The Department of the Navy’s (DoN) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is seeking the talents of small business partners who can help provide advanced solutions as quickly as possible to the mission-critical challenges faced by Sailors and Marines.
“This is a new opportunity to inform the Navy of existing commercial products and solutions that should be considered for naval needs,” said SBIR Director Bob Smith. “This will enable us to adapt commercial solutions using the SBIR Program to rapidly develop and test prototypes, helping us build our future naval advantage at the pace of today’s small business innovators.”
SBIR — located at the Office of Naval Research (ONR) — issued a $50 million Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for “Open” topics in areas where the DoN wants to adapt commercial products and solutions to close capability gaps, improve performance or provide technological advancements in existing capabilities. The ultimate goal is to accelerate the delivery of a prototype that has been tested and is ready for transition to the forces and fleets.
The BAA, titled 23.4, is open to proposal submission from July 13 to Aug. 15. Topics include mission critical needs in the areas of Operations and Logistics in a Contested Environment and Holistic Common Operational Picture (COP).
Interested parties may register for free, virtual sessions about BAA 23.4 requirements and the DoN’s mission-critical needs at https://www.navysbir.com/open_topic.htm.
“This new approach to sourcing technology makes a great program even better,” said Smith. “We found more ways to make it easier to do business with us, which expands the number of opportunities we have for innovators to become valuable Navy partners and successful commercial businesses.”
SBIR provides the Navy with groundbreaking technology advancements from small companies by applying the agility and ingenuity of these businesses to the DoN’s research and development needs. To inform companies about research interests, SBIR solicits proposals three times yearly, via BAAs. There are three stages to the selection process:
—Phase I (feasibility): A feasibility study is conducted to determine the scientific or technical merit of an idea.
—Phase II (demonstration): This is the technology development phase, in which prototypes are built and tested.
—Phase III (commercialization): This final stage results in sales of products to military and civilian markets.
SBIR also looks to strengthen its program through new approaches, such as serving as a technology enabler for the NavalX Accelerator department at ONR. NavalX gives Sailors, Marines and DoN civilians tools to put ideas into action. This enables naval organizations like ONR and SBIR to better connect Sailors and Marines with experts and small businesses to cultivate good ideas.
One product of this partnership is onsite SBIR expertise at NavalX’s Tech Bridges – regional innovation hubs where warfare centers, government, academia and industry can team up with innovators for technology research, evaluation and commercialization.
Learn more about SBIR and BAA 23.4 at https://www.navysbir.com.
About the Office of Naval Research
The Department of the Navy’s Office of Naval Research provides the science and technology necessary to maintain the Navy and Marine Corps’ technological advantage. Through its affiliates, ONR is a leader in science and technology with engagement in 50 states, 55 countries, 634 institutions of higher learning and nonprofit institutions, and more than 960 industry partners. ONR, through its commands, including headquarters, ONR Global and the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., employs more than 3,800 people, comprising uniformed, civilian and contract personnel.