By Daniel Smoot, Office of Army Prize Competitions and Army SBIR Program

WASHINGTON – Sixteen small businesses will help the U.S. Army meet the goals of the Department of Defense Climate Adaptation Plan and the Army Climate Strategy via environmentally friendly construction technologies.

Announced in April, the Army Small Business Innovation Research Program’s Sustainable Building Materials open-topic solicitation may improve operations  through reduced fuel and material consumption. The development of technologies as a part of this solicitation will also drive more sustainable expeditionary forces while lowering resources devoted to resupply. As a result, the Army could benefit from greater sustainment dispersion and less vulnerable lines of communications.

“The Sustainable Building Materials open-topic solicitation provides a valuable opportunity to connect the Army SBIR Program with firms that do not typically apply for SBIR awards,” said Dr. Matt Willis, director of Army Prize Competitions and the Army SBIR Program, within the office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology. “At the same time, this solicitation leverages new developments in the field of low-logistics structural materials to tackle the carbon-intensive aspect of military operations.”

Of the 16 selected small businesses, 11 can each receive $250,000 from a Phase I Army SBIR contract. Meanwhile, five Direct to Phase II selectees can each receive $1.9 million as part of the Army’s $12.25 million investment. Evaluation is based on the firms’ solutions, including use of local and recycled materials, scalability, low-energy requirements and carbon-capture capabilities.

Phase I: Sustainable Building Materials

• AxNano, LLC; Greensboro, N.C.
• BioSIPs, Inc.; Boulder, Colo.
• Branch Technology; Chattanooga, Tenn.
• Flora Materials LLC; Carbondale, Colo.
• HiFunda LLC; Salta Lake City, Utah
• Mantel Capture, Inc.; Cambridge, Mass.
• Metavoxel Technologies; Seattle, Wash.
• Qnect, LLC; Hadley, Mass.
• Sativa Building Systems LLC; Wittenberg, Wis.
• Washburn Therapeutics, Inc.; Pittsburgh, Pa.
• Zero Plastic LLC; Charlotte, N.C.

Direct to Phase II: Sustainable Building Materials

• 1Print LLC; Wilmington, Del.
• Americhanvre LLC; Wescosville, Pa.
• bioMASON, Inc.; Durham, N.C.
• Cusatis Computational Services Inc; Wilmette, Ill.
• Engineering Mechanics Corporation of Columbus; Arlington, Ohio

Throughout the expected six-month performance period, Phase I selectees will secure access to Soldier touchpoints, which will provide developmental and evaluation-based feedback on solutions in practical settings. The five firms receiving Direct to Phase II Army SBIR contracts will develop sustainable building technologies over an 18-month performance period for eventual prototyping.

The Army SBIR Program awards Phase I contracts to small businesses and nontraditional vendors whose solutions offer technical merit, feasibility and commercial potential. The program awards Phase II and Direct to Phase II contracts to companies that can address Army needs so they can gain increased federal support to mature their technologies for demonstration.

Small business selectees gain access to technical, acquisition and operational subject matter experts. These specialists offer information on the Army’s technological needs and guidance from the Army research and development ecosystem. Companies capitalize on this by collaborating with technical points of contact who serve as a resource for businesses while they mature their technologies for eventual insertion into Army acquisition programs.

The Army SBIR Program releases contract opportunities ad hoc to respond to current and anticipated warfighting technology needs. For eligibility information and a list of open topics, please visit the Army SBIR|STTR website.

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.