xTechSearch 6 will highlight opportunities for small businesses to collaborate with the Army to tackle the most critical Army modernization challenges.
The Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASA(ALT)) is announcing the sixth iteration of its open topic prize competition – Expeditionary Technology Search (xTechSearch). xTechSearch 6 will highlight opportunities for small businesses to collaborate with the Army to tackle the most critical Army modernization challenges.
The ASA(ALT) recognizes that the Army must enhance engagements with the small businesses, by: (1) understanding the spectrum of technologies being developed commercially that may benefit the Army; (2) integrating the sector of small business innovators into the Army’s Science and Technology (S&T) ecosystem; and (3) providing mentorship and expertise to accelerate, mature, and transition technologies of interest to the Army.
The xTechSearch 6 competition will provide increasing non-dilutive seed prizes to select small businesses. Ultimately 20 Finalists will receive awards of $25K each and be invited to demonstrate a proof-of-concept of their dual-use technologies pertaining to Army challenges and have the opportunity to submit for a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award of up to $250K each. Proof-of-concept demonstrations will take place at or around the 2022 Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Global Force Symposium and Exhibition in March 2022 in Huntsville, Alabama. Details on the prize and SBIR structure are listed below in this announcement.
The xTechSearch competition strives to integrate small businesses into the Army’s S&T ecosystem by providing research opportunities with Army labs, including authorized access to the Army’s organic intellectual and technical capital. Participants will receive detailed feedback from Army and Department of Defense (DoD) stakeholders.
Participants will have access to training, mentorship and other support infrastructure as they progress through the contest to determine how best to align their technology solutions with real users and buyers within the Army. Finalists will be entered into the xTech Accelerator to receive intensive mentorship and access to networking events to help grow their companies for Army and commercial users. xTechSearch is an opportunity for eligible participants to pitch novel technology solutions – a new application for an existing technology or an entirely new technology concept – to the Army.
Awards:-
Total Prize Pool: $800,000 Total Phase I SBIR Award Pool: $2.5 million
Part 1: Concept White Paper
- Up to 50 awardees
- $5,000 each
Part 2: Technology Pitches
- Up to 20 awardees
- $15,000 each
Part 3: Finals
- Up to 10 awardees
- $25,000 each
Part 4: SBIR Phase I
- Up to 10 awardees
- Up to $2.5 million
Non-monetary Prizes
The 20 xTechSearch 6 Finalists will be invited to participate in the optional xTech Accelerator operated by FedTech, a 5-month, cohort-based program. Each cohort is tailored to the group of Finalists around five (5) core pillars which include educational programming, diverse mentorship, venture building consulting, community building and strategic exposure. Additional details on the accelerator will be provided to the Finalists.
Deadline:- 02-09-2021
