# SBIR / STTR #DON27TZ02-NV002

Navy STTR research on efficient, explainable machine learning for edge hardware

**Buyer:** ONR
**Posted:** November 05, 2026
**Respond By:** January 06, 2027
**Identifier:** DON27TZ02-NV002
**NAICS:** 541715

The Department of the Navy is seeking a research partnership to develop field-friendly, explainable machine-learning systems that can run accurately on resource-limited devices.
- **Government buyer:** Department of the Navy, administered by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the Navy SBIR/STTR Program Management Office.
- **Topic:** DON27TZ02-NV002, “Field-Friendly Super Intelligence and Machine Learning Systems,” within a Navy STTR solicitation.
- **Requested work:** Develop an explainable, reliable, resource-efficient machine-learning model with image-classification performance comparable to deep neural networks (DNNs), while reducing computation and memory needs. It should run on CPUs and edge hardware without relying on cloud services.
- **Development phases:** Phase I studies feasibility and prioritizes convolutional neural network (CNN) image classification; Phase II develops and tests a prototype against defined performance metrics; Phase III targets an industry-ready, scalable model, extending work toward transformers, multimodal data, and potential uses such as autonomous robots.
- **Notable requirements:** Phase I generally has a six-month base and a six-month option; the Phase I funding caps are $200,000 for the base and $115,000 for the option. The topic seeks a partnership between a small business and a research institution. No product quantities or part numbers are specified.
- **OEMs and vendors:** No commercial OEMs, vendors, or named research partners are identified.
- **Broader notice context:** The accompanying Navy STTR material covers 15 research topics, including the NV-002 topic and work in optics, autonomy, energy, marine monitoring, manufacturing, antennas, and photonics.

### Description

This is a Department of the Navy STTR topic under the DoW STTR 2027 BAA, administered by the Office of Naval Research. The source identifies the topic as pre-release and provides Navy proposal submission instructions, including a Phase I technical volume limit of 10 pages and submission through the DoW SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal. The topic question deadline is January 23, 2027, and proposals are due February 6, 2027.

[View original listing](https://www.dodsbirsttr.mil/topics-app/)