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U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A



This U.S. DOT Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Pre-solicitation Q&A Forum provides small businesses an opportunity to submit clarifying questions on the topics published in the U.S. DOT Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation. Questions will be answered by the Technical Experts/Topic Authors at the U.S. DOT Operating Administrations during this period. Questions shall be limited to improving the understanding of a particular topic's requirements and should not share proposal ideas nor proprietary information.

The U.S. DOT’s FY 2026 Pre-Solicitation period is April 29, 2026, through May 29, 2026, at 5:00 pm Eastern Time (ET). Only questions posted within this period will be responded to.

How to Use the SBIR Pre-solicitation Q&A Forum:

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Search: Browse the existing questions by category to find the topic you are interested in and to see if your question has already been addressed. If you see a question, you are also interested in, you can add a vote to the question, or leave a comment.

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  1. Select the research topic your question is related to from the drop-down menu that appears when you begin typing.
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Please note, all comments will be public information. Potential offerors shall not include in the question(s) or comment(s) any information that they do not wish to be made public. Telephone inquiries or meeting requests will not be addressed and may be removed. The U.S. DOT shall not respond to requests for advice or guidance on any offeror’s solution to any SBIR topic and shall not consider any submitted materials other than questions.

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2 results found

  1. Would a human-centered safety communication system that generates real-time visual warning signals (based on braking behavior and environmen

    The system I am developing focuses on proactive accident prevention by providing immediate, human-visible signals to surrounding drivers and pedestrians.

    In addition to visual signaling, the system integrates environmental awareness (e.g., stop sign detection via GPS) to anticipate potential risk situations and provide advance warning.

    I would like to understand whether such human-generated and behavior-based signaling systems can be recognized as a valid input or complementary component within predictive safety analytics frameworks.

    1 vote

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    0 comments  ·  26-OS1: Predictive Safety Analytics for Commercial Transport Modernization  ·  Admin →
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  2. Does predictive safety include human-visible communication systems designed to prevent accidents before driver reaction?

    I am developing a predictive human-centered safety communication system that provides a forward-facing visual signal activated during braking to improve awareness for oncoming drivers and pedestrians.

    In addition, the system is being expanded to include:

    • an amber-colored signal for regulatory compatibility,

    • a fully cordless, solar-powered design,

    • and GPS-based detection of stop signs to provide advance warning signals to drivers.

    Given that this approach is based on human-visible communication rather than AI-based analytics, I would like to confirm whether such a system falls within the scope of predictive safety analytics for this topic.

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U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A

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