DESCRIPTION

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 are scheduled for May 10-12, 2022 at the AUSA Conference Center in Arlington, Virgina. 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.

The efforts described in this Notice are being pursued under the authorities of 10 U.S.C. § 2374a and 15 U.S.C. § 638.

SCHEDULE AND PRIZES

PHASE 1: Concept White Paper

Jul 30, 2021 - Sep 2, 2021

Up to 50 semifinalists

$5K/each

PHASE 2: Technology Pitches

Nov 1, 2021 - Nov 10, 2021

Up to 20 finalists

$15K/each

PHASE 3: Finals

May 10, 2022 - May 12, 2022

Up to 10 winners

$25K/each

PHASE 4: Request for SBIR Phase I

May 26, 2022 - Jun 14, 2022

Up to 10 winners

$250K/each

ELIGIBILITY

The entities allowed to participate in this competition must be sole proprietors or small business concerns in accordance with Small Business Administration guidance under 13 Code of Federal Regulations § 121.201, or any entity willing and able to be registered as a small business in the United States (U.S.) if selected to participate in this competition.

Each eligible entity:

• • Shall be incorporated in, and maintain, a primary place of business in the U.S.;
  • May not be a Federal entity or employ a Federal employee acting within the scope of their employment

Sole proprietors may participate in xTechSearch if the individual is a citizen or national of the U.S. or a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. and the business is registered in the U.S. Foreign companies may participate in xTechSearch by establishing a U.S. domestic business relationship (e.g., wholly owned U.S. subsidiary) or partner with an U.S. based company. Companies that have previously participated in the xTechSearch competitions are eligible to participate for new technology concepts or improvements to prior submitted proposals.

The 10 Finalists from both the xTechSearch 4 and xTechSearch 5 competitions are not eligible to participate in this competition unless they partner with another firm that did not reach the Finals of xTechSearch 4 and xTechSearch 5 so long as the alternate firm is the primary lead and not the finalists. All xTechSearch 4 and 5 Finalists will be eligible again during the xTechSearch 7 competition to submit a proposal on their own.

Technologies that fall exclusively within the portfolio of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (MRDC) that include military infectious diseases, combat casualty care, military operational medicine, chemical biological defense, and clinical and rehabilitative medicine will be excluded from this iteration of xTechSearch. To learn more about what technologies that fall within the portfolio of MRDC please visit their website at https://mrdc.amedd.army.mil/index.cfm/program_areas/medical_research_and_developme nt. Technologies with medical applications that have applications in other domains may apply. The xTech Program is developing a specific competition targeting medical technologies planned to launch later this year.