WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army invested $50 million in small and nontraditional businesses to develop a variety of artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions under its AI/ML open-topic solicitation.
Released in December 2022, the U.S. Army Small Business Innovation Research Program’s solicitation sought to enhance the Army’s operational capabilities and address broader national security efforts by tackling critical information gaps via AI technologies. With the help of industry, the Army prioritized the development of solutions ranging from radio-frequency identification to language translation.
During the Phase I performance period, 39 small and nontraditional vendors delivered concepts within these priority areas that highlighted their technologies’ commercial viability and technical feasibility. Now the Army will fund 26 of the selected businesses to a total of nearly $50 million to transform their concepts into prototypes ready for demonstration.
View the full AI/ML Open Topic infographic here.
The Army SBIR Program offers Phase I contract opportunities to small and nontraditional vendors exhibiting commercial viability, feasibility and technical merit. The program provides Phase II and Direct to Phase II contracts to vendors with mature technologies capable of gaining increased federal support and solving Army needs.
Vendors receive access to technical, acquisition and operational Army experts. These specialists offer information on the Army’s critical needs while providing guidance from within the Army research and development ecosystem. Selectees capitalize on this by collaborating with technical points of contact that serve as a resource for vendors as they mature their technologies for insertion into Army acquisition programs.
The Army SBIR Program releases contract opportunities on a rolling basis to respond to current and anticipated Soldier technology needs. The program will continue to promote new contract releases via topic announcements and email. We encourage you to follow U.S. Army SBIR|STTR on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn for the latest program announcements, updates and solicitation opportunities.
The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology leverages technologies and capabilities to provide U.S. Soldiers a decisive advantage in any environment by developing, acquiring, fielding and sustaining the world’s finest equipment and services. For more information, visit the ASA(ALT) web page and follow @ArmyASAALT.
Please contact the Army SBIR mailbox if you have any questions.
By Daniel Smoot, Office of Army Prize Competitions and Army SBIR Program