Week of June 27, 2023
AFWERX to Establish Proving Ground to Test Autonomous Technologies
The U.S. Air Force’s innovation arm, AFWERX, is establishing a testing site dedicated to autonomous technologies. The site aims to enhance capabilities and will be part of AFWERX’s autonomy prime program launching next fiscal year. Tests will be conducted regularly to evaluate new systems. AFWERX sought industry comments on the program in September 2022.
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PSF-In Depth Analysis: SBIR/STTR – Trends and Opportunities
The snapshot above is the map view that represents the top 50 clusters which is an overlay of total R&D and per capita award amount within the Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) and highlights the potential emerging innovation regions.
Our deep dive into SBIR/STTR, (the first of many deep dives into critical tech priorities and alignment, capital funding flows, underserved suppliers, and ecosystem), was released yesterday!
To get early access to the report and comprehensive data behind the analysis, please fill out the form here or reach out to us at support@publicspendforum.net
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National Energy Tech Lab Uses Cerebras AI Processor to Make Research Simulation Energy-Efficient
The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) collaborated with Cerebras Systems to develop a wafer-scale-based programming interface called WFA. It aims to accelerate simulation data generation with reduced energy consumption, and NETL scientists demonstrated its effectiveness in computational fluid dynamics projects. The partnership plans to implement WFA in commercial applications.
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DOE Invests $2 Million to Advance Li-Ion Battery Recycling and Remanufacturing Technologies
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is investing $2 million to advance lithium-ion battery recycling and remanufacturing technologies through the ReCell Center at Argonne National Laboratory. The funding aims to de-risk and scale up recycling processes for the growing number of lithium-ion batteries, with a focus on research, education, and workforce development. Projects in states with lithium mining or battery manufacturing operations will receive priority support. The ReCell Center, established by the DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Office, aims to develop a sustainable battery recycling industry through collaboration between industry, academia, and national laboratories.
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White House Extends Software Attestation Deadline
The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has extended the deadline for agencies to collect software security attestation forms from contractors. Agencies must begin collecting attestations for “critical software” within three months of the finalization of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s common attestation form. The deadline for collecting attestations for all third-party software covered by OMB’s security requirements is now within six months of the form’s finalization. The previous deadlines were set for June 12 and September 14, respectively, but have been postponed.
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GSA: Feds Edging Higher on Small Business Contracting
The GSA’s report shows that the US federal government surpassed its small business contracting goals in FY2022, with 24.1% of dollars obligated to small businesses. Socioeconomic Small Business performance also improved. However, there was a slight dip in overall small business performance, and there were missed opportunities in utilizing simplified acquisition procedures for eligible contracts.
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Become Interoperable or Disappear, Former DOD Data Chief Tells Contractors
According to the Pentagon’s former data chief, major defense companies must adopt interoperable data standards to avoid becoming obsolete. The industry is experiencing mergers and partnerships with smaller tech companies, driven by the Pentagon’s push for open data standards. Breaking into the defense industry is challenging, but partnerships with prime contractors offer benefits such as accelerated deployment and navigating the acquisition process. The trend of collaboration between primes and startups is increasing, fueled by a sense of urgency and the need for innovative capabilities. Prime contractors can provide strategic investments and access to resources, aiding the growth of smaller companies in the defense industrial base.
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DARPA, SpaceLogistics Step toward 2025 Launch of Orbital Robotic ‘Mechanic’ for Satellites
The Pentagon’s partnership with Northrop Grumman’s SpaceLogistics to develop a robotic vehicle for satellite repairs is progressing toward launch in early 2025. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is funding the development of the robotic payload, including advanced robotic arms and software. The program has completed critical milestones in environmental testing, flight qualification testing, and performance testing. The robotic arms are designed to operate autonomously and perform various missions on spacecraft not designed for grappling. After successful ground testing, the payload will be provided to SpaceLogistics for integration onto their spacecraft, which will undergo further tests.
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GSA Issues Final Solicitations for OASIS+ Unrestricted, Small Business Set-Aside Tracks
The General Services Administration (GSA) has released the final requests for proposals (RFPs) for the One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services (OASIS+) vehicle program. OASIS+ includes multiple contracts for complex non-information technology services from the private sector. The RFPs cover various domains such as management, technical, research, intelligence, enterprise solutions, environmental services, facilities, and logistics. Offerors can submit questions until July 6, and proposals are due by September 13.
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Webinar on Pathways to Commercial Liftoff: Industrial Decarbonization
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Pathways to Commercial Liftoff initiative aims to accelerate the commercialization of clean energy technologies. The fifth report, focused on industrial decarbonization, will be released soon, providing insights for applicants seeking Department funding opportunities. The report covers decarbonization technologies in sectors such as iron and steel, chemicals, and concrete.
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Accelerating Innovation and Managing Risk through Deep Market and Supply Chain Intelligence
Join Professor Rob Handfield, Jack Pellegrino, Pete Guinto, Dr. Daniel Finkenstadt, and Raj Sharma to go beyond the surface to learn how “deep” market and supply chain intelligence can help you accelerate innovation while managing risk
- Discuss goals and use cases (key questions) for deep market and supplier intelligence including some of the current trends shaping the market
- Explore challenges and solutions including data, research best practices, and supplier engagement
- Discuss case studies with impact and results
We will also share practical frameworks and best practices taken from the 7MI – Market and Supplier Intelligence Best Practices, developed based on over two decades of research and practices across public and private sectors.
Register
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Microsoft Looks to Speed Up Materials Science Research with Quantum-Compatible System
Microsoft has unveiled the Azure Quantum Elements system, designed to simplify materials science research and molecule discovery using quantum computing. The system aims to accelerate the testing of atom combinations for useful molecules, a task classical computing struggles with. Microsoft’s goal is to compress centuries of chemistry and materials science progress into decades. The system incorporates AI and machine learning to predict molecular properties and applications. Industry partners like BASF have already started utilizing the system. Microsoft is actively preparing for the future of quantum computing and its potential impact on various fields, including medicine and agriculture.
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Department of Veteran Affairs Looks to Implement New Risk Assessment Framework
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) plans to implement a risk assessment framework to standardize authorization decisions and address recommendations from the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) for improving information security. The OIG suggested consistent implementation of a continuous monitoring program and an independent security control assessment process aligned with NIST guidelines. The VA’s Chief Information Officer pledged to develop an assessment framework, prioritize systems based on risk, and improve independent assessments for high-risk systems. The VA aims to complete these actions by September 30.
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Customer Testimonial: Deep Tech and Market Analysis with Air Force Research Labs
WE’RE HERE TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND COMPLEX MARKETS, QUALIFY SUPPLIERS AND MANAGE SUPPLIER RISK
If you would like to put our comprehensive market, supply chain, demand and tech data on millions of suppliers and tech markets along with our expert advisory services/workshops to work for you, please reach out to us at support@publicspendforum.net.
We can help in three ways:
- AI-Assisted Market and Supplier/Supply Chain Intelligence Reports and Data through our AI-Assisted Market Intelligence (AIMI) offering. We use our comprehensive datasets, AI-MI technology assisted by our SMEs to create a custom market report and datasets that helps you understand market and tech trends, map out the ecosystem of small business, underserved and non-traditional and incumbents; qualify suppliers and assess supplier risk; map the R&D landscape and discover the venture capital and funding network.
- Market and Supply Chain Intelligence Advisory Services – We bring our decades of strategic market intelligence and supply chain expertise along with our powerful datasets and AI to help you develop plans to strengthen your supplier base, map out multi-tier supply chains, qualify and monitor suppliers and understand supply chain risk.
- Market and Supplier Intelligence Training and Workshops – Access the best faculty and practitioners such as Dr. Rob Handfield (NC State) in the world and get your team up to speed by learning the most cutting-edge methods for market and supplier intelligence
The key questions we help you answer:
- What are the emerging technology trends in a specific market? For example, we just analyzed markets such as batteries for aircraft, polymers and elastomers for in-space repair, and mobility solutions.
- Who are the participants in the ecosystem (R&D labs, venture capital, startups, underserved)?
- Who are the small and underserved companies in the market and what track record do they have?
- Where is there risk in our supply chain and how we can best manage it?
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