AFWERX SBIR/STTR Open Topic
Defense & Space · Run by AFWERX (Air Force Research Laboratory, Department of the Air Force)
Every field is checked against a primary source where we can. How we verify.
The facts
All fields verified Jul 22, 2026- Terms model
- Non-dilutiveGives money that does not take equity: grants, prizes, or credits. Your ownership is untouched.
- Investment
- Phase I: up to $75,000 (SBIR) / $110,000 (STTR); Phase II: up to $2,000,000; Direct-to-Phase-II: up to $1,250,000
- Equity taken
- Not publishedNot an equity accelerator: a non-dilutive SBIR/STTR contract funding pipeline ('front door to the Department of the Air Force'). Phase I is a 3-month feasibility contract; Phase II requires a signed Customer Memorandum from an Air Force end user. Equity_pct null because government contracts take no equity. City/state null: AFWERX operates hubs in multiple locations and proposals are submitted online via DSIP.
- Program length
- Not published
- Format
- Remote
- Location
- Not published
- Cohorts per year
- Not published
- Cohort size
- Not published
- Stage focus
- small businesses, pre-seed through growth (dual-use)
- Sub-vertical
- dual-use defense technology (Air Force)
- Demographic focus
- Not published
- Backers
- U.S. Air Force, Air Force Research Laboratory
- Notable alumni
- Not published
Terms notes: Not an equity accelerator: a non-dilutive SBIR/STTR contract funding pipeline ('front door to the Department of the Air Force'). Phase I is a 3-month feasibility contract; Phase II requires a signed Customer Memorandum from an Air Force end user. Equity_pct null because government contracts take no equity. City/state null: AFWERX operates hubs in multiple locations and proposals are submitted online via DSIP.
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Terms in plain English
AFWERX Open Topic is a funding pipeline, not an accelerator: the Department of the Air Force awards small businesses non-dilutive SBIR and STTR contracts, meaning the government pays you for R&D and takes no equity. Phase I is a short feasibility contract worth up to $75,000 (SBIR) or $110,000 (STTR) over about 3 months. Phase II funds prototype work up to $2,000,000 over as long as 21 months, and a Direct-to-Phase-II option is capped at $1,250,000; advancing requires a signed Customer Memorandum from an Air Force end user who wants your technology. Proposals are submitted only during set solicitation windows, each open for a few weeks, through the Defense SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal (DSIP) at dodsbirsttr.mil.
Who this is actually for
US-based small businesses that meet federal SBIR/STTR eligibility rules, generally majority US-owned companies with 500 or fewer employees, building dual-use technology relevant to the Air Force. This is a government procurement pipeline you apply into during solicitation windows, not a cohort accelerator, and it best suits founders willing to go find an Air Force customer who will champion their product.
Application windows
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Sources
Everything above was checked against these, verified Jul 22, 2026.