PULSE OF INNOVATION – JULY 2022

Let me start by saying it was great seeing everyone in Baltimore for MTEC’s 7th Annual Membership Meeting. We had the highest military participation ever! Thank you to everyone who participated.

This is a busy quarter for getting awards out the door before Fiscal Year ends (September 30th). The MPAI solicitation closed, has been mostly evaluated, and we are starting the award process with several companies. If you have not heard from us, the government is actively working on evaluations and we expect for them to be completed soon. On top of that, we have the Navy’s multi-topic awards starting.

Our travel schedule is also in full swing again. You can see our schedule below. We are getting face to face with many of the old members and seeing new candidates. This brings new members, answers to questions, and assists in teaming relationships.

Finally, MHSRS is a go in Orlando. This is the second chance this year that you will get to meet the military. If you missed Baltimore’s annual meeting, I would suggest attendance here. We will be there in full force and can assist you in whatever capacity.

So enjoy the newsletter and reach out if you have any questions!

Yours truly,

Bill Howell
MTEC President

– The MTEC Annual Meeting took place in Baltimore on May 24-25. Thanks to all who participated, moderated sessions, presented and attended. Special thanks to MTEC’s new Board Chair, Ellen Embrey, for kicking off the meeting, and to Cindy Parsons of the Wounded Warrior Project for sharing trials and triumphs of her son Shane, RET Army Sgt, who was wounded while on a military patrol in Iraq. Cindy’s insights about Shane’s blast injuries focused us on our own mission, underscoring the importance of serving those who put their own lives at risk for our safety and national security. We also thank our Baltimore hosts, including the University of Maryland for arranging the Shock Trauma tour. Members can find presentation decks and recordings on the members only site.

– MTEC joined the MedTech Innovator (MTI) Summit on June 15-16 in Sunnyvale, California. This was an exciting event where MTEC and the other MTI partners were introduced to the MTI 2022 Cohort (a top-notch group of medtech companies handpicked from over 1,000 applicant companies). Many of the companies were interested in learning more about the military needs and potential relevance to the MTEC ecosystem.

– MTEC exhibited at the BIO International conference on June 13-16 in San Diego and met with many potential members. It was good to join our military colleagues in the DOD pavilion.

– MTEC attended the 2022 Medical, Biomedical & Biodefense: Support to the Warfighter Symposium on June 8-9. Jill Sorensen, MTEC COO, moderated a session on R&D funding for medical innovation for which BG Simonson of DHA, CDR Steele of MRDC and F Bowling of SOCOM served as speakers.

– MTEC co-sponsored the American Psychiatric Association’s Research Colloquium for Junior Psychiatrist Investigators on May 21 -22. This sponsorship is helping to support the research of three mentees focusing on Military Mental Health.

– Congratulations to the MTEC Commercialization Grant awardees and M-Corps members who will be supporting their commercialization readiness. Kudos to all who applied and to those who supporting this important program and member benefit.

– Congratulations also to the three MTEC members who were recommended for Prototype Acceleration awards.

– Sign up for MHSRS at https://www.mhsrs.net/. Registration is open, and we’d like to see you there! MTEC is planning to be in booth 401.

– The Federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs will expire across the Federal Government after 30 September if reauthorization language is not passed by Congress by that due date. The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) halted receipt of SBIR/STTR proposal submissions after June 15, 2022 due to concerns that contracts could not be awarded under active program authority in time, in the event that re-authorization was delayed or not achieved. See https://media.defense.gov/2022/Apr/15/2002977654/-1/-1/1/DOD_22.2_FULL.PDF for details. Go to https://www.defensesbirsttr.mil/ and https://twitter.com/dodsbir for more information on DOD small business support.

The Research Operations team at MTEC would like to welcome their newest colleague, Dr. Chuck Hutti, who has stepped into the role of Biomedical Research Associate. Dr. Hutti earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology at Texas Woman’s University and Doctoral Degree in Cellular, Developmental, and Molecular Biology from the University of Rochester. His graduate work focused on elucidating the role of lysosomes in prion aggregate toxicity and degradation. Prior to his role with MTEC, he worked as a Research Associate at the University of Texas Southwestern focusing on identifying key mechanisms behind breast and ovarian cancer metastasis.

We are excited to have Dr. Hutti on the MTEC team!

MTEC has developed four solicitation processes to promote a flexible and streamlined approach to acquisitions. Each process can be tailored to the complexity of the research goals, the size of the effort, and the maturity of the technologies sought. Timelines to award vary depending on contracting workload, expiration date of funding being used, time of the fiscal year, and solicitation process being used. Over the past three fiscal years, the entire team – MTEC, Government Sponsors, and Army Contracting (USAMRAA) – have been working hard to shorten the overall timeline to award. We are excited to report that the average time to award has been shortened by 34 days (see graph below)! We recognize that timeliness is critical to the survival of small businesses and the continuation of prototype advancement, and we will continue to strive for continued improvement in our timelines. Congratulations to the team for a substantial improvement thus far!

SOLICITATIONS:

22-02-MPAI “Military Prototype Advancement Initiative” – We thank all of you for your patience related to the 22-02-MPAI Request for Project Proposals. The military Sponsors, Army contracting, and MTEC contracting have been working diligently to get evaluations done and notifications to Offerors out. However, there are still Offerors who have not yet heard. We ask for your continued patience while the team completes outstanding taskers over the next few weeks.

22-08-BDA “Burn Digital Assessment” – This funding opportunity focused on the development of a burn digital assessment capability that will be utilized at the Battalion Aid Station, Brigade Support Aid Station, Forward Resuscitation and Surgical Detachment, and field hospital to inform triaging, evacuation, and resourcing decisions, contributing to reduced surgical burden and increased Soldier return to duty. This RPP was released on 6/14/2022, and white papers were due on 7/14/2022. MTEC and USAMMDA hosted a proposers conference on 6/29/2022.

A full list of MTEC’s solicitations can be found here.

BRIGHTFOCUS FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: