Innovation Update June 1, 2026

News from the Washington APEX SBIR Program  

Department of War: Check out the  99 new active SBIR topics,  23 new active STTR topics, and 10 Commercial Solutions Opening topics. New topics pre-release the first Wednesday of each month. 

ROADS Prize Challenge: The Defense Innovation Unit is seeking scalable, commercially derived solutions that integrate modern fleet management and Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Level 2+ through Level 4 autonomous vehicle technologies to increase NTV vehicle utilization through dynamic access and tasking, lower overall accident exposure and improve safety outcomes, reduce total NTV fleet size and cost per mile, and free service members from routine tasks so leaders can focus personnel on higher-value missions. Submission deadline: 8 June 2026. Learn More. 

Autonomous Resupply Vehicle: Department of War is seeking solutions for a small, Autonomous Resupply Vehicle (ARV-S).  The ARV-S’ primary job will be regularly resupplying containerized cargo to forward-deployed units in the form of Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs). Responses due by June 12th 11:59 PM. Learn more. 

Federal Laboratories Consortium: Innovation for Impact is a new national security-focused Federal Laboratories Consortium (FLC) event that will bring together federal laboratories, technology transfer professionals, ORTA staff, and legal experts working to advance national security innovations. Dec. 1 – 3 in Leesburg, Va., Learn More. 

DARPA: The next DARPA Open Mic is one you do not want to miss.  Join DARPA on June 4 from 3:00 to 3:30 PM ET for a live, 30-minute session featuring DARPA Deputy Director Dr. Tyler McQuade. Register Here: https://learning.theari.us/products/june-darpa-open-mic-june-4-2026#tab-product_tab_overview 

Looking for the ultimate orientation to an open ARPA-H funding opportunity? Check out the ARPA-H Solution site events calendar to sign up 

Patriot Pitch: The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) launched the Patriot Pitch Competition to eligible small businesses that represent the promise of American innovation and opportunity, and who have utilized qualifying SBA capital products – including SBIR or STTR awardees and recipients of SBIC investments. Submission deadline: 10 June 2026. Learn More. 

SBIR Coffee Hour – Lacey Maker Space, Lacey, WA. This hybrid event lets you attend in-person or on Zoom. Get clear, practical answers about Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) in plain English. Fast-track your federal funding journey at our monthly event. Register at the links below: 

June 17th 

July 29th 

August 26th 

September 30th 

October 28th 

TechNet Pacific Northwest 2027 hosted by AFCEA. This event is in-person at JBLM March 17 – 18, 2027. It’s a great way to get in front of active-duty Army and Air Force decision makers. The Pacific Northwest Chapter actively fosters regional collaboration through events like the TechNet Pacific Northwest Symposium, bringing together leaders to share ideas and advance solutions in areas such as AI/ML, cybersecurity, data-centric technologies, and JADC2.