Upcoming Broad Agency Announcement Features Special Air Force Topics

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio – The next round of Air Force SBIR/STTR topics (18.2/18.B) goes into pre-release on April 20 and will include six special topics that are part of a broader focus on accelerating the pace of technology development.

These special topics – the first of numerous new experiments by the Air Force SBIR/STTR Program Office to rapidly deliver new capabilities, work at the speed of innovation, and cut costs – will be evaluated equally on technical merit and the potential for commercialization.

Among the differences from typical topics, the special topics include:

• An application process that requires a five-page technical proposal and 15-page “pitch” (slide) deck instead of the traditional 20-page technical proposal;
• Phase I contract awards of up $50,000 and a three month period of performance, compared to $150,000 and nine months; and
• Numerous awards for each Phase I, which are typically limited to only two awards.

Expanded detail on the special topics will be included in the Air Force 18.2 instructions and the topic descriptions themselves.

The 18.2/18.B BAA opens for proposals on May 22 and the deadline to submit proposals is June 20 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Air Force and other Department of Defense topics are available for viewing at https://www.dodsbirsttr.mil/submissions/login