NEW CAPABILITIES AND CONCEPTS
connections. Tese advantages range from experience in early- stage business development, prototyping, marketing, Army relations and navigating the Army acquisition process.
In addition to cash prizes, both small businesses and large inte- grators will be eligible for follow-on SBIR contract awards—with the large integrators serving as subcontractors to their small-busi- ness partners on SBIR contracts.
Continuing this prime integrator and small-business partner- ship will help guide small businesses to where solutions fit into the Army landscape and clear a pathway for potential SBIR Phase III sole-source awards, which means a proposal no longer needs to compete with other companies to receive funding. As subcontractors, large integrators can continue serving in a mentorship role, while allowing the small businesses to spear- head their technology transition to the Army.
“Major weapons system prime contractors are essential part- ners in technology transitions,” Willis said. “We simply cannot succeed as an Army without them, which is why it is imperative that we deploy mechanisms that incentivize collaboration with small businesses.”
While the xTech prize competition offers a steady and dynamic rhythm of prize competitions throughout the year, xTechPrime’s unique formulation will ignite a new wave of collaboration in support of the nation’s Soldier.
THE ARMY R&D MARKETPLACE Over the course of 2023, the Army will develop an on-demand portal—the R&D Marketplace—that will connect the dots between multiple resources such as small businesses, prime contractors, Army programs and technology developers.
Connections made through the digital marketplace will give these businesses insight into existing companies and technologies, as well as potential collaboration opportunities with minimized transition risk and speedier innovation within the Army’s major weapon systems platforms.
Many moving pieces lead to a full-scale Army acquisition from a nontraditional vendor, whether it may be a small business or prime contractor. Te R&D Marketplace will create greater awareness and transparency among key players that make acquisitions and technology transitions to the Soldier possible. Tis includes small- and large-scale technology innovators, Army leaders, program managers, program executive offices and laboratories.
ARMY PROGRAMS IGNITE QUICK-TURN CLEAN TECH
The U.S. Army’s race toward the future of innovation runs alongside another sustainment challenge: The Army must identify energy-efficient technologies to curb the impacts of climate change.
Several efforts establish the Army as a champion of clean tech while still equipping Soldiers with peak- performance solutions. In addition to the SBIR CATALYST Program’s clean-tech focus, the U.S. Army xTech Program also mitigates the Army’s environ- mental footprint in alignment with the Army Climate Strategy, which was released last year.
“The Army has an operational footprint and a carbon trail,” said Matthew Willis, Ph.D., director of Army Prize Competitions and the Army Applied SBIR Program. “As a result, we need to invest in technologies that recognize this reality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
The xTechSBIR Clean Tech competition launched in April 2022 to support the Army Climate Strategy. It began with a call for small and nontraditional busi- nesses to submit concept white papers on their novel, disruptive clean tech solutions. XTech received nearly 200 submissions for several Soldier-operative tech- nologies that support the Army’s objectives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In July 2022—only three months after the launch of the competition—the program announced 24 winners, who each received $10,000 in cash prizes and the opportunity to submit for either a Phase I SBIR contract award of $250,000 or a Direct to Phase II SBIR contract award of $1.8 million. This combination of a quick-turn award and transition potential proves that Army mechanisms, such as xTech and SBIR, are responsive and proactive at the point of need.
“The competition evaluated hundreds of clean tech- nologies against their application to the Army Climate Strategy,” Willis said. “Not only were we able to iden- tify the top 24 solutions, but the SBIR awards allow us to actually bring them on contract—and quickly— so the Army can deliver and deploy these technologies to Soldiers.”
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