Innovation Funding Simplified
The DOW SBIR Topics
Update 4/13 - These topics are now active and on DSIP’s website.
Air Force Topics:
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $140,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop autonomous leader-follower drone formations enabling a single pilot to control multiple UAS. Projects focus on AI flight control, resilient communications, formation management, target designation, and coordinated operations in contested or GPS-denied environments.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $140,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop AI-driven autonomy that enables aircraft to model threat zones, avoid adversarial weapon engagement areas, optimize weapon usage, and coordinate with other platforms to complete missions in contested environments.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $140,000 (Estimated)
Description: Develop runtime monitoring systems that detect and mitigate errors in AI-driven autonomy for unmanned platforms. Solutions ensure safe flight and mission execution by identifying faulty autonomous decisions and triggering corrective or fallback control actions in real time.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $140,000 (Estimated)
Description: Develop an AI framework that generates geo-specific multimodal scenes (RF and EO/IR) using geospatial, environmental, and sensor data to produce high-fidelity synthetic datasets for training autonomous systems and AI/ML models in realistic operational environments.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $140,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop a low-cost, ground-launched small UAS with standardized modular payload interfaces for rapid electronic-warfare reconfiguration and swarm (3–10) operations, carrying 5+ lb for 45+ minutes over 100+ km.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $140,000 (Estimated)
Description: SBIR funding for small businesses to develop low-cost phased array antennas and signal processing techniques enabling collaborative electronic warfare using swarms of small unmanned aerial systems (3–7 units).
Army Topics:
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $250,000 (Estimated)
Description: Develop modular payload technologies for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) compatible with the Picatinny Common Lethality Interface Kit (CLIK) standard. Solutions may include EO/IR sensing, communications relay, electronic warfare, signals intelligence, or cargo delivery payloads integrated across multiple UAS platforms.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $250,000 (Estimated)
Description: Develop a real-time logistics tracking system that integrates distributed ledger technology, sensor data, and enterprise systems to provide commanders with secure, near-real-time visibility of in-transit military assets, enabling predictive logistics management, improved situational awareness, and faster operational decision-making.
Navy Topics:
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to design a reduced-cost, multi-frequency helicopter dipping sonar that expands ASW inner/middle-zone coverage and adds aviation mine countermeasures (AMCM) capability in a single, retrofit-compatible transducer system.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop and demonstrate a cryogenic liquid hydrogen storage and delivery system for Navy/USMC UAS that achieves high mass fraction and low boil-off, improving endurance, range, and continuous payload power.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Develop nonlinear optical dyes embedded in sol-gel glass that act as optical power limiters to protect EO/IR sensors from frequency-agile lasers and dazzlers while maintaining high infrared transmission and fast response times.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $2 Million (Estimated)
Description: Develop and demonstrate a 10-inch air-launched rocket motor integrating Highly Loaded Grain (HLG) propulsion to increase total impulse and extend operational range by ~30%. The effort advances propulsion performance, thrust shaping, and manufacturing readiness for next-generation tactical rocket systems.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Develop a universal, non-invasive hold-up battery (HUB) tester and low-voltage alert device for Type 1 encryption systems to prevent battery-related software loss, reduce depot returns, improve readiness, and simplify battery interval tracking for long-term storage conditions.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $2 Million (Estimated)
Description: Develop a U.S.-based pilot manufacturing process to produce high-purity zirconium and hafnium metal-organic precursors (e.g., TDMAZ, TDMAH) used in semiconductor, microelectronics, and advanced ceramic manufacturing via ALD, CVD, and CVI deposition processes.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $2 Million (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop a passive structural health monitoring system that detects, locates, and characterizes ship hull cracks in real time, providing automated severity/criticality insights beyond strain-gauge inference methods.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop an A-size deployable low-frequency vertical line array of vector sensors for long-range passive ASW detection, directional sensitivity, and STANAG 4718 compliant communications in deep-water operations.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Development of a portable induction welding system that enables in-situ repair of thermoplastic composite aircraft components on naval aviation platforms, reducing downtime and scrap rates by allowing field maintenance without removing damaged material.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Develop a modern, modular tropical cyclone forecasting software suite with containerized architecture that integrates legacy and new models, data sources, and APIs to automate storm analysis, prediction, and dissemination for operational forecasting centers.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $2 Million (Estimated)
Description: Develop and integrate Highly Loaded Grain (HLG) propellant into a 2.75" Mk66 rocket motor to increase total impulse and extend weapon range by ~30% while maintaining compatibility with existing rocket motor materials, systems, and operational environments.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Develop a high-speed telemetry antenna system for reentry test bodies that transmits encrypted inflight data via K/Ka-band links to geostationary satellites, enabling real-time communication and improved data capture during ballistic missile flight testing.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop machine learning–based automation that improves detection, tracking, classification, and localization of underwater contacts using passive sonar data across multiple sensors and display systems for anti-submarine warfare operations.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop and deploy safe, sustainable bridge lighting mitigation that reduces ambient light pollution, preserves night vision, and provides adjustable task lighting at select ship bridge workstations while complying with MIL-STD-1472H and shipboard environmental constraints.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop high-rate Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) and power interface/control architectures that smooth intermittent pulsed loads on Navy ships by load-leveling generators and delivering 4–10 MJ at 2–4 MW with sub-second response.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop AI-driven behavioral nudging software that integrates with commercial wearable devices to improve sleep quality, reduce fatigue, and enhance human performance through personalized, adaptive interventions.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to build VR software for commercial headsets that loads and renders DDG-51 ship-construction CAD models (CATIA and ShipConstructor), enabling immersive design reviews, file overlays, navigation with minimal motion sickness, and low-lag viewing of multiple models.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Develop advanced digital human modeling tools using aircrew anthropometric data, posture datasets, and 3D scans to improve the design, fit, and evaluation of aviation equipment, clothing, and workspaces, enabling population-level accommodation modeling and better safety, performance, and readiness outcomes.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop a low-SWaP, covert, non-RF maritime transceiver (e.g., acoustic/IR/UV) enabling secure, interference-resistant communications over 5+ km with LPI/LPD and flexible data rates up to 10MB/s for contested environments.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop AI-driven tools that automate modernization of TMPC mission-planning software, including legacy code refactoring, performance optimization, cybersecurity integration, and compatibility with current/next-gen mission systems while preserving core functionality.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop a compact, battery-powered 3–5 µm MWIR hyperspectral video camera using photonic crystal/on-chip spectral multiplexing to capture high-definition, real-time (up to 125 Hz) hyperspectral video for mobile defense sensing platforms.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop a compact, battery-powered 3–5 µm MWIR hyperspectral video camera using photonic crystal/on-chip spectral multiplexing to capture high-definition, real-time (up to 125 Hz) hyperspectral video for mobile defense sensing platforms.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Develop a secure, explainable large language model (LLM) assistant that analyzes operational documents, communications, and mission data to support Naval Flight Officers with real-time insights, traceable reasoning, and decision support aboard E-2D airborne command and control aircraft.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Develop adaptive signal-processing technology that removes complex, non-stationary noise from RF and acoustic sensing systems while preserving critical signal features. The goal is robust denoising capable of improving detection performance by 10 dB or more in dynamic operational environments.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Automated tooling that generates and augments software tests (from code, docs, configs, and user inputs) to create stronger “debloat specifications,” enabling safer debloating and post-construction refactoring with DevOps compatibility.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop an ultra-low SWaP RF sensing compute engine that can continuously ingest and process ≥2 GHz instantaneous-bandwidth IF data on <5 lb platforms (engine <1.5 lb, <150W), enabling onboard detection and RF data product formation for edge classification/localization with zeroization and encryption.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Develop a low-cost, ship-ready waste heat recovery system that converts DDG 51 LM2500 main engine exhaust heat into electrical power while minimizing impacts to ship systems, space, weight/stability, and radar cross section.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop a low-cost, portable, universal automatic cable tester that verifies continuity, resistance, isolation (copper/RF), and fiber impedance via OTDR, and quickly generates simple QA reports for ship modernization.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to design and demonstrate a field-portable mass spectrometer with a rugged, flexible inlet mounted to a land robot arm for non-proximate, real-time chemical detection and remote red/green operator results.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to improve Amphibious Combat Vehicle water-to-land transition and surf-zone maneuvering by redesigning operator controls (HMI) and water propulsion hardware to reduce workload, increase responsiveness, and maintain or improve speed, bollard pull, fuel economy, and corrosion/maintenance performance.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop robust autopilot flight control for heterogeneous manned/unmanned formation “wake surfing,” enabling precise station-keeping in vortex upwash for 10–20% fuel savings with minimal added hardware and low/zero datalink dependency.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop an integrated metal-ceramic matrix infusion for high-strength steel landing gear components to replace hard chrome and HVOF, improving wear/corrosion resistance, durability, readiness, and lifecycle cost while reducing hazardous processes.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop RF photonic front-end technologies that enhance the resilience, bandwidth, and interference resistance of communications and navigation systems, enabling reliable wireless connectivity and assured position, navigation, and timing (PNT) in contested electromagnetic environments.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop scalable multiphysics modeling tools that predict frontal polymerization cure behavior (front temperature/velocity/cure) and resulting distortion/residual stress, while optimizing resin additives and preventing front self-extinguishing.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop a lightweight, rugged, low-power device that converts seawater to safe drinking water for downed naval aircrew. Must fit NACES survival kit constraints, minimize human effort, deliver ≥1 gallon/day, and achieve ≥95% salt rejection across harsh environmental and ejection conditions.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $2 Million (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop a portable AI/ML-enabled diagnostic module that integrates with optical reflectometry tools to detect, classify, and troubleshoot faults in military avionics fiber-optic networks with centimeter-level precision, improving maintenance efficiency, predictive diagnostics, and aircraft mission readiness.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop low-cost, lightweight, flexible printed organic thermoelectric cooling films (tight bend radius <1”) for personal warfighter cooling or conformal cooling of curved military-platform surfaces.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Develop an AI/ML-enhanced optical fire detector capable of operating in aircraft engine nacelles up to 400°F, enabling rapid fire detection, reduced false alarms, and reliable performance in high-temperature environments.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to build an M&S tool that generates validated, high-fidelity EO/IR virtual clutter models (weather-explicit 3D clouds and/or debris fields) with thermal/optical/physical attributes for real-time scene generation (60 Hz–1 kHz) to test missile warning, IR countermeasure, and ISR systems in high-clutter environments.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Develop robotic systems to automate or assist the assembly of Expeditionary Airfield matting in austere environments, enabling autonomous navigation, heavy mat handling, and precise alignment to improve deployment speed, reduce manual labor, and enhance operational safety.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Develop a low-SWaP, open-architecture airborne software-defined radio using MOSA and MBSE to support multi-band communications, secure waveforms, and interoperability across Navy and Marine Corps aircraft platforms.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop a high-power (10W CW) blue laser (425–475 nm) with long coherence length (>10 m) and high pulse repetition (>100 MHz) for reliable continuous operation in demanding Navy environments.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop passive, thermal-equilibrium alkali atom sources (Rb/Cs) with synthetically controlled vapor density to simplify thermal management and improve stability/SWaP for practical atom-based quantum sensors.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop a throttleable solid-fuel rotating detonation ramjet by integrating a controllable gas generator for precise fuel regulation, enabling stable detonation operation and efficient high-speed propulsion across varied mission profiles.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop an integrated multidisciplinary design, analysis, and optimization (MDAO) framework for hypersonic boost-glide weapons. Solutions should combine physics modeling, AI/ML, and reduced-order models to optimize vehicle geometry, trajectory, and control while supporting cost, manufacturability, and mission trade studies.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Develop a neuro-enhanced AI platform that captures neural, physiological, and behavioral data during training to deliver real-time feedback, adaptive scenarios, and readiness insights to improve warfighter performance, decision-making, and training efficiency.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Research the impact of additive materials in 3D-printed polymers to control electromagnetic properties while maintaining structural and thermal performance for defense systems, enabling RF attenuation and optimized materials for applications such as antenna radomes and other weapon system components.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Develop AI-driven simulation training tools that automatically assess Marine fire support coordination performance and adapt training scenarios in real time to improve individual skills without requiring instructor oversight.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to build modular “erector-set” mechatronic vehicle kits—swap-and-reconfigure motors, sensors, and software—for field-built tele-operated/autonomous systems that adapt to mixed disaster tasks (logistics, inspection, recovery) with rugged options (water/fire/cold).
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Develop AI/ML and digital twin tools that automate additive manufacturing by optimizing materials and build parameters, predicting mechanical performance, and enabling rapid production of mission-critical parts across diverse AM systems.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Develop low-cost, moldable metastructure or frequency-selective materials that can adhere to naval platforms and protect RF, microwave, and EO/IR systems while maintaining broadband performance and durability in harsh maritime environments.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop advanced overlay/bond coatings plus an ICME-based coating degradation model to predict and extend turbine hardware life against marine hot corrosion, oxidation, and stress-driven damage across varying temperatures.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to build a prototype GIS-based Arctic navigation planning tool that fuses onboard, airborne, satellite, and model data to forecast sea ice (12–96 hrs) and recommend optimized, vessel-aware routes through ice-infested waters.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop a lightweight passive spectral imager + dual-wavelength topo-bathy LiDAR payload for Group 2 UAVs, enabling real-time littoral mapping, bathymetry to ~20m, and underwater target/terrain characterization with onboard processing and downlink.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop a 3D heterogeneously integrated photonic imaging sensor that combines detector arrays, electronics, and optical data links to enable ultra-high bandwidth, high-resolution, and high-frame-rate EO/IR imaging for advanced defense sensing systems.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop regenerative AI agents that fuse multimodal intelligence and sensor data to deliver real-time cross-domain situational awareness, risk assessment, and AI-assisted tactical decision support for naval operations.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Develop a compact, high-bandwidth digital recording system capable of capturing and storing petabyte-scale sensor data at the tactical edge to support AI/ML training. The system must integrate with multiple network interfaces, support extreme data rates, and meet military security and environmental requirements.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop low-cost robocasting (direct ink writing) manufacturing techniques for large-format textured piezoelectric ceramics used in undersea sensors, improving acoustic performance and enabling scalable domestic production of advanced sonar sensing materials.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop an auto-focus sonar signal-processing approach that combines multiple beamformed “focus range” and frequency-band detection surfaces into a single optimized operator display, improving detection of quiet contacts (higher SNR) without increasing false alerts or workload.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $240,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop SWaP-optimized silicon carbide MOSFETs (10kV+ blocking, 5–10kA pulsed current, <30ns low-jitter turn-on) with advanced packaging for high-power microwave pulsed switching.
Defense Health Agency Topics:
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $250K (Estimated)
Description: Develop systemic detection and treatment solutions for Military Working Dogs exposed to toxic industrial chemicals/materials (TICs/TIMs) via skin, inhalation, or ingestion—e.g., fieldable indicator/detector + injectable countermeasure kits or hemoperfusion/filter systems—usable by veterinary teams at Role 1/2.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $250K (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop a non-invasive wearable that continuously monitors validated non-blood biomarkers to discretely detect viral vs. bacterial infection and deliver initial broad-spectrum treatment in austere environments, with data reporting to higher echelons of care.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $250K (Estimated)
Description: Funding to assess and adapt existing traumatic brain injury (TBI) detection tools and treatment approaches for military working dogs after battlefield injury—leveraging evidence from rodent/canine/large-animal research.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $250K (Estimated)
Description: Develop a shelf-stable (≥3 years), thermally robust (-9°C to 60°C) canine whole blood product or oxygen-carrying substitute for Military Working Dogs to treat traumatic hemorrhage from point-of-injury through definitive care, improving oxygen delivery and survival without canine testing.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $1.3 Million (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop small-molecule antifungal compounds from existing libraries that show nanomolar activity against resistant fungi such as Candida auris, Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Mucorales while maintaining low human toxicity.
DARPA Topics:
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $250,000 (Estimated)
Description: Funding to develop interoperable medical products usable for both humans and military working dogs, enabling shared medical devices, therapeutics, and monitoring technologies that improve battlefield care while reducing equipment and logistics burdens.
OSD Topics:
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $1.5 Million (Estimated)
Description: Develop software and firmware enhancements for software-defined radios to enable ad-hoc networking and synchronization across heterogeneous RF systems. The solution will improve interoperability among communication, C2, EW, and SAR platforms while maintaining primary mission functions.
Deadline: April 29, 2026 (Estimated)
Funding Award Size: $140,000 (Estimated)
Description: Develop AI-enabled mission debriefing tools that fuse decision-making from human pilots and autonomous aircraft. The system logs, analyzes, and visualizes autonomy decision chains using advanced analytics and human-machine interfaces to improve transparency, trust, and operational learning in human-autonomy teaming.