SBIR Phase I — U.S. Army

Who qualifies

• For-profit US small business with 500 or fewer employees including all affiliates
• More than 50% owned and controlled by US citizens or permanent legal residents — foreign VC majority ownership may disqualify
• New 2026 requirement: mandatory foreign national/foreign ownership screening (FOCI) for all applicants — disclose foreign ownership, control, or influence before award
• Principal Investigator (PI) must be primarily employed (more than 50% of working time) at the small business at time of award and throughout Phase I performance
• Proposal must address a specific Army topic published in the current BAA — Army does not accept open-innovation submissions outside posted topic areas
• Must have active SAM.gov registration with valid UEI (allow 2–3 weeks for new registrations)
• Must be registered in the SBA SBIR Company Registry at sbir.gov
• Must have an active DSIP account at dodsbirsttr.mil for proposal submission
• No cost-sharing required
• Work must be performed primarily in the United States
• Companies with more than 15 Phase II awards from all agencies in the prior 5 fiscal years face heightened scrutiny (not a hard block, but requires program office justification)

Hard requirements

• Must be incorporated
• 51%+ US ownership required
• Max 500 employees

What it covers

How to apply

1. 1

   Register in SAM.gov, SBIR Company Registry, and DSIP

   Complete all three separate registrations before writing a word of your proposal: SAM.gov (UEI takes 7–14 business days for new entities), SBA SBIR Company Registry at sbir.gov (1–3 days), and DSIP at dodsbirsttr.mil (immediate, but requires SAM UEI). All must be active at submission. SAM.gov registration lapses annually — check your expiration date before each cycle.

   ~4 hrs

2. 2

   Review Army topic list on armysbir.army.mil and DSIP

   Navigate to armysbir.army.mil and DSIP to review the current Army topic list. Army topics are organized by technology area (TA) and sponsoring Army lab or program office (ARL, DEVCOM, CCDC, CERDEC, etc.). Read each topic narrative carefully — Army topics describe a specific problem the program office has and the technology outcome they want. Shortlist 2–3 topics where your company's IP is genuinely the closest to their stated need.

   ~8 hrs

3. 3

   Submit Q&A during the topic's open Q&A window

   Use DSIP to submit technical questions to the Army topic's Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) during the published Q&A window. Army TPOCs are typically engineers or scientists at Army labs — they write their topics to attract specific technology and will answer questions about technical fit. Q&A responses are posted publicly in DSIP: read every posted Q&A before you write your proposal, as they reveal the evaluator's priorities and eliminate misaligned approaches.

   ~4 hrs

4. 4

   Write the technical volume (15–30 pages)

   Army SBIR Phase I technical volumes are typically 15–30 pages (check each topic's specific instructions). Address the topic's Objective, Description, and Phase I Deliverables sections directly. Army evaluators reward specific, measurable Phase I milestones and a clear Phase II transition narrative. Include team qualifications, facilities and equipment, and a Phase III commercialization strategy — Army explicitly scores dual-use transition potential.

   ~55 hrs

5. 5

   Prepare and submit the cost volume in DSIP

   Submit a detailed cost proposal in DSIP covering direct labor (hours × fully-loaded labor rates), subcontract costs (generally capped at 33% of Phase I total for Army unless topic-specific exception), materials, equipment, travel, and indirect rates. Army contracting offices at the relevant Army lab negotiate the final contract — expect 30–90 days from solicitation close to contract award. Include your DCAA-audited or proposed indirect rates; Army contracting will request documentation.

   ~10 hrs

6. 6

   Negotiate and execute the Army Phase I contract

   Selected companies receive a Technical Evaluation letter from the Army lab's contracting office. Contract type is Firm Fixed Price (FFP) for Phase I. Expect to negotiate scope, milestones, and cost with the contracting officer and TPOC. Army Phase I contracts include standard SBIR Data Rights clauses (4-year protection window) and may include Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) provisions if your company has existing Army contractor relationships. Performance period begins on contract start date — no retroactive expenses.

   ~10 hrs

SBIR / STTR details

NAICS codes: 541715, 541714, 541511, 541512, 336411, 336412, 541330, 334511, 334220

Deadline & timing

Army SBIR publishes its topics in three BAA cycles per fiscal year through the DoD-wide DSIP portal. Individual Army topics within a cycle may have different close dates — the spring 2026 Army topics closed May 13, June 3, and June 24, 2026. Topic-specific Q&A windows open approximately 3–4 weeks before each close date; Army program managers (PMs) are typically responsive during Q&A. The SBIR/STTR program was reauthorized April 13, 2026 through September 30, 2031 after a lapse from October 1, 2025. New foreign national screening requirements apply to all awards after April 13, 2026.

Programs that stack well

• Research & Development Tax Credit (Section 41)
• SBIR Phase I — Department of Defense
• SBIR Phase II — Department of Defense
• STTR Phase I — Department of Defense
• NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP)
• DoD Mentor-Protégé Program (DFARS 219.7100)

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