Small businesses across the U.S. have been awarded over $9 million to develop prototypes of various security technologies.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program awarded a total of $9,782,624 million to small businesses to further develop technologies intended to support homeland security mission needs.

The DHS SBIR program, administered by the DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), awarded contracts to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) creating technologies such as virus detection, artificial intelligence (AI), 5G security and more.

Based on the feasibility of the technologies, nine contracts of approximately $1 million were awarded to build and demonstrate a prototype over a two-year period.

"Advancing technologies through research, development, and innovation investments are key to equipping DHS frontline workers with the tools they need to safeguard our nation," said Kathryn Coulter Mitchell, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary for Science and Technology.

"Small businesses are critical to the execution of the DHS mission, they are a key factor to a healthy economy."