National Institute of Justice
This is a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for the NIJ FY 2026 Research and Evaluation on Drones as First Responders. This opportunity seeks proposals for rigorous evaluations of implementations of drone technology to combat violent crime, immigration enforcement, and other law enforcement activities. The goal of this NOFO is to provide actionable information about police implementation of small drones through a collaboration between law enforcement agencies and researchers. NIJ welcomes research and evaluation of drones as first responders (DFR) capabilities, including evaluation of existing capabilities or pilot programs at police departments already using DFR, as well as implementation of new pilot programs or demonstrations. NIJ expects research entities and law enforcement agencies to collaborate on implementing DFR and evaluating operational performance. Law enforcement agencies participating in evaluations will have the option to retain any DFR technology purchased through the NOFO at the study’s conclusion.
Up to $3,500,000
Total program funding: $3,500,000
Other Units of Local Government
Who can apply: Government & Tribal, Nonprofits, Small Businesses, Schools & Colleges, For-Profit Businesses
Nationwide (USA)
Federal Government
Apply through Grants.gov. Your organization needs active SAM.gov (UEI) and Grants.gov registrations. These can take several weeks, so start early.
U.S. Department of Defense (SBIR)
Inexpensive, highly maneuverable, commercially available unmanned aerial systems (UAS) threaten tactical forces, critical infrastructure, and installations. Current defenses are limited by cost, by the operator attention they require, and by their...
Last verified Oct 23, 2026
U.S. Department of Defense (SBIR)
The Air Force requires light weight, compactly packaged optical systems to perform critical beam control functions for airborne high energy laser systems. The purpose of this topic is not to develop new outer moldlines or turret designs for airborne systems...
Last verified Oct 23, 2026
U.S. Department of Defense (SBIR)
The PF300 flash bulbs, that provide high-intensity illumination for high-speed video acquisition, are no longer in production. The objective is to award a contract to a small business to engineer, design, and manufacture a modern, robust, reusable replacement...
Last verified Oct 23, 2026
U.S. Department of Defense (SBIR)
This topic seeks the development of a computationally efficient engineering-level model to predict the formation and characteristics of the "spurt" in fluid cavity created jets. The hydrodynamic spurt is the initial, often unsteady, ejection of material from...
Last verified Oct 23, 2026
