SBIR & STTR Topics for Autonomous Systems Companies in California
There are 3 open federal SBIR/STTR topics right now that match Autonomous Systems capabilities, across DOD, NIH, NSF, DOE, NASA, USDA, and 5 other agencies. Below: the current open topic list, recent Autonomous Systems winners headquartered in California, the California SBDC SBIR contact, and how TopicScout compares to SBIR.gov / Grants.gov / HigherGov / Instrumentl for finding the next topic to apply to.
FAA Aircraft Pilots Workforce Development Grant Program — FAA - Aviation Next Gen · closes 2026-06-22 The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is accepting applications for the fiscal year (FY) 2026 FAA Aircraft Pilots Workforce Development Grant Program of which 20 percent of the total amo…
DoW Breast Cancer, Breakthrough Award Level 4 — Dept. of the Army -- USAMRAA · closes 2026-09-30 Summary: The fiscal year 2026 (FY26) Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP) Breakthrough Award mechanism supports promising research with high potential to lead to or make breakthroughs in breast cancer. All applications must address at leas…
UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY Broad Agency Announcement — Dept of the Army -- Materiel Command · closes 2027-03-31 The U.S. Military Academy at West Point's mission is "to educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for …
How to find SBIR topics: TopicScout vs alternatives
Tool
Coverage
Match scoring
Weekly digest
Price
TopicScout
All 11 SBIR/STTR agencies +
Grants.gov + NSF
AI-scored vs your cap statement
Yes (Mon AM)
$29/mo solo, $500–2k/mo institutional
SBIR.gov
All 11 agencies (canonical source)
Keyword search only
No
Free
Grants.gov
All federal grants (not just SBIR)
Keyword search only
Saved-search email
Free
HigherGov
SBIR + 7k+ SLED sources
Keyword + filters
Yes
$500–5k/yr
Instrumentl
Foundation grants (nonprofits, not SBIR)
AI-scored, nonprofit-tuned
Yes
$179–$999/mo
SBIR.gov is the canonical source — every
SBIR/STTR topic posts there first. TopicScout's value isn't access; it's
the cap-statement scoring + weekly digest so you stop scanning portals
by hand. Try the free matcher against your statement
— takes a paragraph, no signup.
FAQ
How do I find open SBIR topics for a Autonomous Systems company in
California?
The canonical source is SBIR.gov, which lists every open
SBIR/STTR topic across all 11 federal agencies. To filter to
Autonomous Systems-relevant topics that match your specific tech, paste
your capability statement into TopicScout's free
matcher — it scores all open topics against your cap statement
in ~60 seconds. California SBIR firms also get help from the
California SBDC network and
state matching-fund programs.
What's the best SBIR matching tool for Autonomous Systems startups?
For solo founders: TopicScout's $29/mo plan covers all 11 agencies
with weekly AI-scored digests. For consulting firms supporting multiple
clients: TopicScout institutional plan ($500–2k/mo flat) or
HigherGov ($500–5k/yr). For nonprofits (not SBIR-eligible):
Instrumentl. SBIR.gov itself is free but requires manual scanning.
Which agencies fund the most Autonomous Systems SBIR/STTR work?
Based on the current open topic list, the top agencies for
Autonomous Systems are visible in the topic list above. Historically:
DARPA + AFWERX + Navy SBIR for defense-adjacent Autonomous Systems,
NIH + CDC for health-adjacent, NSF + DOE for foundational R&D.