Brenda Marie Rivers
The U.S. Air Force’s AFWERX innovation arm plans to allocate additional funds for companies that have demonstrated progress in technology projects under the Small Business Innovation Research program, Breaking Defense reported Monday.
As part of the commercial solutions opening, firms working on SBIR Phase 2 contracts may apply for a funding increase of at least $3M over three-year period. The Air Force and the Small Business Administration will consider allocations of more than $3M on a case-by-case basis.
Breaking Defense obtained a document that states the Air Force will choose awardees based on the relevance of technology under development to the service’s strategy, potential for dual-use and capacity to be scaled rapidly in the military and commercial markets.
The branch intends to select projects under the Air Force Research Laboratory’s science and technology category, which covers a range of subject areas such as persistent awareness and information sharing.
Firms working on other areas such as machine learning, additive manufacturing, robotics and unmanned aerial systems may also apply.
The Air Force will accept pitches through Oct. 16 and could issue awards by March 21, 2020.
