The next AFWERX SBIR deadline is November 25, 2026, when FY2027 Release 1 (SBIR topics 27.BZ and 27.BX, STTR topics 27.TZ) closes on the Pentagon's submission portal. Release 2 opens December 2, 2026. The old $75,000 Open Topic is being replaced by focused topics; Phase I now pays up to $323,000, per AFWERX.
AFWERX runs the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs for the Department of the Air Force, which covers the Air Force and the Space Force, inside the Department of Defense (DoD), which has also styled itself the Department of War since September 2025. Since 2020 it has awarded more than 9,400 SBIR and STTR contracts worth $7.47 billion, its Get Funded page says. This guide covers what changed in 2026, the open windows as of November 14, 2026, and the steps to apply.
What happened to the AFWERX Open Topic?
For years the AFWERX Open Topic was the easiest door into the Pentagon: a technology-agnostic call, no known Air Force customer required, and a small Phase I to test fit. The AFWERX overview dated January 22, 2026 still described it: up to $75,000 per award ($110,000 for STTR), a three-month period of performance and about 700 awards a year, against about 300 Specific Topic Phase I awards of up to $180,000.
That changed after the April 13, 2026 reauthorization. At a webinar on April 22, 2026, AFWERX said it and SpaceWERX are "transitioning to a focused open topic model, which replaces traditional open topics with mission-driven subject areas," and that applicants should expect "a decrease in the number of Open Topic opportunities" (AFWERX Q&A). The April solicitations were grouped into cohorts around seven areas, according to DVIDS:
- collaborative combat aircraft
- command, control, communications and battle management
- contested logistics
- counter-unmanned aircraft systems
- manufacturing and readiness
- small unmanned aircraft systems
- weapons technology
The current AFWERX releases are all labeled "Specific Topic." In plain terms: you now answer a defined Air Force problem, and the money per award is larger.
AFWERX SBIR schedule: open and upcoming windows
As of November 14, 2026, AFWERX lists these windows. All four include Air Force topics; none is marked as including Space Force topics. AFWERX notes that dates are subject to change.
| Solicitation | Pre-release | Opens | Closes | Status on Nov 14, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DoW SBIR Specific Topic 27.BZ and 27.BX, Release 1 | Oct 7, 2026 | Oct 28, 2026 | Nov 25, 2026 | Open |
| DoW STTR Specific Topic 27.TZ, Release 1 | Oct 7, 2026 | Oct 28, 2026 | Nov 25, 2026 | Open |
| DAF SBIR Specific Topic 27.BZ, Release 2 | Nov 4, 2026 | Dec 2, 2026 | Jan 5, 2027 | Pre-release |
| DAF STTR Specific Topic 27.TZ, Release 2 | Nov 4, 2026 | Dec 2, 2026 | Jan 6, 2027 | Pre-release |
Source: AFWERX Get Funded page. In topic numbers, B stands for SBIR, T for STTR, Z for a broad agency announcement and X for a commercial solutions opening; Direct to Phase II topics carry a D, AFWERX explained in April. New DoD solicitations go into pre-release on the first Wednesday of every month, usually with one month of pre-release and one month open.
How much does AFWERX pay?
| Opportunity | Amount | Duration | Who can apply |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase I (feasibility) | Up to $323,000 | Up to 6 months | Any eligible small business |
| Phase II (prototype) | Up to $2.1M | Up to 24 months | Phase I awardees |
| Direct to Phase II (D2P2) | Phase II amounts | Up to 24 months | Mature solution, identified DAF customer and end user, signed Customer Memorandum |
| TACFI | $375K to $2M, 1:1 cost share | Up to 24 months | Current or recent Phase II |
| STRATFI | $3M to $15M, matched by $6M to $45M | Up to 48 months | Current or recent Phase II |
| Strategic Breakthrough | Up to $30M, 1:1 match | Up to 48 months | Successful Phase II and validated operational need |
Source: AFWERX Get Funded, November 2026. For the government-wide ceilings and how other agencies compare, see our guide to SBIR Phase 1 and Phase 2 award amounts.
Who is eligible?
AFWERX lists three conditions: a for-profit US small business with 500 or fewer employees including affiliates, more than 50% owned and controlled by US citizens, permanent resident aliens or qualifying US entities, and a dual-use technology aligned with Air Force or Space Force needs. For SBIR, the principal investigator's primary employment (more than 50%) must be with the company. For STTR, the company must team with a US research institution, doing at least 40% of the work while the institution does at least 30%, according to the AFWERX SBIR/STTR overview. Past performance is not required: more than 1,500 companies entered the defense sector for the first time through the program from fiscal 2019 to fiscal 2024, AFWERX says.
How to apply for an AFWERX SBIR, step by step
- Register in SAM.gov. You need an active System for Award Management registration before a contract can be awarded. SAM sends expiry reminders 60, 30 and 15 days ahead; let it lapse and the award can stall.
- Register with the SBA Company Registry on sbir.gov to get the company's SBC Control ID, which the DoD portal asks for.
- Create an account on the DoD SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal (DSIP) at dodsbirsttr.mil/submissions. All Phase I, Phase II and D2P2 proposals for any DoD component, Air Force included, go through it. There is no separate "AFWERX portal" for proposals.
- Pick a topic during pre-release. This is the only time you can talk to the topic author directly. AFWERX recommends also posting questions to the DSIP Q&A so answers are standardized.
- Check the hard limits first. AFWERX calls exceeding a topic's maximum period of performance "the number one grounds for disqualification." Check the required Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) level in the topic too; AFWERX said solicitations would ask for a Level 1 or 2 self-assessment where applicable, and on July 13, 2026 DoD suspended the planned November 10, 2026 start of CMMC Phase 2, which would have required third-party Level 2 certification, according to Clark Hill.
- Write to the evaluation criteria. The Department of the Air Force evaluates on technical merit, commercialization and defense need; it does not score set-aside status such as veteran ownership.
- Complete the disclosure volumes. Foreign ownership and affiliation disclosures go in Volume VII on DSIP. Under the 2026 law, agencies must screen every applicant for security risks.
- Submit before the close. Submissions after the deadline are not reviewed. From FY2027 the Air Force allows one proposal per company per topic.
- Wait for the selection email, and do not start work. Selected companies get an email that "will emphasize that no work is to be performed at this time" until a contracting officer negotiates the contract. Most awards arrive three to nine months after the process starts, according to DVIDS.
- Plan Phase II from day one. A Phase II, and especially a D2P2, needs an Air Force customer who will sign a Customer Memorandum. Start those conversations during Phase I.
What are the odds?
In its April 2026 Q&A AFWERX said that over the previous two fiscal years it received about 10,000 to 12,000 proposals a year and awarded about 1,200 to 1,800. That is roughly one award for every six to ten proposals. The number depends on the SBIR budget, which is 3.3% of the Department of the Air Force R&D budget, and AFWERX warned that a proration under Section 8151 of the FY2026 defense appropriations act would likely cut its FY2026 budget.
AFWERX STRATFI and TACFI: how they work
STRATFI (Strategic Funding Increase) and TACFI (Tactical Funding Increase) are Air Force programs that add SBIR money to a Phase II when outside money matches it. They are announced as Notices of Opportunity, not DSIP topics, and AFWERX said in April that their rules, including one STRATFI and one TACFI per technology, are unchanged. AFWERX reports that 84% of STRATFI companies and 69% of TACFI companies have transitioned to Phase III.
SpaceWERX ran its own window: its PY26.1 STRATFI notice closed May 29, 2026. On August 21, 2026 it named 11 awardees worth $562.5 million in total, including $245 million of private capital, according to Payload. Five are in our directory: Agile Space Industries, Muon Space, Scout Space, Star Catcher and ThinkOrbital. Earlier, Starfish Space won a $37.5 million Space Force STRATFI, which it cites in its April 2026 funding release.
The path also works for smaller companies. Vermeer, a New York startup building GPS-free drone navigation, reported more than $7 million in SBIR and AFWERX awards after joining the Air Force accelerator run with Techstars, per DroneLife.
Where the next windows are announced
- The AFWERX Get Funded page, which lists pre-release, open and close dates.
- The list of active DoD solicitations on DSIP, which covers Army, Navy and other components too.
- AFWERX Alerts by email and AFWERX social channels, which AFWERX named as the fastest way to hear about STRATFI, TACFI and focused open topics.
For the law behind the 2026 changes, read our explainer on the SBIR reauthorization. To compare with prototype contracts outside SBIR, see the Defense Innovation Unit CSO guide. AFWERX awards do not guarantee follow-on work, and no guide can promise a selection.
