Funding Overview

DoD uses the Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) funding mechanism to procure basic and applied research via issuing topics for scientific study and experimentation, which are directed towards advancing the state-of-the-art, increasing knowledge, or understanding, instead of focusing on, a specific system or hardware solution. 

In some instances, a DoD component may elect to release topics under a Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO), which is a competitive acquisition procedure for innovative commercial items, technologies, or services.  It allows DoD to obtain solutions or potential new capabilities to fulfill requirements, close capability gaps, or provide potential technological advancements. 

Throughout the fiscal year, DoD issues three pre-scheduled SBIR and STTR BAAs/CSOs, through which participating components have an opportunity to publish topics that seek innovative solutions from small businesses, usually in response to national security challenges. 

In addition to the three pre-scheduled BAA/CSO cycles, starting in FY22, the DoD released SBIR and STTR Annual BAAs with the purpose of allowing DoD Components the flexibility to release topics throughout the fiscal year.  Topics released under Annual BAAs are published at least 45 days prior to the proposal submission deadline and have their own corresponding pre-release, open, and close dates, as outlined in the release. 

NOTE: Proposals must be submitted in response to a topic that is open for proposal submission under an active BAA or CSO.  The DoD SBIR/STTR programs do NOT accept unsolicited proposals.

Small businesses interested in participating in DoD SBIR or STTR programs must thoroughly review the requirements and instructions outlined in the applicable program BAA or CSO DoD-wide document AND the Component-specific instruction document for their topic of interest to find information on eligibility requirements and proposal submission instructions.  The Component-specific instructions will contain supplemental proposal preparation instructions, such as proposal content, cost and duration structure, and communication and notification procedures. 

All DoD SBIR and STTR proposals must be submitted electronically through the Defense SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal (DSIP) as described in the Program BAA or CSO.  It is recommended that firms register as soon as possible upon identification of a proposal opportunity to avoid delays in the proposal submission process.  Proposers are encouraged to submit proposals as early as possible in order to avoid unexpected delays associated with high traffic volume during the final hours before a BAA or CSO closes. 

JOINT BAA CYCLE   DATES
DoD SBIR 24.3 / STTR 24.C    PRE-RELEASE: August 21, 2024
OPEN: September 18, 2024
CLOSE: October 16, 2024 at 12PM EST
DoD SBIR 25.1 / STTR 25.A   PRE-RELEASE: December 4, 2024
OPEN: January 8, 2025
CLOSE: February 5, 2025 at 12PM EST
DoD SBIR 25.2 / STTR 25.B   PRE-RELEASE: April 2, 2025
OPEN: April 23, 2025
CLOSE: May 21, 2025 at 12PM EST
DoD SBIR 25.3 / STTR 25.C   PRE-RELEASE: August 06, 2025
OPEN: August 27, 2025
CLOSE: September 24, 2025
  *Dates subject to change
Visit the DSIP Topics and Topic Q&A page to quickly browse topics by keyword, component, or critical technology areas across all participating DoD Components.  After identifying a pre-released or open topic of interest, proposers must read the Program BAA or CSO document AND Component-Specific Instruction document for that topic from the table.
 

During the BAA or CSO pre-release period, topics are published with the topic authors’ names, phone numbers, and/or e-mail addresses.  Small businesses are encouraged to communicate directly with topic authors to ask technical questions to improve their understanding of a particular topic’s requirements. 
 

Once the BAA or CSO enters the open period and DoD begins accepting proposals, direct communication between proposers and topic authors is no longer permitted.  However, proposers may still submit written questions about BAA or CSO topics through the DSIP Topic Q&A. In Topic Q&A, all questions and answers are posted electronically for general viewing.  The questioner and respondent’s identifying information is not posted.  Information regarding allowable question types and dates for Topic Q&A will be detailed in each BAA or CSO listed in the table. 
 

All proposers are advised to monitor the DSIP “Topics and Topic Q&A” page during the BAA or CSO period for questions and answers, topic updates, and additional information posted for their SBIR/STTR topics of interest. 

FY 2025 ANNUAL BAA SCHEDULE