IMPORTANT UPDATE: Effective 1 October 2025, SBIR/STTR program authorization has expired. New activity is paused; ongoing awards remain valid. Awardees are encouraged to contact their TPOCs and contracting officers with questions regarding active awards.
- September 30, 2025The DoW SBIR/STTR program uses a standardized naming convention that identifies the requesting organization, fiscal year, solicitation type, solicitation number,…
- August 21, 2025The Customer is responsible for providing or identifying a DAF Contracting Office that will award the contract/agreement.
- August 21, 2025Coming out of technical evaluation, proposals are categorized as “Selectable/Funded” or “Not Selected.” Proposals may be determined “Not Selected” based…
- August 21, 2025All applicants to the U.S. Air Force or U.S. Space Force SBIR/STTR topics receive automated feedback with adjectival ratings. However,…
- August 21, 2025The DAF SBIR/STTR program provides notification of all selection recommendations within 90 days of the closing of the solicitation. Award…
- August 21, 2025Any changes of research team after the contract award, such as a professor involved in the SBIR/STTR moving to another…
- August 21, 2025Yes, a technology effort that starts as a STTR in Phase I can be changed to an SBIR for Phase…
- August 21, 2025For STTR, the Principal Investigator (PI) can be from the Research Institute (RI) partner, assuming that at least 40% of…
- August 21, 2025No. All final documents must be submitted within the DSIP platform prior to the solicitation close, and additional documents cannot…
- August 21, 2025The exact guidance changes slightly with each solicitation, although the general answer is, yes. Pay attention to the limitations of…
- August 21, 2025The Customer Memorandum (CM) is a non-binding document. As such, it is neither a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) nor governed…
- August 21, 2025The Customer Memorandum template will be included in each solicitation. As there are often changes that result between solicitations, only…
- August 21, 2025Only one Customer Memorandum is allowed, and the template linked in the solicitation is required. It is best to coordinate…
- August 21, 2025Any Phase III award that logically extends, completes, or derives from the Phase II effort under which this funding increase…
- August 21, 2025No, STRATFI/TACFI is only available for Phase IIs that are active, completed within the last two years, not received a…
- August 21, 2025Phase III refers to work that derives from, extends, or completes an effort made under prior SBIR/STTR funding agreements, but…
- August 21, 2025Direct to Phase II (D2P2) opportunities are available via solicitations within Defense SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal (DSIP). You can submit a…
- August 21, 2025Open Topic SBIR Direct to Phase II (D2P2) topics are a component of the broader SBIR program designed to streamline…
- August 21, 2025Yes. As long as the small business performs the minimum required work, the remaining effort may be performed by a…
- August 21, 2025The U.S. Air Force or U.S. Space Force SBIR/STTR program is highly competitive. To improve a future proposal, it is…
- August 21, 2025Phase I awardees are offered their own solicitation for Phase II. The Request for Proposal (RFP) released for each solicitation…
- August 21, 2025Instructions and specific dates for Phase II will be provided by your DAF awarding site contractor. This usually occurs towards…
- August 21, 2025A Phase II contract provides continued RDT&E funding for successful Phase I projects and frequently results in development of a…
- August 21, 2025A Phase I contract provides short-term funding for a feasibility study of a proposed innovation, with the goal of establishing…
- August 21, 2025The Phase II customer/end-user/Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) will likely be involved in a STRATFI or TACFI effort. However, this…
- August 21, 2025You should work with the designated U.S. Air Force or U.S. Space Force customer(s) and end-user(s) to develop an appropriate…
- August 21, 2025Small Business Concerns (SBCs) must meet ALL of the following criteria: Company is considered a SBC and is eligible for…
- August 21, 2025The STRATFI, or Strategic Funding Increase, program is focused on large-scale, strategic capabilities at the DAF level. STRATFI offers small…
- August 21, 2025Strategic Funding Increase, or STRATFI, is a program focused on large-scale, strategic capabilities at the DAF level. Tactical Funding Increase,…
- August 21, 2025The DAF SBIR/STTR Specific Topic Program seeks innovative solutions for a particular problem defined by a DAF customer. Unlike Open…
- August 21, 2025Yes, through the Open Topic program. This mechanism is designed for small businesses to propose innovative solutions for U.S. Air…
- August 21, 2025Open Topic proposals are evaluated on three key criteria: Defense Need: The proposed solution must address a significant problem or…
- August 21, 2025The Open Topic program seeks dual-use technologies, applicable to both defense and non-defense markets, that can solve a DAF mission…
- August 21, 2025Evaluation criteria are published in the solicitation instructions. We recommend using the “CTRL/CMD + F” find function to find “Evaluation…
- August 21, 2025In accordance with 15 USC 638(dd)(7), investment by venture capital, private equity firms, or hedge funds shall not be used…
- August 21, 2025No. A disqualification for not meeting the solicitation requirements cannot be reversed for that specific solicitation. However, you are welcome…
- August 21, 2025Companies are encouraged to resubmit a technology to a new solicitation if they believe their solution can meet a U.S.…
- August 21, 2025We strongly recommend submitting your proposal well in advance of the deadline. High network traffic near the closing time can…
- August 21, 2025The solicitation schedule for both Open and Specific Topics can be found on the official Defense SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal (DSIP).…
- August 21, 2025There are multiple opportunities throughout our Fiscal Year to submit your solution or technology. View Open Funding Opportunities or the…
- August 21, 2025Eligibility for SBIR/STTR funding has specific requirements for small businesses and research institutions. For full details, including criteria and registration…
- August 21, 2025Recordings of Previous Webinars are available for viewing, including those for Open Topic, Specific Topic, and STRATFI/TACFI.
- August 21, 2025AFWERX streamlines the acquisition process to get innovative technology to Airmen and Guardians more quickly. It accomplishes this through: A…
- August 21, 2025Fostering unconstrained innovation through less prescriptive topics that encourage a wide range of solutions. Accelerating the acquisition process to rapidly…
- August 21, 2025The DAF SBIR/STTR program is designed to deliver innovative technology to Airmen and Guardians more quickly. It does this by…
- August 21, 2025The DAF SBIR/STTR program offers contracts, not grants. A contract is a legal agreement where the government is procuring a…
- August 21, 2025The DAF allocates a significant portion of its research and development budget, approximately 3.2%, to the SBIR/STTR program annually. AFWERX…
- August 21, 2025The STTR program is similar to the SBIR program; however, the STTR program requires one qualifying research partner (e.g. university,…
- August 21, 2025The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs are U.S. federal initiatives that fund small…
- August 21, 2025Contact Us
- August 21, 2025Any career openings at AFWERX and other Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) technical directorates will be listed on the AFRL…
- August 21, 2025Yes, AFWERX offers various mentorship and collaboration opportunities. You can lend your expertise through programs like the Augmentee Program for…
- August 21, 2025Check out our Event Listings to find and register for upcoming AFWERX events, workshops, and webinars.
- August 21, 2025To participate in an AFWERX Challenge, you'll need to register on the AFWERX Challenge website to join the ecosystem. There,…
- August 21, 2025You can customize your updates from AFWERX by signing up for AFWERX Alerts. This allows you to select specific areas…
- August 19, 2025AFWERX connects with organizations of all sizes to tackle DAF challenges. Partnering often involves SBIR/STTR funding, participating in Challenges, or…
- August 19, 2025To get the latest on new challenges, events, and ways to engage, sign up for AFWERX Alerts or learn how…
- August 19, 2025The Department of the Air Force (DAF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs are…
- August 19, 2025AFWERX is the innovation arm of the Department of the Air Force, connecting cutting-edge American ingenuity with pressing DAF challenges.…