U. S. Department of Transportation Small Business Innovation Research Fiscal Year 2026 Phase I Solicitation
Closed Solicitation Posted
- Solicitation number
- 6913G626QSBIR1
- Agency
-
Immediate Office of the Secretary of Transportation
Department of Transportation
- Responses due
- Set-aside
- Total Small Business
Opportunity facts
- NAICS code
- 541715 Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)
- PSC
- AS11 Transportation R&D Services; Surface Transportation, Public Transit, And Rail; Basic Research
- Points of contact
-
- Darren F Shaffer darren.shaffer@dot.gov (857) 270-8407
- U.S. DOT SBIR Program dotsbir@dot.gov
Notice details come from SAM.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The Department of Transportation seeks innovative research proposals from small businesses under its FY 2026 Phase I Small Business Innovation Research program, with proposals due July 7, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. ET. This is a total small business set-aside. Amendment 0001, effective June 26, 2026, updated the pricing worksheet in Appendix C; all other terms remain unchanged.
Eligible small businesses must meet the 500-employee size standard under NAICS 541715. Phase I awards are available up to $200,000 with a six-month period of performance, structured as firm-fixed-price purchase orders using simplified acquisition procedures. Successful Phase I awardees are eligible for Phase II proposals offering awards up to $1.5 million with performance periods up to 24 months. The program anticipates approximately twelve Phase I awards total, though DOT reserves the right to make fewer or more awards based on funding availability and proposal quality.
Ten research topics span highway and freight operations, rail safety, transit planning, hazardous materials safety, and battery technologies, including edge AI-V2X traffic solutions, automated catch-basin inspection, emergency battery de-energization systems, AI-powered trip planning, predictive safety analytics, freight corridor intelligence, end-of-life battery safety, thermal indicator coatings, self-repairing packaging, and lithium-ion battery fire suppression. Proposals require at least two-thirds of research effort performed by the awardee, with the principal investigator maintaining primary employment at the small business concern. Submissions require four separate files: a technical section not exceeding 15 pages, appendices with registrations, an Excel-based pricing worksheet, and supporting cost documentation. Applicants must be registered in SAM.gov and the SBA SBIR Company Registry prior to submission. A pre-proposal webinar is scheduled for June 9, 2026 from 2:00–3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Technical questions and answers from the April 29–May 29 pre-solicitation period are available at https://usdot.uservoice.com/forums/967226-u-s-dot-fy-2026-phase-i-pre-solicitation-q-a.
Notice text
The U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center), is providing this notice to issue its Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Phase I solicitation pursuant to the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. The purpose of this solicitation is to invite U.S. small businesses to submit innovative research offers in response to the solicitation topics, which serve as key research areas for the U.S. DOT. Each small business concern submitting an offer must qualify as a small business in accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR); 13 CFR 121.702. The applicable North American Industry Classification System code is 541715 with a size standard of 500 employees.
In addition to this SAM posting, the U.S. DOT SBIR FY 2026 Phase I solicitation and any documents related to it will be available on the U.S. DOT SBIR program website. This solicitation is issued through electronic means only; no hard copies will be available. A pre-proposal webinar is being held on June 9, 2026 from 2:00-3:00 pm Eastern Time. Information on the pre-proposal webinar may be found in the solicitation on page ii and/or from the U.S. DOT SBIR program website.
Technical questions and answers received on the SBIR FY26 topics that were released during the pre-solicitation period of April 29, 2026, through May 29, 2026, are available at https://usdot.uservoice.com/forums/967226-u-s-dot-fy-2026-phase-i-pre-solicitation-q-a. There are frequently asked questions and answers (FAQs) relative to the overall SBIR program on the U.S. DOT SBIR program website. Offerors must go to the website to access the FAQs.
Topic 26-FH1: Edge AI-V2X Integrated Practical Solutions for Congestion Prevention and Mitigation, has been updated with clarifications on what the topic seeks to develop including more specifics on expected functionalities, desired outcomes, and expectations for the Phase I final report. Additional details are also provided for the Phase II desired outcomes.
Topic 26-FH2: Automated Mobile Catch-basin Inspection System, has been updated with clarifications in the Topic Description.
Topic 26-FR1: Mobile High-Power Emergency BESS De-energizer System for Rail Vehicle Propulsion, has provided additional information on the battery energy storage systems (BESS) and additional details on the operational goals for the system to be developed.
Topic 26-FT1: Person-Centered, Carefree, Complete Trip Planning - Powered by AI, has added detail to clarify the desired outcomes of Phase I.
Topic 26-OS2: Freight Corridor Predictive Intelligence, has updated the overarching objectives, provided additional details in the technical parameters, and clarified the desired outcomes and expectations for Phase I.
Topic 26-PH1: Increase End-of-Life Battery Safety and Recovery of Rare Earth Minerals, has added details to clarify the desired outcomes of Phase I.
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| Amendment 0001 6913G626QSBIR1 6-26-26.pdf | ||
| FY2026_DOT SBIR Phase I Solicitation_June2026.pdf |
Notice history
| Notice | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| This notice | Solicitation | |
| U. S. Department of Transportation Small Business Innovation Research Fiscal Year 2026 Phase I Solicitation | Pre-Solicitation |
Similar open opportunities
| Opportunity | Agency | Set-aside | Responses due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office of Hazardous Materials Safety Research Initiative – FY2026 BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT (BAA) | Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration | No set-aside |
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