Why This Matters Right Now
SBIR and STTR authorization expired on October 1, 2025, and the programs remain frozen as of February 2026. NIH closed all SBIR/STTR funding opportunities. NSF stopped taking Project Pitches. DoD and DOE paused new SBIR solicitations, though they continue to honor existing contracts. Three competing reauthorization bills are in Congress but none has passed. For the full legislative picture, see our SBIR guide. For companies that built their funding strategy around SBIR, this is a real problem. But federal R&D spending did not stop. The government still needs innovative technology, and the money flows through channels that existed before SBIR and operate independently of it. Broad Agency Announcements (BAAs) remain open across DoD, NASA, DOE, and civilian agencies. Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements continue through defense consortia. Direct research contracts and grants are posted on SAM.gov and Grants.gov. These mechanisms funded billions in R&D before the SBIR freeze and continue at full speed. Companies that learn to compete through BAAs and OTAs often find these paths faster, more flexible, and sometimes larger than SBIR. A single DARPA contract can exceed the total value of a Phase I through Phase III SBIR sequence. The learning curve is real, but the funding is there. Search federal R&D opportunities
The Three Paths to Federal R&D Funding
Federal R&D funding beyond SBIR flows through three primary mechanisms, each with different rules, timelines, and advantages. 1. Broad Agency Announcements (BAAs) BAAs are open solicitations for research proposals. Unlike traditional contracts where the government specifies exactly what it wants built, BAAs describe research areas and invite innovative solutions. The government is saying: we have problems in this space, show us what you can do. Key characteristics of BAAs: - Competitive, merit-based selection (technical quality matters more than price) - Focused on research: basic, applied, or advanced development - Can fund multiple performers for the same topic area - Result in contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements depending on the BAA - Many stay open for months or years, accepting proposals on a rolling basis 2. Other Transaction Authority (OTA) OTAs are agreements outside the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). They are faster, more flexible, and specifically designed to bring non-traditional companies into defense work. Key characteristics of OTAs: - Not subject to FAR compliance requirements - Average 120 days from solicitation to award (versus 12-18 months for traditional contracts) - Over 60% of awards go to non-traditional defense contractors - Prototype OTAs can transition to production contracts without recompetition - OTA spending grew from $0.7 billion in FY2015 to over $7 billion by FY2019 OTAs flow primarily through consortia: NSTXL, AFWERX, NavalX, and DIU (Defense Innovation Unit). 3. Direct Research Contracts and Grants Traditional contracts and grants for R&D work. These follow standard procurement rules but fund research activities. NASA's ROSES program, DOE research grants, and agency-specific R&D contracts fall here. They are posted on SAM.gov (contracts) and Grants.gov (grants). For small businesses accustomed to SBIR's structured phases, BAAs and OTAs require a different mindset. You are not responding to a specific small business set-aside. You are competing against all performers, sometimes including large defense primes and universities, on the strength of your technical approach.
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Long-Range BAAs: Apply When You Are Ready
Many BAAs remain open for months or years, accepting proposals on a rolling basis. These are the best entry points because you can apply when your concept is ready rather than racing a fixed deadline. Office of Naval Research (ONR) Long Range BAA Open through: September 30, 2026 Scope: Basic and applied research across all Navy and Marine Corps science and technology priorities. One of the broadest BAAs available. Covers materials science, electronics, ocean science, human performance, autonomy, and more. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Long Range BAA Open through: March 31, 2026 Scope: NRL's open call covering materials, electronics, space systems, acoustics, and optical sciences. NRL is the Navy's in-house research lab. DARPA Defense Sciences Office (DSO) BAA Open through: June 2, 2026 Scope: High-risk, high-reward research in physical sciences, mathematics, novel materials, and engineering. DSO funds the most fundamental research at DARPA. DARPA Tactical Technology Office (TTO) BAA Open through: June 22, 2026 Scope: Advanced military systems, platforms, and autonomous capabilities. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) BAA Open through: June 22, 2026 Scope: Naval aviation technology including aircraft, weapons systems, sensors, and electronic warfare. Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific C4ISR BAA Open through: June 9, 2026 Scope: Command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, cyber, and quantum research. Army Aviation and Missile R&D BAA Open through: July 3, 2026 Scope: Aviation and missile technology development, including propulsion, guidance, and survivability. These BAAs accept white papers or proposals throughout their open period. The standard process is: submit a short white paper (2-5 pages), the program office reviews and invites promising concepts to submit full proposals. Not every white paper gets invited, but the white paper costs days of effort while a full proposal costs weeks. Start with white papers to test interest before committing to full proposals. Search for open BAAs
Upcoming Deadlines: February Through Summer 2026
If you are ready to submit soon, these specific opportunities have deadlines in the next several months. February 2026: FDA BAA for Regulatory Science - February 24, 2026 Advanced research and development for regulatory science topics relevant to FDA's mission. Covers medical devices, pharmaceuticals, food safety, and tobacco regulation research. March 2026: ARPA-H Autonomous Interventions and Robotics (AIR) - March 18-30, 2026 Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health seeking autonomous medical systems for diagnosis, treatment, and surgery. Multiple submission windows for different proposal types. NRL Long Range BAA closes - March 31, 2026 Last opportunity to submit to NRL's broad research call. April Through July 2026: DARPA DSO BAA closes - June 2, 2026 DARPA NIWC Pacific C4ISR closes - June 9, 2026 DARPA TTO BAA and NAWCAD BAA close - June 22, 2026 Army Aviation and Missile BAA closes - July 3, 2026 September 2026: ONR Long Range BAA closes - September 30, 2026 This is the broadest open BAA in the federal system. If your research has any connection to naval or marine science and technology needs, submit before this date. Rolling Opportunities: NASA ROSES (Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences) issues program elements throughout the year with staggered deadlines. New ROSES-2026 elements are expected to post on NSPIRES and Grants.gov through spring and summer. Research areas include astrophysics, Earth science, heliophysics, planetary science, and biological and physical sciences in space. DOE Office of Science maintains rolling funding opportunity announcements across its research programs. Search for R&D contracts with upcoming deadlines
How BAAs Differ from Traditional Contracts
If you are accustomed to responding to RFPs, BAAs require a fundamentally different approach. Traditional Contract (RFP): - Government specifies detailed requirements - You bid on executing their plan - Lowest price technically acceptable often wins - Fixed deliverables and milestones - Full FAR compliance required Broad Agency Announcement (BAA): - Government describes research areas of interest - You propose your innovative approach to a problem - Technical merit and innovation are the primary evaluation factors - Research outcomes, not fixed deliverables - Evaluated on scientific merit, not primarily on price The mindset shift matters. In traditional contracting, you prove you can execute the government's plan cheaper or better than competitors. In BAAs, you propose research the program office had not considered. You are selling your ideas and scientific capabilities, not your price. The typical BAA process: 1. White Paper (2-5 pages): Brief concept description. Program managers review to determine whether your idea aligns with their research interests. This stage is low-cost and high-information. 2. Invitation to Submit: If the white paper generates interest, you receive an invitation for a full proposal. Not all white papers are invited forward. 3. Full Proposal (15-30 pages): Detailed technical approach, team qualifications, budget, and timeline. This is a significant investment of effort. 4. Evaluation: Peer or expert review for technical merit. Unlike traditional contracts, multiple proposals can be funded for overlapping research areas. 5. Award: Contract, grant, or cooperative agreement depending on the BAA terms and the nature of the work. The white paper stage is your most efficient tool. Submit white papers to multiple BAAs to gauge interest across program offices before investing in full proposals. A rejected white paper costs three days. A rejected full proposal costs three weeks. For information on NAICS and PSC codes relevant to R&D contracting, and for SAM.gov registration which is required for all federal contracting, see our guides.
OTAs: The Fastest Path for Non-Traditional Contractors
Other Transaction Authority agreements deserve specific attention if you have never done government work before or if FAR compliance has been a barrier. What makes OTAs different from traditional contracts: No FAR: You do not need a government-compliant accounting system, certified cost data, or FAR compliance infrastructure. The administrative burden that keeps many commercial companies out of government work does not apply. Speed: Average 120 days from solicitation to award, compared to 12-18 months for traditional contracts. Some OTAs move faster. Non-traditional focus: OTAs are specifically designed to attract companies that do not normally do government work. Over 60% of OTA awards historically go to non-traditional contractors. Prototype to production: OTA prototypes can transition to production contracts without recompetition under 10 U.S.C. 4022. This is significant: a prototype OTA can become a sole-source production contract. How to access OTAs: Most OTAs flow through consortia, membership organizations that aggregate research capabilities and connect them with government needs. NSTXL (National Security Technology Accelerator): Defense technology across multiple domains. Membership-based. Relatively accessible for startups and small companies. AFWERX: Air Force innovation programs. Runs pitch days, challenges, and strategic funding increases (STRATFI). AFWERX is one of the most active OTA issuing organizations. NavalX: Navy innovation cell. Runs Tech Bridges and collaboration events connecting commercial technology to naval needs. DIU (Defense Innovation Unit): DoD's commercial technology outpost. Focuses on dual-use technology with clear commercial applications. Based in Silicon Valley with additional offices. The process typically works: join a relevant consortium, monitor their opportunity portal for solicitations that match your technology, submit proposals through the consortium framework, and the consortium handles the contracting mechanics. OTAs are not right for every situation. If you are a traditional defense contractor already set up for FAR compliance, the administrative advantages matter less. But if you are a commercial company, startup, or university spin-out with technology relevant to defense, OTAs remove the barriers that usually keep you out of government work. For tech startups that lost access to SBIR, OTAs through AFWERX and DIU are often the closest equivalent.
DARPA: How It Works and What It Funds
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency funds more high-risk R&D than any other organization in the federal government and operates differently from other agencies. DARPA has six technical offices, each with its own BAA and program portfolio: - Defense Sciences Office (DSO): Physical sciences, mathematics, novel materials. BAA open through June 2, 2026. - Tactical Technology Office (TTO): Military systems and platforms. BAA open through June 22, 2026. - Strategic Technology Office (STO): Strategic capabilities and multi-domain operations. - Information Innovation Office (I2O): Information science, AI, and software. - Biological Technologies Office (BTO): Biological and biomedical research. - Microsystems Technology Office (MTO): Electronics and microelectronics. Each office maintains an office-wide BAA that accepts proposals year-round within its open period. These office-wide BAAs exist specifically for novel ideas that do not fit existing program announcements. If you have breakthrough technology relevant to national security, the office-wide BAAs are where to propose it. DARPA program managers have significant individual autonomy. They can fund promising research that does not match current program announcements, create new programs, and move quickly compared to other agencies. Building a relationship with a DARPA PM who understands your technology area is one of the most productive things a research organization can do. DARPA also runs program-specific solicitations with fixed deadlines. These target specific technical challenges and typically have higher funding levels than office-wide BAA responses. Program-specific opportunities are posted on SAM.gov and on DARPA's website. Industry days and proposers' day events, often announced 4-6 weeks before proposal deadlines, are worth attending for the networking and insight into what PMs are looking for. ARPA-H (Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health), modeled on DARPA but focused on health breakthroughs, is also actively funding. ARPA-H operates with milestone-driven funding, program manager autonomy, and faster timelines than NIH. Their Autonomous Interventions and Robotics (AIR) program has submission windows in March 2026. For health-tech companies that applied through NIH SBIR, ARPA-H is an alternative path. See our healthcare funding guide. Search DARPA and defense R&D opportunities
Common Mistakes in R&D Proposals
These errors consistently disqualify BAA submissions. Avoiding them puts you ahead of most competitors. Selling a product instead of proposing research. BAAs fund research, not product development. If your proposal reads like a sales pitch for existing technology, it will be rejected. Program managers want to see what you will discover or create, not what you already have on the shelf. Skipping the white paper stage. Jumping straight to a full proposal wastes everyone's time. White papers let you test interest at low cost. A rejected white paper costs days of effort. A rejected full proposal costs weeks. Submit white papers first. Mismatched technical area. Each BAA has specific research areas. Submitting propulsion research to a cybersecurity BAA will not work regardless of quality. Read the BAA's technical scope sections carefully. If your work does not fit the stated areas, find a different BAA rather than forcing a fit. Weak team credentials. BAAs evaluate whether your team can execute the proposed research. Include relevant publications, prior research results, and specific technical expertise. Generic company capability descriptions do not substitute for evidence of relevant scientific accomplishment. Unrealistic timelines. Proposing to solve in 12 months what realistically takes three years signals either inexperience or dishonesty. Program managers have deep domain expertise and know their fields. Scope and schedule your work honestly. No clear deliverables. Research needs defined outcomes. What will you demonstrate? What will you publish? What capability will the government gain? Vague proposals to research a topic lose to specific proposals to demonstrate a capability by a defined milestone. Budget mismatches. Requesting $5 million when the BAA typically funds $500,000 awards (or vice versa) raises immediate questions. Review past awards in the FPDS database or through the BAA's awarding agency to understand typical funding levels. For a broader view of federal contracting basics including set-asides and registration requirements, see our guides.
What to Do This Week
If you are ready to pursue R&D funding beyond SBIR, here is a practical sequence. 1. Identify your technical area and matching agencies. What research do you do? Which agencies need it? DoD funds defense technology. NASA funds space and aeronautics. DOE funds energy research. HHS and ARPA-H fund health technology. The match between your capabilities and an agency's mission is the starting point. 2. Find your best-fit BAAs. Start with the long-range BAAs listed in this guide. The ONR Long Range BAA (open through September 30, 2026) and DARPA office-wide BAAs are the broadest entry points for defense-relevant research. For health technology, check ARPA-H. For space and Earth science, check NASA ROSES on NSPIRES. 3. Read BAAs carefully before writing. Each BAA specifies research areas, evaluation criteria, submission formats, and award types. They are not interchangeable. The details determine whether your concept fits. 4. Start with white papers. Draft a 2-5 page white paper for your best-fit BAA. If the BAA lists a program manager contact, email them first to ask whether your concept aligns with their interests. This costs almost nothing and provides high-value signal. 5. Consider consortium membership for OTAs. If your technology has defense applications and you are not set up for FAR compliance, joining NSTXL, AFWERX, or NavalX gives you access to OTA opportunities that do not appear on SAM.gov. 6. Register on SAM.gov. Required for all federal contracting. If you are not registered, start now because the process takes two to four weeks. See the SAM.gov guide. 7. Build relationships before you need them. Attend industry days when announced. Email program managers. Ask about research priorities. R&D funding is more relationship-driven than traditional contracting because program managers have discretion to shape what they fund. Key upcoming deadlines: - FDA BAA for Regulatory Science: February 24, 2026 - ARPA-H AIR Program: March 18-30, 2026 - NRL Long Range BAA closes: March 31, 2026 - DARPA DSO BAA closes: June 2, 2026 - ONR Long Range BAA closes: September 30, 2026 Search all R&D and BAA opportunities