ACQ-19 / Research, innovation and experimentation

Match outside capital with strategic breakthrough Phase II awards

Make milestone-linked SBIR strategic breakthrough awards up to $30m per small business including affiliates across up to 48 months, with matching resources and acquisition commitment.

Action brief PDF dossier · original 168Download record

Authority / instrument · ACQ-19

Small-business scale-up

Research, innovation and experimentation

Statute & instrument

Authority holder

Eligible federal agency; DoD acquisition and SBIR officials

What this does not authorize / hard limit

No federal equity acquisition created; this is a funding agreement.

Recorded executor

Service or Defense Agency SBIR-STTR office and award officer

Continue to actor →

Recorded executing role; this record-specific route is not an additional institutional office.

Legal basisSources linkedLegal sources and instrument limits are recorded.

RequirementsGates recordedRead the requirements for this instrument; applicability depends on the proposed action.

Public fundingRules recordedUp to 0.50% of extramural R&D from agency SBIR allocation if required SBIR expenditure exceeds $100m; match and statutory ceilings are not available funds. Office budget figures are separate institutional context, not an allocation to this instrument.

Assigned rolesRoles recordedPublic sources describe institutional authority. The instrument identifies approval and execution roles; a specific signature remains transaction-dependent.

EngagementProcess sourcedA newly published AFWERX SBT FAQ now ties the strategic-breakthrough mechanism directly to the 2026 law; it is not merely renamed STRATFI. Program check: 2026-10-04; see each route for intake status.

Public evidence describes the institution and instrument; it is not approval of an individual transaction.

At a glance

Mission goalDevelop a technology Bring a prototype into use

Possible toolACQ-19 · Other statutory tools

Legal basis15 U.S.C. §638(aa)(6), (ff)(3)

Responsible rolesPlanning · funds · approval · execution

Authority holder: Eligible federal agency; DoD acquisition and SBIR officials

Other statutory tools

Mechanism tags describe the source text; they do not expand the authority.

Availability and verification

Express statutory pathway; award-specific appropriations, available balances, delegations, implementation and approvals not independently verified.

Program process and intake

Checked 2026-10-04 · program documented. Program evidence is separate from legal authority, available funds and transaction approval.

A newly published AFWERX SBT FAQ now ties the strategic-breakthrough mechanism directly to the 2026 law; it is not merely renamed STRATFI.

DAF Strategic Breakthrough (PY26.3.2)

Who this route serves: Eligible small businesses with a successfully completed Phase II and a government sponsor
Administering office / routing lead: AFWERX/DAF SBIR-STTR program and sponsoring government acquisition organization

Direct implementation

FAQ 1 expressly names section 3 of the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act and 15 U.S.C. 638.

What this evidence label means

Program-specific guidance published

The PY26.3.2 FAQ is available; a submission deadline or executed SBT award was not independently verified.

Status reference date: 2026-10-04 · research checked 2026-10-04

AFWERX PY26.3.2 Strategic Breakthrough FAQ · Questions 1–16, pp. 1–4official program guidance · Evidence record

Program eligibility

Completed PhaseII; directly related follow-on; mission alignment;1:1match, at least20%of that match from new non-SBIR/STTR DoD funds.
AFWERX PY26.3.2 Strategic Breakthrough FAQ · Questions 1–16, pp. 1–4official program guidance · Evidence record

Steps and preparation

Prepare PhaseII completion, market research, match commitments, transition plan and PAE-or-higher written acquisition/planning commitment.
AFWERX PY26.3.2 Strategic Breakthrough FAQ · Questions 1–16, pp. 1–4official program guidance · Evidence record
Government POC submits the completed capability package after reviewing current templates and guidance.
AFWERX Sequential Opportunities · Eligibility; Submission Process; SBT FAQofficial program guidance · Evidence record

Funding, limits and authority relationship

Funding and financial terms

sequential SBIR/STTR PhaseII · PY26.3.2 guidance
Up to$30 million through one or sequentialPhaseII awards over no more than48 months; matching funds are additional.
AFWERX PY26.3.2 Strategic Breakthrough FAQ · Questions 1–16, pp. 1–4official program guidance · Evidence record

Exclusions and limits

Not initialPhaseII; FAQ requires completedPhaseII, despite broader shared-page language allowing activePhaseII for other sequential routes.
AFWERX PY26.3.2 Strategic Breakthrough FAQ · Questions 1–16, pp. 1–4official program guidance · Evidence record

Authority relationship source

AFWERX PY26.3.2 Strategic Breakthrough FAQ · Questions 1–16, pp. 1–4official program guidance · Evidence record

AFWERX SBT requirements and government submission process →

published guidance: Government-sponsored submission; confirm the applicable SBT notice and deadline, not a direct company upload assumption.

Research scope and sources checked

Rechecked latest AFWERX page and linked SBT-specificFAQ, superseding April 2026 webinar guidance-pending statements. Retained distinctions from STRATFI/TACFI; did not reclassify their historical awards as SBT.

AFWERX PY26.3.2 Strategic Breakthrough FAQ · Questions 1–16, pp. 1–4official program guidance · Evidence record
AFWERX Sequential Opportunities · Eligibility; Submission Process; SBT FAQofficial program guidance · Evidence record

What remains unverified

Public page/FAQ eligibility wording differs; SBT-specific FAQ is stricter. Award history, funded allocation and live deadline remain unverified.

A dated source check is not continuing monitoring. Recheck the linked official notice before preparing a submission. Browse program research →

Requirements and limits

Eligibility & prerequisites

Prior Phase II SBIR/STTR award; at least 100% matching from new private capital and/or qualifying non-Phase I/II government funding.
DoD: readiness, high-priority need, POM inclusion commitment by acquisition executive or higher; at least 20% of required match from new qualifying DoD funds.

Limits & exclusions

No federal equity acquisition created; this is a funding agreement.
Agency must satisfy eligibility and implement procedures; award deadline 90 days does not eliminate required findings.

Funding conditions

Up to 0.50% of extramural R&D from agency SBIR allocation if required SBIR expenditure exceeds $100m; match and statutory ceilings are not available funds.

Read the funding and execution guide

Who contributes what

Need & planning

DoD/component SBIR-STTR program office and technical topic owner

Resources

Component extramural R&D budget owner

Approval

Authorized component grants/contracting official; required research-security reviewers

Execution

Service or Defense Agency SBIR-STTR office and award officer
Office profile

Partners & review

SBA program-wide policy
Eligible small business; acquisition customer; research-security and counterintelligence partners

Office links are editorial matches to the original role text, not verified delegations. Composite labels and unmatched actors are preserved.

Coordination pathway

Mission customer → acquisition executive POM commitment → SBIR office and match verification → security/legal review → milestone agreement.

Actor and execution-role sources

Legal basis

15 U.S.C. §638(aa)(6), (ff)(3) · 2024 edition (GovInfo)Primary statutory text; primary GovInfo baseline and amendment audit identified in research narrative.
P.L. 119-83, §3Enacted public law, not a pending bill.

What this research establishes