Research NewsletterIssue: ORN-2024-06

xTechInternational 2024

The U.S. Army would like to invite interested international entities to participate in the 2024 xTechInternational competition with a focus on AI for Intelligence and Decision-Making Applications, Quantum Sensing, and Indigenous Materials Forward. xTechInternational is a forum for eligible international small to medium businesses and international academic and research institutions to engage with the U.S. Department of Defense while pitching their novel technology solutions, earning prize money, and potentially participating in an accelerator program.

The U.S. Army Futures Command (AFC), U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) and the U.S. Office of Naval Research Global (ONR-G) have partnered with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology) (ASA(ALT)) to deliver the xTechInternational competition. The Army recognizes that the DoD must enhance engagements with international businesses and academic and research institutions, by: (1) understanding the spectrum of international world-class technologies being developed commercially that may benefit the DoD; (2) integrating the sector of non-traditional international innovators into the DoD Science and Technology (S&T) ecosystem; and (3) providing mentorship and expertise to accelerate, mature, and transition technologies of interest to the DoD. The xTechInternational competition will consist of three rounds with an optional accelerator for the finalists:

1. Call for concept white papers;
2. Virtual technology pitch event; and
3. Final pitch event.

The competition will award up to $500,000 in cash prizes to selected participants. Up to 24 semi-finalists from round one will receive a cash prize of $5,000 each and invitation to participate in the virtual technology pitch event in May 2024. Up to 12 participants will be selected as finalists and will receive an additional cash prize of $10,000 each and invited to participate in the finals event that will take place outside of the U.S., in August 2024. The xTechInternational competition will select up to five final winners of the competition, receiving the following prizes: 1st place: $95,000; 2nd place: $70,000; 3rd place: $50,000; 4th place: $30,000 and 5th place: $15,000. For more information, click here.

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NIH Blueprint MedTech Program

Innovators developing groundbreaking medical device technologies face a number of challenges along the translational path from bench to bedside. The Blueprint MedTech program is an NIH incubator that aims to address such challenges and support the innovators by accelerating the development of cutting-edge medical devices to diagnose and/or treat disorders of the nervous system. The mission of the program is to catalyze the translation of novel technologies from early-stage development to readiness for first-in-human clinical studies. The program will provide: (a) non-dilutive funds to support medical device development activities led by investigators, and (b) additional resources and support services including, but not limited to:

• Planning resources to support concept development, team building, needs assessment, and other early translational activities.
• Streamlined access to translational services and expertise (e.g., design and prototyping, bench testing, large animal testing, biocompatibility assessment, manufacturing, medical monitoring).
• Assistance from consultants (e.g., on regulatory, reimbursement, intellectual property, commercialization, and strategic partnership issues).
• Advice from industry experts (e.g., meetings with an external oversight committee).

The overarching goal of the Blueprint MedTech program is to accelerate patient access to groundbreaking, safe, and effective medical devices. The program will provide support to sufficiently develop and de-risk technologies to the point where additional investments are warranted from industry partners, investors, and government.

CIMIT’s CINTA and NeuroTech Harbor, through the NIH Blueprint MedTech program, are excited to announce our fourth funding opportunity. Submit your pre-proposal by February 29th for awards aimed at accelerating medtech solutions that address challenges associated with disorders of the nervous system. 

Award Types

Optimizer Awards:  Up to $500,000 in direct costs per year for up to 4 years.  Ongoing mentorship from experienced executives.  Comprehensive resources and support services.

Seedling Awards:

6-months of support.

A $25,000 stipend. An additional $25,000 to hire subject matter experts.  Ongoing mentorship to overcome identified gaps.

NSF: Partnerships for Innovation (PFI); Research Collaboration Opportunity in Europe for NSF Recipients Civic Innovation Challenge (CIVIC); Sustainable Regional Systems Research Networks (SRS RNs); NSF Innovation Corps Hubs Program (I-Corps™ Hubs); Partnership to Advance Conservation Science and Practice (PACSP); Campus Cyberinfrastructure (CC*); Innovations in Graduate Education (IGE); Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) and Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Supplemental Funding in Computer and Information Science and Engineering Growing;  Convergence Research (GCR)

NIH: NIH Blueprint and BRAIN Initiative Diversity Specialized Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Advancement in Neuroscience (D-SPAN) Award (F99/K00)

Department of Defense/US Army/DARPA/ONR: Fiscal Year 2024 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Program; ERDC Broad Agency Announcement

Department of Energy: Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office FOA to Advance the National Clean Hydrogen Strategy; Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC); EXPRESS: 2024 Exploratory Research for Extreme Scale Science Small Innovative Projects in Solar: Concentrating Solar Power and Photovoltaics Data Reduction for Science

Lawmakers seek to probe AI’s environmental impacts: Lawmakers want to learn more about the environmental impacts of artificial intelligence’s potential energy consumption, with a new bill that proposes a collaborative effort between various federal agencies to assess how to mitigate environmental risks amid the rapid expansion of AI technologies. The Artificial Intelligence Environmental Impacts Act of 2024 was introduced on Thursday by a bicameral coalition of Democratic lawmakers: Sens. Edward Markey, D-Mass; and Martin Heinrich, D-N.M.; along with Reps. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif.; and Don Beyer, D-Va. The chief provision of the bill would require the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to conduct an assessment on the environmental impacts caused by AI-powered software and hardware processing, while the National Institute of Standards and Technology would be asked to convene a consortium to address these impacts. Furthermore, the director of NIST would need to create a voluntary reporting system to register how AI technologies stand to impact the environment. More information is posted on the NextGov website.

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Oak Ridge public-private partnership looks to advance quantum tech for the power grid: A new cooperative endeavor based at Tennessee’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory unites public and private sector players to push forward advancements in the quantum sciences field, particularly for solutions to further secure the U.S. energy grid. Unveiled last week, the Collaborative for Energy Resilience and Quantum Science is a joint effort between ORNL and utility company EPB of Chattanooga, following a decade of prior collaboration.  Travis Humble, the director of the Quantum Science Center at ORNL, said that CERQS will address four key areas of focus: research and development in quantum sciences and technologies, energy security innovation, cultivating an adequate workforce and bringing more jobs to the East Tennessee region. Chiefly, however, the collaboration will work to marry quantum information technology with electrical grid optimization. More information is posted on the NextGov website.

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The Pentagon is already testing tomorrow’s AI-powered swarm drones, ships:  Autonomous weapons are coming. Recent Pentagon breakthroughs in experimental aerial and naval craft are paving the way for low-cost attack drones and new tactics that feature AI in key roles. Navy and Air Force experiments also highlighted how the U.S. military might employ autonomous weapons differently than China or Russia.  The Navy, for example, brought swarms of air and sea drones to the annual Unitas exercise, where they collected and shared reconnaissance data that helped the multinational fleet detect, identify, and take out enemy craft more quickly. “We had an unmanned surface vessel and unmanned air vessel informing each other and then we actually had an international partner’s missiles on board, and we're able to shoot six high speed patrol boats coming at us. And we were six for six,” said Rear Adm. James Aiken, 4th Fleet commander, sharing new details about the July exercise at the Navy Surface Warfare symposium in Virginia recently. More information is posted on the NextGov website.