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/challenge/army-xtechsearch-4/ |
1078 |
closed |
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/assets/images/cards/xtechsearch_4.png |
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Army Expeditionary Technology Search (xTechSearch) 4.0 |
xTechSearch will highlight opportunities for small businesses to collaborate with the Army to tackle the most critical Army modernization challenges. |
Department of Defense - U.S. Army |
$2,280,000 |
Ideas, Technology demonstration and hardware |
10/01/2019 |
11/12/2019 02:59 AM |
true |
FY20, FY21 |
America COMPETES Act |
Zeke Topolosky |
<p>The Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASA(ALT)) is announcing the fourth cohort of the Army Expeditionary Technology Search – <a href="https://www.xtechsearch.army.mil/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">xTechSearch</a> – to be featured at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting in Washington, DC from on 12 to 14 October 2020. xTechSearch will highlight opportunities for small businesses to collaborate with the Army to tackle the most critical Army modernization challenges.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>The Army xTechSearch program will provide non-dilutive seed prizes to select small businesses to demonstrate proof of concept of their dual-use technologies pertaining to Army challenges. The program will also drive to integrate these 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. Participating companies will have access to training, mentorship and other support infrastructure as they progress through the contest. The goal will be to best align solutions with real users and buyers within the Army. xTechSearch is an opportunity for businesses to pitch novel technology solutions – a new application for an existing technology or a new technology concept entirely – to the Army. </p> <p>The authority of this program is 15 United States Code (USC) §3719. </p> <p><strong>KEY DATES</strong></p> <p><strong>Submissions</strong></p> <p><em>Phase I. Concept White Paper:</em> 1 October 2019 - 11:59 PM PST 11 November 2019</p> <p><strong>Judging</strong></p> <p><em>Phase I. Concept White Paper: </em>12 November 2019 - 20 December 2019</p> <p><em>Phase II. xTechSearch Technology Pitches:</em> 6 January 2020 - 22 January 2020</p> <p><em>Phase III. Innovators’ Corner:</em> 17 March 2019 - 18 March 2019</p> <p><em>Phase IV. xTechSearch Capstone Demonstration:</em> 12 October 2020 - 13 October 2020</p> <p><strong>Winner Announcements</strong></p> <p><em>Phase I. Concept White Paper: </em>By 27 December 2019</p> <p><em>Phase II. xTechSearch Technology Pitches:</em> By 27 January 2020</p> <p><em>Phase III. Innovators’ Corner:</em> 19 March 2020</p> <p><em>Phase IV. xTechSearch Capstone Demonstration:</em> 14 October 2020</p> <p> </p> |
<h4>Phase I: Concept White Paper</h4> <p>Up to 48 winners will receive $5,000 and be selected for Phase II.</p> <h4>Phase II: xTechSearch Technology Pitches</h4> <p>Up to 24 winners will receive $10,000 each and be selected for Phase III.</p> <h4>Phase III: Innovators' Corner</h4> <p>Up to 12 winners will receive $120,000 and be selected for Phase IV.</p> <h4>Phase IV: xTechSearch Capstone Demonstration</h4> <p>Up to 12 winners will receive prizes.</p> <p>1st Place: $250,000</p> <p>2nd-12th Place: $10,000</p> |
<p>The xTechSearch program is voluntary and open to all entities that meet the eligibility requirements. There may be only one submission per eligible entity. The registration information and upload submission must be received by 11:59 PM PST on 11 November 2019. Submissions received after the deadline will not be considered.</p> <p><strong>Terms and Conditions: </strong>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 if selected to participate in this competition.</p> <p>Each eligible entity:</p> <ul> <li>Shall be incorporated in, and maintain, a primary place of business in the United States;</li> <li>May not be a Federal entity or employ a Federal employee acting within the scope of their employment</li> </ul> <p>Sole proprietors may participate in xTechSearch if the individual is a citizen or national of the United States or a lawful permanent resident of the United States and the business is registered in the United States. Foreign companies may participate in xTechSearch by establishing a US domestic business relationship (e.g., wholly owned US subsidiary) or partner with a US based company. Companies that have previously participated in the xTechSearch competition are eligible to participate for new technology concepts or improvements to prior submitted proposals.</p> <p>All xTechSearch submissions are treated as privileged information and contents are disclosed to Government employees or designated support contractors only for the purpose of evaluation and program support.</p> <p>Written feedback will be provided to all participants at the end of each phase. The purpose of providing this feedback is to provide insight on the Government’s application of the scoring criteria. However, the Government will not respond to questions or inquiries regarding this feedback.</p> <p>While the authority of this program is 15 USC §3719, a concept white paper submitted to the xTechSearch program may generate interest by another Army organization for a funding opportunity outside of this program (e.g., submission of a proposal under a Broad Agency Announcement). The interested Army organization may contact the participant to provide additional information.</p> |
<p><strong>Phase I: Concept White Paper Contest</strong></p> <p>The Concept White Paper phase invites all eligible entities to submit a concept white paper outlining their technology, the potential impact on the Army, the scientific viability of their approach, and the dual-use technology applications for both the commercial and defense space. Each concept white paper will be reviewed by an Army panel from the Army S&T ecosystem including Warfighter, acquisition, and research and development subject matter experts. Up to 48 applicants with the highest ranking white papers will receive a prize of $5,000 and a written invitation to <em>Phase II: xTechSearch Technology Pitches</em>.</p> <p>Concept White Papers will be ranked using the following Scoring Criteria (further details on each scoring dimension can be found in the Phase I Scoring Criteria Guide available at the xTechSearch registration page):</p> <ul> <li>Potential for Impact/Revolutionizing the Army – 35%</li> <li>Scientific and Engineering Viability – 35%</li> <li>Dual Use – 20%</li> <li>Proposal Quality – 10%</li> </ul> <p><strong>Phase II: xTechSearch Technology Pitches</strong></p> <p>The xTechSearch Technology Pitch phase invites selected participants from Phase I to complete an in-person pitch to a panel of Army subject matter experts at locations across the United States. Participants will pitch their technology concept from the Phase I white paper in greater detail including the potential impact on the Army, the scientific viability of their approach, and the dual-use technology applications for both the commercial and defense space. In addition, participants will present their team ability to accomplish the technological approach. Each participant will have 15 minutes to pitch, followed by 10 minutes for questions and answers with the Army panel. Up to 24 participants with the highest ranking pitch will receive a prize of $10,000 and a written invitation to attend <em>Phase III: AUSA Innovators’ Corner</em>.</p> <p>Technology Pitches will be ranked using the following Scoring Criteria (further details on each scoring dimension can be found in the Phase II Scoring Criteria Guide available at the xTechSearch registration page):</p> <ul> <li>Potential for Impact/Revolutionizing the Army - 30%</li> <li>Scientific and Engineering Viability - 30%</li> <li>Dual Use - 20%</li> <li>Team Ability - 10%</li> <li>Presentation Quality - 10%</li> </ul> <p><strong>Phase III: AUSA Innovators’ Corner</strong></p> <p>The AUSA Innovators’ Corner phase will provide the invited Phase II participants with Army-sponsored exhibit space at the AUSA Global Force Symposium and Exposition, 17-19 March, 2020. Phase III participants will leverage the exhibit space and conference attendance to engage with Department of Defense (DoD) customers, Army leadership, industry partners, and academia in attendance.</p> <p>In addition to the opportunity to showcase the participants’ technology, Phase III participants will present a venture capital-style pitch to a panel of subject matter experts discussing their business plan, product development plan, the results of any customer discovery with Army and commercial users, and what they would present at a live proof-of-concept demonstration if they were to proceed to Phase IV. Detailed instructions and evaluation criteria will be provided to companies that are selected for Phase III. Up to 12 participants with the highest ranking business plan and proof-of-concept demonstration plan will receive a prize of $120,000 and 6 months to demonstrate proof-of-concept for their xTechSearch technology at the <em>Phase IV: xTechSearch Proof-of-Concept.</em></p> <p><strong>Phase IV: xTechSearch Proof-of-Concept</strong></p> <p>The xTechSearch Proof-of-Concept Demonstration is an opportunity for each Phase IV finalists to demonstrate proof-of-concept for their technology solution, and present their transition plans to a panel of Army subject matter experts at the 2020 AUSA Annual Meeting, October 12-14, 2020, in Washington, DC. Detailed instructions and evaluation criteria will be provided to companies that are selected for Phase IV. A single grand-prize winner will be selected by a panel of Army subject matter experts and be awarded a prize of $250,000. All other Phase IV finalists will receive a $10,000 prize. </p> |
<p>The registration information and upload submission must be received by 11:59 PM PST on 11 November 2019. Submissions received after the deadline will not be considered.</p> <p>The Phase I submission is a concept white paper. Please adhere to the following requirements:</p> <ul> <li>All concept white papers must be submitted using the template found on the registration page, “xTechSearch_4-0_Phase_1_Template.doc”. Any proposals submitted in a format other than that provided by the template will not be reviewed. </li> <li>Download the word template, save the completed file as a PDF document and replace “Template” in the files name with your company name. Please DO NOT add any other annotations such as v1, DDMMYYY, etc. We would like these file names to be clean for when we share your white paper with other Government organizations.</li> <li>All submissions must identify 1 of the Army Focus Areas listed on the registration page that the technology can best support.</li> </ul> <p>Register here:</p> <p><a href="https://www.xtechsearch.army.mil/">https://www.xtechsearch.army.mil/</a></p> <p><strong>Army Focus Areas</strong></p> <p>xTechSearch seeks novel, disruptive concepts and technologies to support the top Army Modernization Priorities, Army Medical Technologies, Military Engineering Technologies, as well as other critical technology focus areas within the Army Research and Technology portfolio that can provide technology overmatch or enable cost savings throughout the Army systems’ life cycle. See Army Focus Areas document on the registration page for a list of the top Army Modernization Priorities and other critical Army Focus Areas. </p> |
The Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASA(ALT)) is announcing the fourth cohort of the Army Expeditionary Technology Search – xTechSearch – to be featured at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting in Washington, DC from on 12 to 14 October 2020. xTechSearch 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 Army xTechSearch program will provide non-dilutive seed prizes to select small businesses to demonstrate proof of concept of their dual-use technologies pertaining to Army challenges. The program will also drive to integrate these 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. Participating companies will have access to training, mentorship and other support infrastructure as they progress through the contest. The goal will be to best align solutions with real users and buyers within the Army. xTechSearch is an opportunity for businesses to pitch novel technology solutions – a new application for an existing technology or a new technology concept entirely – to the Army.
The authority of this program is 15 United States Code (USC) §3719.
KEY DATES
Submissions
Phase I. Concept White Paper: 1 October 2019 - 11:59 PM PST 11 November 2019
Judging
Phase I. Concept White Paper: 12 November 2019 - 20 December 2019
Phase II. xTechSearch Technology Pitches: 6 January 2020 - 22 January 2020
Phase III. Innovators’ Corner: 17 March 2019 - 18 March 2019
Phase IV. xTechSearch Capstone Demonstration: 12 October 2020 - 13 October 2020
Winner Announcements
Phase I. Concept White Paper: By 27 December 2019
Phase II. xTechSearch Technology Pitches: By 27 January 2020
Phase III. Innovators’ Corner: 19 March 2020
Phase IV. xTechSearch Capstone Demonstration: 14 October 2020
Up to 48 winners will receive $5,000 and be selected for Phase II.
Up to 24 winners will receive $10,000 each and be selected for Phase III.
Up to 12 winners will receive $120,000 and be selected for Phase IV.
Up to 12 winners will receive prizes.
1st Place: $250,000
2nd-12th Place: $10,000
The xTechSearch program is voluntary and open to all entities that meet the eligibility requirements. There may be only one submission per eligible entity. The registration information and upload submission must be received by 11:59 PM PST on 11 November 2019. Submissions received after the deadline will not be considered.
Terms and Conditions: 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 if selected to participate in this competition.
Each eligible entity:
- Shall be incorporated in, and maintain, a primary place of business in the United States;
- 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 United States or a lawful permanent resident of the United States and the business is registered in the United States. Foreign companies may participate in xTechSearch by establishing a US domestic business relationship (e.g., wholly owned US subsidiary) or partner with a US based company. Companies that have previously participated in the xTechSearch competition are eligible to participate for new technology concepts or improvements to prior submitted proposals.
All xTechSearch submissions are treated as privileged information and contents are disclosed to Government employees or designated support contractors only for the purpose of evaluation and program support.
Written feedback will be provided to all participants at the end of each phase. The purpose of providing this feedback is to provide insight on the Government’s application of the scoring criteria. However, the Government will not respond to questions or inquiries regarding this feedback.
While the authority of this program is 15 USC §3719, a concept white paper submitted to the xTechSearch program may generate interest by another Army organization for a funding opportunity outside of this program (e.g., submission of a proposal under a Broad Agency Announcement). The interested Army organization may contact the participant to provide additional information.
Phase I: Concept White Paper Contest
The Concept White Paper phase invites all eligible entities to submit a concept white paper outlining their technology, the potential impact on the Army, the scientific viability of their approach, and the dual-use technology applications for both the commercial and defense space. Each concept white paper will be reviewed by an Army panel from the Army S&T ecosystem including Warfighter, acquisition, and research and development subject matter experts. Up to 48 applicants with the highest ranking white papers will receive a prize of $5,000 and a written invitation to Phase II: xTechSearch Technology Pitches.
Concept White Papers will be ranked using the following Scoring Criteria (further details on each scoring dimension can be found in the Phase I Scoring Criteria Guide available at the xTechSearch registration page):
- Potential for Impact/Revolutionizing the Army – 35%
- Scientific and Engineering Viability – 35%
- Dual Use – 20%
- Proposal Quality – 10%
Phase II: xTechSearch Technology Pitches
The xTechSearch Technology Pitch phase invites selected participants from Phase I to complete an in-person pitch to a panel of Army subject matter experts at locations across the United States. Participants will pitch their technology concept from the Phase I white paper in greater detail including the potential impact on the Army, the scientific viability of their approach, and the dual-use technology applications for both the commercial and defense space. In addition, participants will present their team ability to accomplish the technological approach. Each participant will have 15 minutes to pitch, followed by 10 minutes for questions and answers with the Army panel. Up to 24 participants with the highest ranking pitch will receive a prize of $10,000 and a written invitation to attend Phase III: AUSA Innovators’ Corner.
Technology Pitches will be ranked using the following Scoring Criteria (further details on each scoring dimension can be found in the Phase II Scoring Criteria Guide available at the xTechSearch registration page):
- Potential for Impact/Revolutionizing the Army - 30%
- Scientific and Engineering Viability - 30%
- Dual Use - 20%
- Team Ability - 10%
- Presentation Quality - 10%
Phase III: AUSA Innovators’ Corner
The AUSA Innovators’ Corner phase will provide the invited Phase II participants with Army-sponsored exhibit space at the AUSA Global Force Symposium and Exposition, 17-19 March, 2020. Phase III participants will leverage the exhibit space and conference attendance to engage with Department of Defense (DoD) customers, Army leadership, industry partners, and academia in attendance.
In addition to the opportunity to showcase the participants’ technology, Phase III participants will present a venture capital-style pitch to a panel of subject matter experts discussing their business plan, product development plan, the results of any customer discovery with Army and commercial users, and what they would present at a live proof-of-concept demonstration if they were to proceed to Phase IV. Detailed instructions and evaluation criteria will be provided to companies that are selected for Phase III. Up to 12 participants with the highest ranking business plan and proof-of-concept demonstration plan will receive a prize of $120,000 and 6 months to demonstrate proof-of-concept for their xTechSearch technology at the Phase IV: xTechSearch Proof-of-Concept.
Phase IV: xTechSearch Proof-of-Concept
The xTechSearch Proof-of-Concept Demonstration is an opportunity for each Phase IV finalists to demonstrate proof-of-concept for their technology solution, and present their transition plans to a panel of Army subject matter experts at the 2020 AUSA Annual Meeting, October 12-14, 2020, in Washington, DC. Detailed instructions and evaluation criteria will be provided to companies that are selected for Phase IV. A single grand-prize winner will be selected by a panel of Army subject matter experts and be awarded a prize of $250,000. All other Phase IV finalists will receive a $10,000 prize.
The registration information and upload submission must be received by 11:59 PM PST on 11 November 2019. Submissions received after the deadline will not be considered.
The Phase I submission is a concept white paper. Please adhere to the following requirements:
- All concept white papers must be submitted using the template found on the registration page, “xTechSearch_4-0_Phase_1_Template.doc”. Any proposals submitted in a format other than that provided by the template will not be reviewed.
- Download the word template, save the completed file as a PDF document and replace “Template” in the files name with your company name. Please DO NOT add any other annotations such as v1, DDMMYYY, etc. We would like these file names to be clean for when we share your white paper with other Government organizations.
- All submissions must identify 1 of the Army Focus Areas listed on the registration page that the technology can best support.
Register here:
https://www.xtechsearch.army.mil/
Army Focus Areas
xTechSearch seeks novel, disruptive concepts and technologies to support the top Army Modernization Priorities, Army Medical Technologies, Military Engineering Technologies, as well as other critical technology focus areas within the Army Research and Technology portfolio that can provide technology overmatch or enable cost savings throughout the Army systems’ life cycle. See Army Focus Areas document on the registration page for a list of the top Army Modernization Priorities and other critical Army Focus Areas.