Talk to NASA Before the Topics Drop: How the SBIR Blackout Period Works

Quick answer

You can talk one-on-one with NASA technical experts about your technology only while no SBIR or STTR technical content is public. Once NASA releases an appendix, or pre-releases its research subtopics, a communications blackout begins. NASA staff will no longer discuss those subtopics with individual firms, and technical questions move to a public Q&A process. NASA is targeting its next appendix, 27A, for this winter, so the window for direct conversations is open now and could close with little notice.

Key takeaways

• The blackout starts with the topics, not the deadline. It begins when NASA publishes technical content, either in an appendix or in an earlier pre-release.
• Before release, conversations are allowed. NASA lists program contacts at each center and mission directorate who can connect you with the right technical expert.
• After release, questions are public. For the 2026 appendices, NASA's Q&A hub was the only route for technical questions, every answer was posted publicly, and questions closed 16 days before proposals were due.
• The next window is short. NASA says appendix 27A is targeted for winter but has not set a date, and the 2026 submission period ran about one month.
• Use the time to learn the need, not to pitch. The goal is to understand the problem NASA is trying to solve and when it needs an answer.

What is the NASA SBIR blackout period?

The blackout is the period when NASA personnel stop discussing SBIR and STTR research topics with individual companies. It keeps the competition fair: once topics are public, every firm gets the same information at the same time.

NASA's SBIR/STTR contact page states that when a solicitation is active or proposals are under review, NASA staff will not discuss the solicitation, proposals, or evaluation results. During review, communication goes through the SBIR/STTR Contracting Officer and Program Manager.

In its recent webinar on the new broad agency announcement (BAA), NASA explained exactly when the blackout starts. Once NASA releases technical content, firms can no longer talk directly with NASA's technical points of contact about those topics. That applies when an appendix is released, and it also applies if NASA pre-releases the research topics before submissions open.

Why does this matter more under the new NASA BAA?

NASA moved its SBIR and STTR program to a broad agency announcement in April 2026, after Congress reauthorized the programs. Instead of one solicitation each January, NASA plans to release several appendices across the two fiscal years the BAA covers. Each appendix brings its own topics, deadline, and evaluation details.

That changes the calendar for outreach. Each appendix release can start a new blackout for its topics, and the time between release and deadline can be short. NASA's 2026 appendices opened April 21 and closed May 21, 2026, and NASA has noted that submission periods can be as short as 30 working days.

The stakes are also higher. Phase I awards now go up to $225,000, up from $150,000, and Phase II awards go up to $1.275 million. NASA accepted no more than two proposals from one firm per appendix in 2026, so each proposal should target a subtopic you understand well.

When can you talk to NASA technical experts?

You can have direct technical conversations when no technical content for an upcoming opportunity is public. Right now, with no appendix open and 27A not yet released, is one of those windows.

NASA does not publish a directory of every technical expert. Its SBIR/STTR "Get in Touch" page names program representatives for each NASA center, including Ames, Armstrong, Glenn, Goddard, JPL, Johnson, Kennedy, Langley, Marshall, and Stennis, along with contacts for the mission directorates. NASA says these contacts can help you learn the needs and objectives of specific mission programs and can point you to a technical expert in your area. General questions go to the NASA SBIR/STTR Help Desk at agency-sbir@mail.nasa.gov.

What happens if NASA pre-releases the topics?

NASA sometimes publishes research topics before the submission period opens. For its 2025 solicitations, NASA pre-released subtopics on December 2, 2024, held a week of Ask Me Anything webinars with subject matter experts from December 9 to 13, and posted the written Q&A afterward. Proposals were due March 10, 2025.

A pre-release gives you more time to plan, but it also starts the blackout. From that point, questions go through public sessions and written Q&A, not private calls. NASA has said it pre-releases topics on purpose so it can hold that kind of public question period.

How does NASA's public Q&A work once topics are out?

For appendices 26A and 26B, NASA ran a Q&A hub as the only way to get answers to technical questions about the subtopics. A few rules from that round are worth knowing before the next one:

• You selected the specific subtopic so your question reached the right subject matter expert.
• Every answer was posted publicly, and NASA could reword or summarize questions before posting them.
• NASA did not answer questions that contained proprietary information.
• NASA did not give feedback on proposal ideas, including whether a specific technology fit a subtopic.
• The question deadline was May 5, 2026, 16 days before proposals were due.

Public Q&A is useful, but it is a different tool. Your question is shared with every other applicant, and there is no back-and-forth about your approach.

What should you ask NASA before the blackout?

The best conversations focus on NASA's problem, not your pitch. NASA chooses subtopics carefully because the path from solicitation release to the end of a Phase II contract takes about three and a half years. Good questions help you understand what NASA will need at the end of that path.

• What problem is this program or center trying to solve over the next three to five years?
• Which missions or projects would use a solution, and on what timeline?
• What technology readiness level would be useful at the end of Phase I and Phase II?
• What approaches has NASA already tried, and where did they fall short?
• What would a successful transition into a NASA program or a Phase III contract look like?
• Who else at NASA works on this problem?

Bring a short capability summary: what your technology does, how mature it is, and the evidence behind it. Keep it brief and leave most of the time for listening. Do not share anything you are not prepared to protect.

How to prepare for NASA appendix 27A now

• Map your technology to NASA centers and directorates. Identify two or three centers or mission directorates whose work lines up with yours.
• Contact the program representatives. Use the contacts on NASA's "Get in Touch" page to ask for an introduction to a technical expert.
• Study past subtopics. Review the 2025 and 2026 subtopics in your area to see how NASA describes the need and how it has shifted.
• Sign up for NASA SBIR/STTR emails. NASA announces appendix releases and pre-releases by email and on its BAA information hub.
• Finish your registrations. SAM.gov renewals can take up to two weeks, and firm forms in NASA's ProSAMS system can be completed before any appendix opens.
• Read the BAA. The FY 2026-2027 BAA holds the standing rules for eligibility, proposal preparation, and evaluation. Each appendix adds only what is specific to that round.

How BW&CO approaches agency engagement

BW&CO calls this the Front Door + Back Door approach. The Front Door is the published opportunity: its requirements, deadlines, evaluation criteria, and forms. The Back Door is the context behind it, built from public research, agency priorities, and permitted conversations with program staff before a blackout begins. Neither involves inside information, and neither changes how NASA evaluates a proposal. Together, they help a company choose the right subtopic and write a better-positioned proposal. Learn more about Front Door + Back Door.

Program names are used for identification only. BW&CO is not affiliated with or endorsed by the sponsoring agencies.

Frequently asked questions

Can I contact NASA about SBIR topics before they are released?

Yes. Before NASA releases technical content for an opportunity, you can talk with NASA technical experts. NASA's center and mission directorate program representatives can help you find the right person.

When does the NASA SBIR blackout period start?

It starts when NASA publishes technical content, either when an appendix is released or when NASA pre-releases its research subtopics. After that, NASA staff will not discuss those subtopics with individual firms.

How do I ask NASA technical questions during the blackout?

Use the public Q&A process NASA sets up for each appendix. For the 2026 appendices, NASA's Q&A hub was the only channel for technical questions, and all answers were posted publicly.

When will NASA release SBIR appendix 27A?

NASA has said it is targeting a winter release for appendix 27A but has not announced a date. Watch NASA's BAA information hub and program emails for the announcement.

Who do I contact at NASA about SBIR and STTR?

For general and solicitation questions, email the NASA SBIR/STTR Help Desk at agency-sbir@mail.nasa.gov. For technical areas, use the center and mission directorate contacts on NASA's SBIR/STTR "Get in Touch" page.

Will talking to NASA improve my proposal score?

No. Reviewers score proposals against the published evaluation criteria. Early conversations help you understand the need so you can choose the right subtopic and write a more relevant proposal.

Sources

• NASA SBIR/STTR: Get in Touch
• NASA SBIR/STTR: 2026 Appendix A and B Q&A Hub
• NASA SBIR/STTR: 2025 Phase I Subtopic AMAs
• SAM.gov: NASA SBIR/STTR FY 2026-2027 Broad Agency Announcement
• NASA SBIR/STTR program webinar: Dissecting the BAA (2026)

Related: NASA SBIR TABA funding guide, SBIR and STTR guide, and BW&CO's foreign risk scanner.