Augmented Virtual and Mixed Reality

The Augmented Virtual and Mixed Reality solicitation seeks to drive transformative research that advances immersive technologies through rigorous scientific inquiry, with a strong emphasis on creating shared, community-centered experiences that transcend individual use. Priority is given to innovations in both hardware and software that enable personalized, accessible, and secure AR/VR/MR environments grounded in lived experience and research, with a mandate to ensure inclusivity, user safety, affordability, adaptability, and environmental sustainability. Projects must demonstrate potential for revolutionary applications and societal impact, encouraging bold, exploratory approaches across the entire AR/VR/MR spectrum without limiting scope to any single subdomain. This federal solicitation, issued by the National Science Foundation, is a Total Small Business Set-Aside under the SBIR/STTR program, open only to small businesses with fewer than 500 employees, and classified under NAICS code 541715 for research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences. The topic was posted on May 22, 2026, with responses due by July 7, 2027, and all work is expected to align with the NSF’s mission of advancing knowledge through innovative research. While no specific place of performance or point of contact is provided, proposals must adhere to the framework of technical excellence, ethical design, and broad societal benefit, with the goal of reshaping how humans perceive, interact with, and co-create digital realities.