SBIR Grants from Department of Defense (DoD)
Researched by the BidStride Research Team
Agency overview
The Department of Defense is the single largest SBIR funder in the federal government, channeling more than $2.1 billion annually into small business innovation across its military branches and agencies. DoD SBIR contracts cover national security priorities including cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, space systems, and biodefense. Awards are made through the Navy, Army, Air Force, DARPA, MDA, SOCOM, and other defense components — each running their own solicitation windows under the DoD umbrella program.
Award details
Phase 1 — Feasibility
Typical Award Amount
$250,000
Duration
6–12 months
Phase 1 establishes the technical merit and feasibility of the proposed R&D. The deliverable is a feasibility report and prototype demonstration where applicable.
Phase 2 — Full R&D
Typical Award Amount
$1,750,000
Duration
24 months
Phase 2 funds the primary R&D effort to develop the technology to a commercializable or deployable state. Only Phase 1 awardees (or those who meet equivalent requirements) may apply.
Research topic areas
Department of Defense SBIR solicitations consistently address the following research areas. Specific topics vary by solicitation — check the current open solicitation for exact topic descriptions and technical points of contact.
Solicitation cycle
3 per year (Pre-release, Open, Closed phases per component)
Solicitation windows open and close on a defined schedule. Applications submitted after the close date are not accepted. Set a calendar reminder at least 6 weeks before the close date — a well-written SBIR application typically takes 60–90 hours of preparation for a first-time applicant.
View current solicitations on DoD’s official portalHow to apply for DoD SBIR funding
- 1
Confirm eligibility
Your company must be a for-profit U.S. small business with fewer than 500 employees. The principal investigator must spend at least 51% of their time on the project. More than 50% of the company must be owned by U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
- 2
Register in SAM.gov
All SBIR applicants must have an active SAM.gov registration. Registration can take 1–3 weeks. Apply early — the government cannot issue payment on an SBIR award without an active SAM.gov registration.
- 3
Review open DoD solicitations
Visit https://www.defensesbirsttr.mil/ to see currently open solicitations. Read topic descriptions carefully — each topic has a Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) you can contact with technical questions before submitting.
- 4
Contact the TPOC
Each topic lists a Technical Point of Contact. Email them with a 2-3 sentence summary of your approach before writing your full proposal. TPOCs can tell you whether your company's approach aligns with what the agency is looking for — this step alone doubles your success rate.
- 5
Submit through SBIR.gov or the agency portal
DoD SBIR applications are submitted through the agency's designated portal. Most DoD applications go through SBIR.gov. NIH uses ASSIST (grants.nih.gov). NSF uses Research.gov. Check the solicitation for the correct submission system.
Frequently asked questions about DoD SBIR
DoD runs 3 main SBIR solicitation cycles per year (SBIR 24.1, 24.2, 24.3 for example). Each cycle includes topics from multiple service branches — Army, Navy, Air Force, DARPA, and others — so there are typically hundreds of individual topics open at any given time.
Yes. There is no restriction on applying to topics from different DoD components (Army, Navy, Air Force, DARPA) in the same solicitation cycle. Each application is evaluated independently by the issuing component.
Most Phase 1 topics do not require clearances. Some Phase 2 and Phase 3 topics involve classified work and may require facility clearances (FCLs) or personnel clearances (PCLs). The topic description will specify if classified work is anticipated.
DoD has one of the highest SBIR-to-program-of-record transition rates in the federal government. Roughly 40–50% of successful Phase 2 companies receive some form of Phase 3 follow-on funding or transition into a DoD acquisition program.
This guide is for informational purposes only and reflects the BidStride Research Team’s summary of publicly available SBIR program information. Award amounts and solicitation cycles are subject to change. Always verify current program details at SBIR.gov and the agency’s official SBIR portal. BidStride does not provide grant writing services or legal advice.