STTR Process
The STTR program benefits the nation by stimulating technological innovation, improving manufacturing capability, and increasing competition, productivity, and economic growth.
Each year, the Army STTR program develops a set of research topics that represent the Army's current and anticipated warfighting technology needs. These topics are included in the Army portion of the DoD SBIR/STTR Broad Agency Announcements (BAA). Proposals are developed by a small business in partnership with a nonprofit research institution (RI). Proposals must respond to a specific topic in the BAA. The STTR program does not accept unsolicited proposals.
24.B Proposal Schedule
April 17, 2024
May 15, 2024
June 12, 2024
September 9, 2024
Pre-release 23.B Solicitation:
BAA open:
BAA closes:
Selections Announced:
STTR Eligibility
Only United States small businesses and research institutions (RI) are eligible to participate in the STTR program.
The business must be organized for profit with a place of business located in the United States, must be at least 51% owned and controlled by one or more individuals who are citizens of, or permanent resident aliens in, the United States, and must have no more than 500 employees, including affiliates.
The research institution must be defined as either a nonprofit college or university, a domestic nonprofit research organization, or a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC).
The small business and its partnering research institution are required to establish an intellectual property agreement detailing the allocation of intellectual property rights and rights to carry out follow-on research, development, or commercialization activities.
The small business must perform at least 40% of the R&D and the single partnering research institution must perform at least 30%. The remaining 30% can be performed by either the small business, the research institution, a third-party contractor, or a combination thereof.
STTR Program Phases
Once a proposal is selected, the project enters Phase I of the STTR program. Note that Phase I is the entry point to the program and cannot be bypassed.
In Phase I, the company and partner research institution must prove the feasibility of its concept within six months. Proposals are evaluated against published evaluation criteria and selected for award. The maximum Phase I award is $204,000. Teams which successfully complete Phase I may submit a Phase II proposal.
Phase II spans two years. This phase takes the concept from Phase I and matures it into a prototype product or service meeting the requirements of the original topic. The prototype must be viable for dual-use in both DoD and commercial applications. The maximum Phase II award is $1,300,000.
The goal of the STTR program is for projects to reach Phase III: commercialization. The company should now be prepared to market the products or services developed in Phase II, either to the government or in the commercial sector. No STTR funds can be used during this phase.