AFRL unveils STTR program CSO

On August 27, the U.S. Air Force Research Lab released the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program Commercial Solutions Opening. Responses are due by 12:00 p.m. Eastern on October 22.

The DoD STTR Program objectives include stimulating technological innovation, strengthening small businesses’ role in meeting DoD R&D needs, fostering and encouraging minority and disadvantaged persons’ participation in technological innovation, and increasing commercial application of DoD-supported R/R&D results.

AF invites small business firms and research institutions to jointly submit proposals under this STTR CSO.  Firms with the capability to conduct research or research and development (R/R&D) and quickly commercialize the proposed results are encouraged to participate.

The STTR Program, although modeled substantially on the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program, is a separately managed and financed program.  Subject to funds availability, AF seeks high quality R/R&D proposals for innovative concepts to solve defense-related scientific or engineering problems, especially those concepts with high potential for private sector commercialization.  Partnerships between small businesses and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) or Minority Institutions (MIs) are encouraged, although no special award preference will be given.

The eight (8) Technology Areas below represent AF Strategic priorities.  The list also includes a Blue Sky area for solutions not covered under the other eight technology areas.

1. Aerospace Systems Technology: Includes turbine engines; alternate fuels for unmanned vehicles and hypersonic systems; supersonic speed; high temperature materials; hypersonic vehicle manufacturing; air breathing propulsion; hypersonic guidance/control systems; aerospace vehicles; control, power & thermal management; high speed systems; rocket propulsion; and turbine engines.
2. Materials and Manufacturing Technology: New applications for radar and electro-optic sensors, including structural and functional materials; manufacturing technologies; and operations support. Also includes COVID-19 pandemic materials and manufacturing advances.
3. Directed Energy Technology: Includes powerful electromagnetics; electro-optics; high power electromagnetics; laser systems; and ground-based electro optical /infrared space situational awareness.
4. Human Performance, including Medical Technologies: Includes disease prevention/mitigation; rapid emergency medical response and trauma management; environmental remediation; advanced materials; biological/cognitive research, human capabilities including training, decision-making, bioeffects, and human-centered intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR); and COVID-19 pandemic human performance and medical response advances/solutions.
5. Sensors Technology: New applications for radar and electro-optic sensors, including spectrum warfare; trusted, resilient mission systems; multi-domain sensing autonomy; enabling devices and components, radio frequency (RF) sensing; and electronic optic (EO) sensing.
6. Munitions Technology:Effects with hyper-precision and speed against ground, sea, or air targets in all weather conditions, day or night.  This includes ordnance sciences; terminal seeker sciences; munitions; airframe; guidance; navigation and control; modeling and simulation; and evaluation sciences.
7. Information Technology: Includes command, control, communications, computer, cyber and intelligence; enabling technologies for quantum computing in cryogenics and photon detection; improve algorithms; address data quality; optimize human-machine coordination; adversary effort disruption; autonomous systems teaming; machine perception, reasoning and intelligence; human and autonomy systems trust and interaction; addressing high-performance, low power embedded processing; developing algorithms for self-configuring, self-healing, and resource allocation; behavioral issues development; develop self-securing network development; develop cyber effects and consequences capability assessments; quantum clocks, sensors, and quantum communications technologies; autonomy, command and control, and decision support; processing and exploitation; cyber science technology, connectivity; and dissemination; and COVID-19 pandemic information sciences’ advances/solutions.
8. Space Vehicles Technology: Includes space component technology; flying state of the art satellite space experiments; advanced space resilience technologies; space communication and navigation technologies; space awareness, command and control, and space environment; low earth orbit nano-satellites; and simulation and training.

*BS – Blue Sky: Use to propose solutions not envisioned under one of the eight technology areas above.

Full information is available here.

Source: SAM