About this opportunity
AI summaryThe buyer seeks innovative, early-stage platform technologies that advance intelligent, adaptive, and scalable AI systems operating in or interfacing with the physical world. The requested scope includes physical AI applications such as robotics and cyber-physical systems, implantable, ingestible, or wearable AI devices, neural or bio-integrated platforms, and built-environment or infrastructure-scale systems. The buyer excludes narrow device-layer add-ons, instrumentation, UI or dashboards, teleoperation apps, single-sensor improvements, generic wearables lacking closed-loop autonomy or adaptability, biological cataloging or data-lake plays without novel embodied control or controlled training datasets, speculative bio-AI, and human-robot interaction or embodied AI around humans that omit safety, reliability, and security considerations. Only onshore, USA organizations qualify for this eligibility requirement. The contractor will perform all work offsite. The buyer accepts proposals to determine the budget and provides a quick screening checklist for applicants. The buyer provides no additional evaluation criteria or key dates in the announcement.
Scope of work
- Develop novel platform technologies that serve as foundations for future engineering solutions or scientific breakthroughs
- Establish new organizational research structures that leverage cross-sector partnerships
- Conduct full-time use-inspired research and development
- Execute milestone-based R&D tasks and deliver quarterly reports
- Provide a detailed Phase 0 Milestone Plan, Autonomy Transition Plan, and Phase 1 Budget
How proposals are evaluated
| Criterion | Weight / scoring |
|---|---|
| Team Qualifications and Structure (Written Proposal) | Not specified |
| Mission Clarity and Outcomes (Written Proposal) | Not specified |
| Team Qualifications and Structure (Oral Proposal Package) | weighed higher than Mission Clarity and Outcomes |
| Mission Clarity and Outcomes (Oral Proposal Package) | Not specified |
Minimum qualifications
- Must be a domestic responsible entity (USA organization only)
- Registration in System for Award Management (SAM.gov) with Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) prior to submission
- Senior/Key Personnel must use SciENcv to prepare biographical sketches and current and pending support documents
Documents to include with your response
- Written Proposal PDF
- Conflicts of Interest (COI) statement PDF
- Oral Presentation Slides
- Phase 0 Milestone Plan
- Senior/Key Personnel Disclosures (biographical sketch and current/pending support)
- Phase 0 Budget and Budget Justification
- Letters of Collaboration
Key dates
- Senior/Key Personnel Disclosures due
- approximately 48 hours after receipt of invitations to submit Oral Proposal Package
- Oral Proposal Packages due
- approximately 5 business days prior to scheduled oral presentations
How to submit
- Method
- Electronic PDF submission
- Instructions
- Written Proposal as PDF without cover letter max 8 single-sided pages, 12-pt font, 1-inch margins, max 1.5 MB. COI Statement as separate PDF, no page limit, max 1.5 MB.
Contract details
- Term
- Phase 0 lasting approximately 9 to 12 months, Phase 1 lasting approximately 24 to 36 months, with potential renewal for Phase 2
- Estimated value
- Phase 0 no more than $1,500,000; Phase 1 no more than $50,000,000 per year
- Place of performance
- Within the United States
Federal notice details
- Solicitation number
- NSF-Topic3-FY26-XLabsPhysicalAI
- Agency
- National Science Foundation
- Buying office
- Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP)
- Notice type
- Solicitation
- Responses due
- Jan 7, 2027, 5:00 PM ET
- Posted on SAM.gov
- Sep 16, 2026
- NAICS
- 541715 · Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)
- Product/service code
- AJ12
- Set-aside
- No Set aside used
- Place of performance
- Alexandria, VA, 22314
- Contracting contact
- X-Labs
XLabs@nsf.gov
Source: SAM.gov. Read the official notice for the complete description and current instructions.
Incumbent and award research
No incumbent history found for this requirement. The notice does not cite a current contract, and no earlier award from this buying office matches it.
Market context
Awards in the same category (Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)). This is not this requirement's award history.
Recent similar awards: National Science Foundation, NAICS 541715, performed in VA
| Vendor and award | Value | Ends |
|---|---|---|
| REI SYSTEMS, INC.49100425C0024 · SBIR PHASE III AWARD, NSF PES SYSTEM | $2.4M | Mar 31, 2027 |
| REI SYSTEMS, INC.49100424C0051 · SBIR PHASE II AWARD, NSF PES SYSTEM | $1.5M | Sep 30, 2025 |
| AT&T ENTERPRISES, LLC49100422C0020 · AT&T ?NSF CONVERGENCE ACCELERATOR AND THE TRACK (G)? | $5.7M | Aug 31, 2025 |
| REI SYSTEMS, INC.49100422C0029 · SBIR PHASE III AWARD, NSF PES SYSTEM | $5.6M | Sep 30, 2024 |
| UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON49100421C0036 · BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT PROJECT TITLED, "VERIFIED INFORMATION EXCHANGE CONVERGENCE ACCEL | $739.5K | Sep 14, 2024 |
Top vendors in this category: National Science Foundation, NAICS 541715, since Oct 1, 2024
13 contract awards in this NAICS over the period.
- 1. TELEDYNE FLIR DEFENSE, LLC$4.0M
- 2. IRIDESCENT SENSORS INC$4.0M
- 3. DELTA BRAVO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE INC$4.0M
- 4. GEOSYNTEC CONSULTANTS, INC.$4.0M
- 5. SWEETSENSE INC$3.6M
Source: USAspending.gov federal award data (U.S. federal public data). A contract is called the incumbent only when the notice or its documents cite it by number.