Real programs, real numbers, real official links — verified July 29, 2026. Amounts and deadlines change constantly, so confirm on each official source before you rely on it. Not sure which fits what you're building? Ask us.
The Army's flagship open-topic prize competition — pitch any disruptive technology with an Army use case. The most recent round drew 900+ applicants and named 24 winners.
How to apply: Submit a concept white paper, then pitch through elimination rounds; winners get an invitation to submit an Army SBIR Phase I proposal.
Themed competition for technologies that strengthen long-distance operations across the Indo-Pacific — contested logistics, sustainment, comms and autonomy.
How to apply: White paper → finalist pitch → live experimentation event; winners may pursue Army SBIR Phase I (~$250K) or Direct-to-Phase-II (up to ~$1.9M).
Flips the usual model — the Army offers its own developed intellectual property and pays small businesses to commercialize it into fieldable products.
How to apply: White paper (submission window ~June each year) → finalist pitch to Army SMEs → winners may submit an Army SBIR Phase I proposal worth up to ~$300K.
Seeks force-sustainment solutions — autonomous logistics, recovery and resupply that keep a fighting force moving.
How to apply: Part 1 concept evaluation selects finalists; Part 2 is a live Soldier exercise and pitch event (anticipated Nov 2026).
Run by the FUZE xTech Program for novel autonomous ground vehicles and launched-effects solutions at the tactical edge.
How to apply: Concept submission → finalist selection → live experimentation finals; final winners receive the larger cash award.
A fast, lower-dollar competition staged at the Southwest Mission Acceleration Center (SWMAC) in Arizona to surface emerging tech quickly.
How to apply: Submit a concept, pitch to Army/DoW subject-matter experts at the SWMAC facility; winners take the cash prize.
A rolling series of on-site pitch events at commercial tech conferences — e.g. eMerge Americas — that let founders pitch the Army in person for prize funding.
How to apply: Submit a brief quad chart before the deadline or register on-site to pitch during the conference.
The feasibility phase of the Army's small-business R&D program, with invitation-style topics tied to real transition partners and often fed directly by xTech winners.
How to apply: Respond to an open topic in the Army SBIR Broad Agency Announcement; xTech winners get an exclusive lane to submit.
The full R&D and prototyping phase, typically a 12–18 month effort to mature and demonstrate the technology proven in Phase I.
How to apply: Submit a Phase II proposal against your Phase I work; award is competitive and tied to a transition path.
Skips Phase I for teams that can already show feasibility from other funding — a fast lane into a full prototyping contract, often used by xTech winners with mature tech.
How to apply: Submit feasibility documentation plus a Phase II proposal against a D2P2 topic; no separate Phase I award required.
$0 (entry stage) · ~2-4 weeks to write
Proves the idea is real, novel and Army-relevant in a few pages — the first cut, often from 900+ applicants down to a shortlist.
A single early simulation figure — a stress contour, a CFD flow field, an antenna pattern — signals engineering rigor and separates a real concept from a slide deck.
~$2.5K–$25K cash per finalist · 1 day (live or virtual)
A short pitch to Army and DoW subject-matter experts; proves the team can defend the tech and the transition story under questioning.
Parametric studies answer the 'what if it's twice as heavy / hot / fast' questions SMEs ask on the spot, without waiting on a new physical build.
~$20K–$275K additional cash · days to two weeks
Winners often demonstrate at a Soldier-shaped experimentation event; proves the hardware survives contact with real users and real conditions.
Simulation predicts failure modes before the field event, so you show up with a design that already survived thermal, blast and vibration on screen.
up to ~$250K · ~3-6 months
Feasibility contract on the exclusive lane xTech winners earn — proves the technical approach against a real transition partner's need.
Phase I is where a validated simulation model becomes the backbone of the technical volume and the risk-reduction story.
up to ~$2M · ~12-18 months
Full prototyping and demonstration with a named transition path toward a program of record.
High-fidelity multiphysics (structural + thermal + EM) replaces expensive test-fail-rebuild cycles and accelerates the qualification campaign.
The technology behind most of these awards has to be proven with physics. We can arrange an Ansys evaluation license with live engineering support so you can build the feasibility evidence reviewers and investors want to see — at no cost while you're pre-funding.
See if you qualify for an Ansys eval The MVP playbook →Chasing one program often means you qualify for others you haven't heard of. These sister guides cover more of the U.S. non-dilutive landscape — same honest, no-nonsense approach. Not sure which fits what you're building? Ask us — we'll point you at the right doors, even the ones that aren't ours.
America's ~$4B/yr non-dilutive seed fund across 11 agencies.
Visit →Air Force & Space Force open topics and $3–15M matching funds.
Visit →Commercial tech to DoD via fast OTA prototype contracts.
Visit →Tipping Point, TechFlights, NIAC and the space startup ladder.
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