FUNDING
OPPORTUNITIES

 
[Funding Opportunities]

The Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) is a funding mechanism utilized by the Department of Defense (DoD) for the procurement of basic and applied research by issuing topics for scientific study and experimentation, which are directed towards advancing the state-of-art, increasing knowledge, or understanding rather than 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). CSOs are a competitive procedure used to acquire innovative commercial items, technologies, or services. It allows DoD to obtain solutions or potential new capabilities to aid in fulfilling requirements, closing capability gaps, or providing potential technological advancements.
 
During the course of the fiscal year, the 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 the Annual BAAs will be published for at least 45 days prior to the deadline for proposal submission and will have its 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 program does NOT accept unsolicited proposals.

Small businesses interested in participating in the DoD SBIR or STTR programs must thoroughly review the requirements and instructions outlined in the applicable program BAA or CSO document AND the Component-specific instruction document for their topic of interest. The DoD Program BAA or CSO will contain DoD-wide program information, 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 Proposal Preparation and Submission sections of 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 due to a high volume of traffic during the final hours before a BAA or CSO closes.
Topics and Topic Q&A
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. Once a pre-released or open topic of interest is identified, proposers must read the Program BAA or CSO document and Component-Specific Instruction document for that topic from the table below.

During the BAA or CSO pre-release period, topics are published with the names of the topic authors and their phone numbers and/or e-mail addresses. Small businesses are encouraged to communicate directly with topic authors to ask technical questions related to improving the 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. Identifying information for the questioner and respondent is not posted. Information regarding the types of questions that can be asked and dates for Topic Q&A will be detailed in each BAA or CSO listed below.

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.
SCHEDULE
 
BAA CYCLE             DATES
     
DoD SBIR 23.1 / STTR 23.A    PRE-RELEASE: January 11, 2023
OPEN: February 8, 2023
CLOSE: March 8, 2023
     
DoD SBIR 23.2 / STTR 23.B   PRE-RELEASE: April 19, 2023
OPEN: May 17, 2023
CLOSE: June 14, 2023
     
DoD SBIR 23.3 / STTR 23.C   PRE-RELEASE: August 23, 2023
OPEN: September 20, 2023
CLOSE: October 18, 2023
     
DoD SBIR 23.4 / STTR 23.D Annual   *Annual BAAs have topics released throughout the year with varying open and close dates. Please refer to each topic release document under the Annual BAAs for more information.*
     
  *Dates subject to change
CURRENT FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES


IMPORTANT NOTE: In addition to following the instructions in the SBIR or STTR Program Broad Agency Announcement, proposers must also follow the Component-Specific instructions for the Component to which they are applying - see table below for Component combined Instructions and Topics.
 

COMPONENT INSTRUCTIONS / TOPICSLAST MODIFIEDCOMPONENTPRE-RELEASE DATEOPEN DATECLOSE DATE
SBIR 23.4 Annual Program BAAMarch 14, 2023DoD11/15/202212/31/2023
DARPA SBIR 2.4 - Release 2March 07, 2023DARPA2/16/20233/7/20234/6/2023
Army SBIR 23.4 - Release 5March 16, 2023Army2/21/20233/16/20234/11/2023
DHA SBIR 23.4 - Release 1March 23, 2023DHA3/9/20233/23/20234/25/2023
DARPA SBIR 23.4 - Release 3March 14, 2023DARPA3/14/20233/29/20235/2/2023
Army SBIR 23.4 - Release 8March 14, 2023Army3/14/20233/30/20235/2/2023
Army SBIR 23.4 - Release 6March 08, 2023Army3/8/20234/5/20235/4/2023
Army SBIR 23.4 - Release 7March 09, 2023Army3/9/20239/13/20239/26/2023
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COMPONENT INSTRUCTIONS / TOPICSLAST MODIFIEDCOMPONENTPRE-RELEASE DATEOPEN DATECLOSE DATE
STTR 23.D Annual Program BAAMarch 14, 2023DoD11/15/202212/31/2023
DARPA STTR 23.D - Release 1March 14, 2023DARPA3/14/20233/29/20235/2/2023
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TitleDescriptionOrganization
Attachment 1: Contractor Certification Regarding Prohibited Video and TelecomAttachment 1: Contractor Certification Regarding Prohibited Video and TelecomDoD
Attachment 2: Foreign Ownership or Control DisclosureAttachment 2: Foreign Ownership or Control DisclosureDoD
OUSD (R&E) SBIR/STTR Critical Technology AreasListing of critical technology areas (with definitions) used by the DoD SBIR/STTR Program.DoD
Phase I Technical (Vol 2) Sample TemplatePhase I Technical (Vol 2) Sample TemplateDoD
STTR Model Agreement for the Allocation of RightsA small business concern (SBC) must negotiate a written agreement between the small business and the research institution allocating intellectual property rights and rights to carry out follow-on research, development, or commercialization. (This is ONLY a model)DoD
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