DoW SBIR/STTR FY26 Release 5 closes Wednesday, Sep 23 at 12:00pm ET
Release 5 (the “26.5” cycle) went to pre-release August 5, opened for proposals August 26 and closes September 23, 2026 at noon Eastern on the Defense SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal (DSIP). More than 50 topics are live in SITIS, spanning autonomous systems, quantum sensing, radiation-hardened electronics, ISR, counter-UAS and directed energy; the written Topic Q&A closed September 9, so remaining questions must be answered from the posted BAA and FAQs. DARPA’s slate includes Hoboken (underwater 3D concrete printing, SBIR XL) and Semantically-Aware ISR. This is the last DoW window that closes inside FY2026.
DoD SBIR/STTR Topics & Topic Search (SITIS)NCI SBIR Innovative Concept Award Phase I solicitation closes Monday, September 21
NCI’s Innovative Concept Award Program (FY2026) is a Phase I contract solicitation for highly innovative, potentially transformative technologies aimed at pediatric and rare cancers: Topic 1 covers therapeutic or preventive technologies, Topic 2 covers devices, diagnostics and digital health tools for treatment, detection and diagnosis. Preliminary data are not required if the proposal rests on a sound scientific premise from the offeror’s own research or the literature, and awards carry entrepreneurial-skills, business-model and commercialization-plan requirements. Responses are due September 21, 2026; confirm the controlling documents on the NCI SBIR site and SAM.gov.
NCI SBIR Development CenterDOE FY25 Phase II applications close Sep 25; Genesis Mission Phase I pitches closed Sep 10, broader Phase I opens this fall
DOE opened roughly $147 million in SBIR/STTR Phase II funding on July 22 for eligible recipients of prior-year DOE Phase I, Phase II and follow-on Phase II awards; the published Phase II submission deadline is September 25, 2026 through the ConnectWerx Application Hub. The companion $10M Genesis Mission Phase I opportunity (about 40 awards up to $250K across biotechnology, AI for quantum computing and networking, predictable-functionality materials, and AI-driven autonomous labs) replaced the letter of intent with a required pitch that closed September 10; only invited pitches proceed to full proposals. DOE says an additional, broader Phase I opportunity will open for applications in fall 2026, so New Mexico energy and computing firms that missed the Genesis pitch should get ConnectWerx accounts and SAM registrations ready now.
DOE — $10M Genesis Mission SBIR/STTR announcementDARPA Release 6 opens for proposals Sep 23: prolonged field care, AI influence benchmarks, direct-to-Phase II lanes
Pre-released September 2, DoW Release 6 opens for proposals September 23 and closes October 21, 2026 on DSIP; technical questions close October 14 at SBIR_BAA@darpa.mil with the topic number in the subject line. Five of DARPA’s seven SBIR topics come from the Biological Technologies Office, and four describe one continuous problem: keeping a casualty alive with no surgeon, no imaging and no evacuation. The headline computing topic is DV026 “Influence Benchmarks for AI Systems,” a $1.8M direct-to-Phase II award to build an auction-style testbed for measuring AI influence without inspecting model internals. Use the pre-release window to contact topic authors before it closes on Sep 22.
DARPA — SBIR/STTR topicsSpaceWERX 26.BX Release 5 closes Sep 23; 26.BX/26.TX Release 6 topics open the same day
SpaceWERX’s Specific Topic 26.BX Release 5 is accepting proposals through September 23, and its 26.BX (SBIR) and 26.TX (STTR) Release 6 topics are in pre-release with submissions opening September 23, including D2P2 and Phase I lanes across two Space Force modernization priority areas. AFWERX and SpaceWERX reopened solicitations after the April reauthorization and are running mission-driven Focused Open Topics alongside directed topics. New Mexico space, satellite-software and sensing firms should review the Release 6 pre-release topics now and line up TPOC conversations before the window opens.
AFMC — AFWERX, SpaceWERX open new SBIR/STTR solicitationsNSF 26-510: next full-proposal deadline November 4; get a Project Pitch invitation first
Under solicitation NSF 26-510 (SBIR/STTR Phase I, Phase II and Fast-Track for deep technologies advancing U.S. competitiveness and security), the next full-proposal deadline is November 4, 2026, then March 4, 2027, all due by 5 p.m. in the submitter’s local time. Phase I proposers must first submit a Project Pitch and receive an invitation; pitches reopened June 2, and NSF has budgeted about $250M this cycle with a new instrumentation lane. Because pitch review takes several weeks, teams targeting November should submit pitches now.
NSF 26-510 solicitationNASA’s rolling SBIR/STTR BAA stays open through Sep 30, 2027; watch the Program Year 2026 hub for the next appendix
NASA replaced its single January solicitation with a Broad Agency Announcement released April 17, 2026 and valid through September 30, 2027; the first Phase I appendix closed May 21. Maximum awards rose 50%, to $225,000 for Phase I and $1,275,000 for Phase II. No new Phase I appendix deadline is posted yet, so aerospace firms should use this gap to finish ProSAMS and SAM registrations and map their technology to NASA’s subtopics so they can move quickly when the next appendix drops.
NASA — Program Year 2026 information hubNIH omnibus: September 8 receipt date has passed; next standard dates are January 5 and April 5, 2027
NIH’s FY2026 parent SBIR/STTR NOFOs reopened August 5 after the five-month authorization lapse, and the first standard receipt date was September 8 (shifted from Sep 5 for the weekend and Labor Day). The next standard dates are January 5 and April 5, 2027. Phase I awards run to $323,090 and Phase II to $2,153,927, with published waiver topics reaching $700K and $3M, plus the new Phase IIB Strategic Breakthrough Award (Parent R44) up to $30M. Bioscience teams that missed September should use the window for institute program-officer conversations and a specific-aims review.
Grants.gov — NIH SBIR Phase IIB Strategic Breakthrough Award (Parent R44)Policy watch: FY2027 continuing resolution signed through December 11; agencies compressing windows before Sep 30
The Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027 was signed September 2 after passing the Senate 90–6 and the House 370–48, funding agencies at FY2026 levels through December 11, 2026 and averting an October 1 shutdown that would have stalled SBIR/STTR awards again. With FY2026 ending September 30, agencies that normally spread topics across two or three windows are issuing them in a condensed timeframe, which is why so many deadlines cluster in late September and October. The programs themselves are authorized through September 30, 2031 under the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act (S.3971, signed April 13), which adds Strategic Breakthrough Phase II awards at large agencies and brings per-company annual proposal caps starting in FY2027.
CRFB — Appropriations Watch FY2027This briefing is compiled automatically each morning for New Mexico's four priority sectors. Dates and amounts are drawn from agency portals and reputable sources; always confirm specifics on the official solicitation before submitting. Questions? Talk to NM FAST.