DoD SBIR
AFWERX Open Topic SBIR: how the Air Force route actually works
AFWERX Open Topics let dual-use companies pitch their own technology to the Air Force. What the Open Topic asks for, how it differs from a conventional SBIR topic, and how to find a customer.
What an Open Topic is
Most SBIR topics describe a technical problem an agency wants solved. An AFWERX Open Topic inverts that: the Air Force invites companies to bring a commercial or dual-use technology and show how it solves a real Department of the Air Force need.
That makes Open Topics attractive to companies with an existing product and a commercial market. The technical burden shifts from proving novel science toward proving military relevance, adoption pathway and a customer who genuinely wants the capability.
The customer is the centre of the proposal
Strong Open Topic submissions name an end user: a squadron, a wing, a program office, or a specific mission task with a measurable pain. A memorandum of understanding or a letter from that unit turns a plausible claim into evidence.
Finding that customer takes time. The practical routes are AFWERX events and pitch days, existing contacts through advisers and investors, and program offices whose published mission maps onto your capability. Begin the conversations months ahead of the solicitation window.
How the phases run
Phase I awards are short feasibility studies, typically funding a structured discovery effort with the customer rather than laboratory work. Phase II funds the prototype and the transition plan, and it is common for companies to enter at Phase II Direct where they already have commercial proof.
Matching mechanisms such as STRATFI and TACFI extend successful Phase II projects with government and private funds, which is where the Air Force pathway becomes materially larger than a standard SBIR trajectory.
Writing for a defense reviewer
Reviewers assess military utility, technical merit and commercialization potential together. Describe the mission outcome first, in the customer's language, then the technology that produces it, then the evidence that it works today.
Concrete numbers carry the argument: hours saved per sortie, detection range achieved, units already deployed commercially. Our DoD writers pair scientists with people who have sat on the government side of these evaluations. Book a free eligibility call to see whether an Open Topic fits your technology.
Ready to turn this into a funded proposal?
Book a free 30-minute consultation with a senior grant consultant. We will check your eligibility, match you to the right program, and map out your submission timeline.
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