The pre-solicitation period for U.S. DOT’s FY26 Phase I Solicitation is from Wednesday, April 29th, 2026 through Friday, May 29th, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). View the pre-solicitation instructions and full descriptions of U.S. DOT’s proposed FY26 Phase I solicitation research topics.

View the System for Award Management (SAM) notice.

Things to Know 

• During the pre-solicitation period, technical questions concerning the proposed research topics should be directed to the U.S. DOT topic authors via an online forum at uservoice.com. Please read the FY26 pre-solicitation notice for instructions. 
• U.S. DOT’s FY26 Phase I solicitation is tentatively scheduled to open on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. An announcement on a webinar date will be shared in the coming weeks. Sign up for SBIR emails to receive a notice.

FY26 Proposed Research Topics 

The proposed FY26 research topics are listed below. Full descriptions of each research topic are included in Appendix A, which is included in the FY26 pre-solicitation notice.  

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) 

• 26-FH1: Edge Artificial Intelligence Vehicle-to-Everything (AI-V2X) Integrated Practical Solutions for Congestion Prevention and Mitigation
• 26-FH2: Automated Mobile Catch-basin Inspection System

Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) 

• 26-FR1: Mobile High-Power Emergency Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) De-energizer System for Rail Vehicle Propulsion

Federal Transit Administration (FTA) 

• 26-FT1: Person-Centered, Carefree, Complete Trip Planning - Powered by AI

Office of the Secretary (OST) 

• 26-OS1: Predictive Safety Analytics for Commercial Transport Modernization
• 26-OS2: Freight Corridor Predictive Intelligence

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)

• 26-PH1: Increase End-of-Life Battery Safety and Recovery of Rare Earth Minerals
• 26-PH2: Thermal Indicator Coatings for Hazardous Materials Packaging Safety
• 26-PH3: Self-repairing Hazardous Materials Packaging
• 26-PH4: Improved Response to Lithium-ion Battery Fires