Ansys Evaluation Licenses

See if you qualify for an Ansys eval — three things, one ask.

Ask one question — "do I qualify for an evaluation?" — and if the answer is yes you get three things at once: a short-term Ansys evaluation license for the exact tools your problem needs, live engineering support from an assigned application engineer, and free self-paced learning to ramp up. It costs nothing to ask, no obligation either way. Evaluations are Ansys programs, granted through Ansys and its authorized channel partners at their discretion — we make the request easy and set you up properly if it's approved.

1 · The evaluation license

The real, full-capability Ansys products — not a size-capped student build — scoped to the physics your project needs, running on your geometry and your data.

2 · Live engineering support

An application engineer from an authorized channel partner is assigned to your eval — someone who has solved your class of problem — for setup, meshing, physics, and reading results.

3 · Free learning content

Self-paced Ansys courses matched to your tools, so you learn between sessions and keep the knowledge afterward.

What you can use it for

Evaluate — or build the MVP that wins funding

An evaluation is for proving Ansys can do what you need on your real problem. For many founders, that same work is the first virtual prototype — the feasibility evidence that strengthens a Army xTech & Army SBIR proposal and the demo that moves investors. There are no strings on what you build; you're encouraged to put it to work on your MVP.

Reassure yourself

Confirm, with your own model, that Ansys is the right tool — and that you can master it — before committing a dollar.

Build your MVP

Produce the stress plots, flow fields, and thermal maps that de-risk the physics and make the pitch. The MVP playbook →

Any physics combo

Scope the eval across tools — Fluent + Mechanical for FSI, HFSS + Icepak for RF electrothermal — to test your real multiphysics workflow.

Straight answers

Questions founders ask

Do I have to be incorporated to enter an xTech competition?
For the cash-prize rounds, often no — many xTech competitions are open to any U.S.-based business, which is friendly to stealth and early-stage teams. The Army SBIR follow-on, however, requires you to be an eligible U.S. small business. Always check the specific competition's eligibility rules on the official RFI.
Is the xTech prize really non-dilutive?
Yes. The cash prize takes no equity, requires no contract to collect, and you keep your intellectual property. It's genuinely non-dilutive. The separate Army SBIR contract that winners can pursue is a funded R&D agreement with its own terms — that's a contract, not equity.
Does winning xTech guarantee an Army SBIR contract?
No. Winning earns you an exclusive invitation to submit an Army SBIR Phase I or Direct-to-Phase-II proposal — a real head start, but not an award. Every contract is competitive and made at the Army's sole discretion. Nothing on this site is a promise or guarantee of funding.
How much money is actually on the table?
It varies by competition. A themed round often totals around $1M — for example ~12 finalists at $20K plus a handful of winners at $150K. Larger competitions like xTech|Edge Strike: Ground have offered up to ~$2M. The SBIR follow-on can reach ~$250K (Phase I) or up to ~$2M (Phase II / D2P2). Confirm figures on each official RFI.
Why does simulation matter for an xTech or SBIR submission?
Army hardware has to survive blast, ballistics, vibration, heat and contested RF. Engineering simulation lets you show reviewers you understand those failure modes and have designed around them — evidence that risk is retired, not just described. It's frequently what separates a winning concept from a slide deck.
Can you actually get me Ansys software and help?
We can help arrange Ansys evaluation licenses, live engineering support, and free learning content through a channel partner. Evaluation access and the Ansys Startup Program are Ansys programs offered at Ansys's and the partner's sole discretion, and you're always free to work with any partner you choose. This site is informational — we don't sell the software or the funding.

Ask if you qualify.

Under 20 minutes to a reply during business hours.