Air Force SBIR Phase 1 and NSIM Boost Program
Phase I SBIR
Does your startup have innovative dual-use technology that the Department of Defense could use? The Air Force wants to see what you have. AFVentures awards hundreds of $50,000 contracts every year through the Open Topic to conduct customer discovery, with the goal of finding your AF customer and then applying for $750,000 contracts for product development. Applying for a Phase I contract has never been simpler, with the primary requirement being a 25-slide deck. The deadline to apply for the current cycle is 18 February, 2021.
In order to be eligible for this opportunity your company must:
- Register appropriately in the System for Award Management (SAM), request a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code, and have a D-U-N-S Number.
- Be at least 50% U.S.-owned
- Have less than 500 employees
- Full eligibility guidelines here
Next, apply for a Phase I SBIR Contract on the Defense SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal through the AF211-CSO1 topic.
There is a list of Focus Areas available to help you understand potential use-cases and discover customers.
If selected for a Phase I award, you will receive $50,000 to search for your customer over a three month period. In order to be eligible to apply for a Phase II award, your Air Force customer must sign a customer memorandum indicating their readiness to work with your company.
Please see here for more information.
NSIM Boost Program for Awardees
If a startup wins the award, they will transfer into a National Security Innovation Network (NSIM) program called Boost. Through Boost, NSIM helps facilitate customer interaction and testing to lead to a quick SBIR phase 2 turnaround.
Questions?
Contact Samantha Hiller
University Program Director | ASU
National Security Innovation Network
U.S. Department of Defense
650.224.3000
shiller@nsin.us
www.nsin.us