repetitive tasks, and unfriendly environmental conditions. In the...

Field Speciation of Ultrafine to Coarse Particulate Open Release Date: June 3, 2026 Open Date: June 24, 2026 Close Date: July 22, 2026 This SBIR topic aligns with the DHA Environmental Exposures Toxic Injury Prevention Roadmap, specifically focusing on enhanced tools and assessment methodology for acute and chronic exposure to military-relevant chemicals, materials, and hazards....