SUPPORTING THE FUTURE FORCE
Dr. Amit Mehra of NOVI LLC, who participated in xTechSearch 2.0, said that he had “nothing but praise for this effort, as well as broader initiatives within the government to facilitate and simplify interactions with commercial entities outside of the typi- cal R&D and procurement channels.”
Te competition is a platform to create considerable change on a budget of less than $5 million per year with a simple commit- ment to build trust and collaboration through conversation. Conversation among the Army and the small companies does not necessarily promulgate immediate business development. In fact, several companies that were not successful in xTech- Search 1.0 modified their technologies and have since applied and advanced to subsequent stages of xTechSearch 2.0 and 3.0. Te result was the development of partnerships with Army or other service laboratories to take their technologies in directions they had not anticipated. “Failure” can work to the benefit of both the government and the company.
Companies also noted that the xTechSearch application and presentation process focused their research on competitive tech- nologies and the Army’s requirements to better position their products for DOD consideration. Jonathan Friedland, presi- dent of Megaray LLC, who participated in xTechSearch 1.0, said, “When I saw the caliber of participants, it is incredible how many breakthrough technologies exist that, if not for xTech- Search, may never land up on the Army’s radar.” Even the grand prize winner of xTechSearch 1.0, Adranos, was able to develop new uses for its technology. “Prior to xTechSearch, we failed to realize how significant of a role our solid propellant could have on the DOD’s hypersonic initiatives,” said Chris Stoker, co-founder and CEO. “We now believe that our propellant could be used to increase the range of not only any systems using solid rocket motors but numerous air-breathing systems, such as cruise missiles, as well.”
A STEP BEYOND A common concern among many small business competitors was that, while the competition was helpful in getting their companies in front of interesting audiences and being able to say they were a finalist for the early stages of commercialization and govern- ment engagements, the follow-on “what next” step was missing.
Several competitors added that while engagement with industry and the government can be a tough process, just how they would continue innovation and commercialization after xTechSearch was unclear. Te biggest challenge to working with the govern- ment is the final step of awarding a contract. One competitor, Dr.
Leaf Jiang, CEO of NODAR Inc., suggested that xTechSearch “open up follow-on activities, perhaps through SBIR topics.”
Tese comments provided the impetus to take a closer look at other programs, such as the SBIR and Small Business Technol- ogy Transfer programs. Such programs may help companies get a contract and decrease the time between technology innovation and fielding to the hands of the warfighter. Companies applying for SBIR funding must show how their technology or concept will provide a solution to a SBIR topic identified by Army labo- ratories, program executive offices or other organizations.
Previously, the SBIR topics were meant to scope the problems down to specific individual needs. XTechSearch took the opposite approach by broadening its topics to the Army’s six moderniza- tion priorities, plus medical and engineering needs, to attract innovative ideas that otherwise would have been overlooked. Te result was the inclusion of the SBIR research topic, “Expedition- ary Technology Search (xTechSearch) Dual-Use Technologies Applicable to Army Modernization Priority Areas,” for technology solutions with both commercial and defense applications. (For additional information on the Army 19.2 SBIR proposal submis- sion instructions, go to
https://smallbusiness.ll.mit.edu/sbo/ sites/default/files/forms/01_Army_19.2_SBIR.pdf). Compa- nies were required to articulate how their technologies have an advantage over existing commercial technologies outside defense.
AN EFFECTIVE SUPPLEMENT Te SBIR program targets the same constellation of small, imagi- native high-tech U.S. businesses as does xTechSearch. It provides the opportunity to respond to critical Army needs with innovative solutions. Te goal of both programs is to widen the innovation aperture by increasing the number of potential companies engag- ing with the government. Te addition of the SBIR topic opened a path for potentially adding up to 30 months of funding and support for the xTechSearch competitors. (Noncompetitors may also apply for SBIR funding under this topic.) Te SBIR is a three- phased program that directly funds early-stage R&D by small companies. Eligible projects must fulfill an R&D need identified by DOD and have the potential to be developed into a product or service for commercial or defense markets. Te xTechSearch topic was unique in that, rather than defining a prescriptive tech- nology gap, the topic requested novel dual-use technologies that provide a benefit to both the Army and the commercial sector. Te phases of the SBIR program are similar to the phases found in xTechSearch:
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