Department of War (DoW) Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) | Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program Solicitations for FY2027
The DoW SBIR/STTR program funds small-business-led R&D and commercialization work to meet defense technology needs, with university participation generally limited to STTR subawards or the special military educational institution pilot.
RESTRICTED TO: SMALL BUSINESS SBIR STTR · SINGLE NAMED INSTITUTION
⚑ Small-business set-aside: the prime applicant must be an eligible small business. · Universities generally cannot lead; they may participate in STTR subawards, and only eligible military educational institutions may qualify under the MSA pilot. · Topics are released periodically through FY2027 with topic-specific open/close dates, not one universal deadline. · Commercialization is a program goal, but awards are for defense R&D/technology development rather than direct service delivery.
This is a DoW SBIR/STTR umbrella for applied technology development and commercialization, usually led by small businesses on defense R&D topics. IPPRA’s team studies public opinion, risk perception, warning communication, and education policy, so this is largely outside their program except in a very indirect defense-policy sense.
JUDGED AGAINST THE ROSTER'S PUBLICATION DOSSIER · GPT-5.4-MINI · 2026-10-08
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 75 strong | technical depth: central; funds applied research |
| IPPRA | 58 good | portfolio topic: national_security_defense (primary); social/behavioral work is minor; funds applied research; university can only partner, not lead |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 5 none | not openly competed |
Description
The Department of War (DoW) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs aim to stimulate technological innovation by strengthening the role of small businesses in meeting DoW research and development needs, delivering innovative technology to the Warfighter, and growing the defense industrial base through commercialization. This announcement serves as an umbrella for each of the annual DoW SBIR/STTR program solicitations. Proposers are encouraged to carefully review the details for each to determine the best fit for their organization and technology. The solicitations are: DoW SBIR 2027 Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) DOW SBIR 2027 Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) DoW STTR 2027 BAA DoW STTR 2027 CSO (Under 15 U.S.C. § 638(yy), DoW has established the pilot program allowing eligible military research or educational institutions established under title 10, U.S.C., to qualify as a Research Institute in the DoW STTR Program. For this solicitation, these institutions are referred to as Military Service Academies (MSAs). MSAs may participate in accordance with the pilot program, provided they meet all other requirements of the solicitation. Appendix B provides the complete list of eligible MSAs under the pilot program authority.) DoW Services and Components may elect to release topics under the appropriate solicitation once a month throughout fiscal year 2027. Each release will have corresponding open and close dates applicable only to those topics within the release. For the official schedule, please visit: https://www.dodsbirsttr.mil/. Proposers are encouraged to thoroughly review the full solicitation and register for the DSIP Listserv to remain apprised of important programmatic and contractual changes. The full solicitations and all associated documents will be posted exclusively on the Defense SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal (DSIP). Proposers are directed to the DSIP website to review the solicitations in their entirety. While on the DSIP, it is also highly recommended that proposers register for the official Listserv to receive important programmatic and contractual updates. The full program solicitations are available on the DSIP at: https://www.dodsbirsttr.mil/submissions/solicitation-documents/active-solicitations. Be sure to select the tab for the appropriate solicitation. Register for the DSIP Listserv at: https://www.dodsbirsttr.mil
Eligibility
Applicant restrictions (federal contract). Set-aside: . Notice type: Special Notice. Organization: DEPT OF DEFENSE / / DEPT OF DEFENSE.
Apply
Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · Department of Defense (BAA-style) conventions SEE A DOD EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — Department of Defense (BAA-style)'s document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.