MTEC Releases Fiscal Year 2026 Multi-Topic Request for Project Proposals

Request seeks medical prototype technologies and knowledge solutions across 15 Focus Areas of Interest

August 6, 2026 - The Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC) has released its Fiscal Year 2026 Multi-Topic Request for Project Proposals (RPP), soliciting a broad range of medical prototype technological and knowledge solutions related to 15 Focus Areas of Interest.

The RPP was issued August 6, 2026, and proposals are due October 30, 2026.

Proposed solutions may include medical techniques, knowledge products, and materiel, including medical devices, drugs, and biologics. Military relevance is a key feature of this RPP.

Current wartime operations assume that the United States and its allies will maintain air, land, maritime, space, and cyber superiority. Future conflicts against peer and near-peer adversaries are expected to be layered stand-offs fought across multiple domains. Mission success will be determined by the ability to compete to expand the competitive space, penetrate both strategically and operationally, disintegrate enemy defenses, exploit enemy weaknesses, and re-compete to consolidate gains. Medical capabilities play a critical role in each aspect of the future battlespace and must modernize rapidly to maintain Force readiness and increase soldier lethality.

15 Focus Areas of Interest

Each Enhanced White Paper SHALL specifically address ONLY ONE Focus Area of Interest described in the RPP. Offerors are not limited to a single Enhanced White Paper submission. Projects that fail to align with only one of the Focus Areas of Interest may not be considered for funding.

Focus Area 1: Policies and Practices for Cross-Cutting Prevention

Current efforts on prevention and reduction of harmful behaviors such as suicide, sexual assault, harassment, and substance misuse rely on policies, programs, such as curricula or other manualized sets of activities, and practices, including discrete behaviors or actions. However, there is currently an over-reliance on programs, particularly trainings, for prevention.

Additionally, a finding and associated recommendation of the Independent Review Commission on Suicide Prevention suggests that current training requirements, broadly speaking, exceed workload capacity, increase stress among Service members, and should be reduced. Furthermore, there is limited awareness of approaches to design, select, and implement policies and practices to support prevention.

To enhance current cross-cutting preventions, the Government, specifically the National Guard, seeks the development and evaluation of non-training interventions and activities that address risk and protective factors for harmful behaviors.

Priority risk/protective factors to address include:

• Morale
• Fairness
• Work-life balance
• Passive leadership
• Toxic leadership
• Workplace hostility

These non-training interventions may include local-level policies that can be implemented at military installations, practices or routine behaviors/processes executed in a military environment, or any programs that do not primarily rely on a training module.

The Government anticipates that proposed prototypes may involve data collection to gather current non-training approaches at military sites, literature review to gather potential options for non-training approaches, and evaluation of one or more non-training activities.

Evaluation of proposed interventions should assess both outcome effectiveness and implementation feasibility, including a thorough assessment of the requirements for successful delivery, such as resources, infrastructure, personnel, and operational conditions, and the likelihood that these requirements can be met across varied military settings.

Offerors should include a final deliverable with clear and specific guidance on the non-training approaches to enable implementation across the National Guard, as well as information about the evidence behind each approach.

Focus Area 2: Fostering Service Member Total Force Fitness Through Integrated Primary Prevention

Total force fitness is a top priority for DoW leaders at the highest levels and is critical to unit readiness and mission effectiveness.

There is a clear link between Service members’ psychological, social, and family wellbeing and their ability to maintain physical fitness and cognitive health. National Guard and Reserve members, in particular, have high rates of obesity and face more limited access to healthcare, adequate nutrition, and physical fitness resources than their Active-duty counterparts.

This suggests opportunities for current efforts to reduce rates of harmful behaviors through integrated primary prevention to facilitate physical fitness and cognitive health, improve access to nutrition education, and address inequalities in the availability of nutritious food options.

The Government seeks development of interventions that account for key contributors to obesity, poor nutrition, food insecurity, cognitive wellness, and/or physical inactivity in the National Guard.

Solutions should be cognizant of resource/environmental constraints, geographic limitations, and social and psychological barriers. Proposed solutions should address common risk factors for physical inactivity and/or obesity and harmful behaviors and/or adapt an existing intervention for the National Guard context.

Proposed interventions should be multifaceted, including multiple components beyond training, such as communication approaches, informal practices, processes/procedures, communication strategy, physical health and nutrition education, and local policy changes.

The Government anticipates that proposed prototypes may involve data collection to gather current nutritional/dietary patterns of Service members, literature review to enhance known physical fitness contributors, and evaluation of current education regarding dietary patterns, access to healthier foods, and healthier food options during training.

Focus Area 3: Identify and Reduce Barriers to Help-Seeking

Help-seeking is a critical element of DoW’s prevention system, and it is important to foster cultures that promote help-seeking and coordinating resource referrals.

The DoW, the military Services, and local installations provide numerous resources and benefits to support Service member wellbeing and readiness. In addition, the National Guard Bureau partners with civilian organizations that extend access to resources to Service members who are not on active duty.

However, research suggests that many resources are underutilized. Improving help-seeking and resource utilization requires a clear understanding of factors that influence help-seeking behavior.

The intent of this Focus Area is to identify and develop prototypes utilizing key drivers of help-seeking. Prototypes should prioritize high-impact resources/services and Service member populations at elevated risk for harmful behaviors.

Offerors should also consider factors unique to particular contexts, such as very rural or geographically remote locations.

After identifying key drivers, the project should develop effective approaches to increasing help-seeking, drawing from research and program evaluation conducted among both military and civilian populations.

Potential approaches include, but are not limited to, social marketing, interpersonal communication, and policy development and implementation.

Finally, the effort should culminate in the design of an intervention, tailored to military contexts, including unique National Guard drilling rhythms, that promotes help-seeking and resource utilization.

The Government anticipates that proposed prototypes may involve data collection to gather current help-seeking behaviors of Service members, literature review to enhance known drivers of help-seeking, and evaluation of current education regarding preventative and proactive measures for cross-cutting behaviors that may impact help-seeking behavior.

Focus Area 4: Prophylactic Solutions to Prevent Battlefield and Complex Traumatic Wound Infections in Austere or Contested Environments

Battlefield and complex traumatic wounds sustained in austere or contested environments are highly susceptible to infection by bacterial and fungal pathogens, including multidrug-resistant organisms.

These infections can arise early after injury, complicate wound healing, increase morbidity, prolong evacuation and recovery, and reduce operational effectiveness.

Prevention is the preferred countermeasure because it can reduce disease burden before infection is established, preserve force readiness, and reduce downstream treatment requirements in resource-constrained settings.

The Government seeks the development of prototypes to prevent or delay wound infections, including bacterial, fungal, and/or antimicrobial-resistant infections, following battlefield and complex traumatic wounds in austere or contested environments.

Solutions should be for use at the point of injury and in prolonged care environments, Roles 1 and 2, without negatively impacting wound healing.

High-priority pathogens include Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus, and invasive fungal infections.

Specific Requirements:

This Focus Area seeks the development of materiel solutions with the following minimum required characteristics:

• Proposed prototypes should be suitable for use in operational settings where limited infrastructure, harsh conditions, and adversary actions complicate logistics, mobility, and sustainment.
• Must be able to conform to 3-dimensional wound shape, meaning not a bandage.
• Must be self-absorbing or removable through wound irrigation.
• Must be effective against at least one, but preferably multiple, high-priority pathogens: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus, or a target invasive fungal infection.
• Offerors must include preclinical efficacy data in the Enhanced White Paper at the time of submission.

It is also strongly preferred that proposed prototypes provide:

• Integration of novel antibiotic drug classes against Gram-negative pathogens.
• A single solution with the ability to provide antibiotics, pain analgesics, and/or hemostasis compounds.

At the time of proposal submission, Offerors are also required to include the following in their Enhanced White Papers. The Offeror shall clearly indicate if either requirement does not apply to the proposed project. Otherwise, failure to include this information/documentation may result in an “Unacceptable” overall proposal rating.

• Toxicity data, if required by FDA.
• Regulatory strategy with documented FDA engagement, including minutes from pre-submission meetings.

Out of Scope Prototypes:

This Focus Area is not interested in vaccines, burn wound solutions, or discovery-stage efforts. Enhanced White Papers focused on these solutions may be deemed “Unacceptable” for failing to align to a specified Focus Area of Interest.

Focus Area 5: Pathogen-Agnostic Countermeasures for the Treatment of Sepsis Caused by Wound Infection

Sepsis following battlefield and complex traumatic wounds remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality and can substantially reduce operational effectiveness.

This challenge is magnified in austere or contested environments where prolonged care, delayed evacuation, and limited critical care resources may hinder timely intervention.

Improved treatment solutions are needed to mitigate the downstream effects of wound infection and sepsis, preserve force readiness, and improve outcomes for Service Members injured in operational settings.

The Government seeks the development of products, including immune modulators, novel drugs, immunotherapeutics, and other pathogen-agnostic and/or host-directed prototypes, to treat sepsis following battlefield and complex traumatic wounds, excluding burn wounds, including in austere or contested environments.

Specific Requirements:

This Focus Area seeks the development of drug and/or biological treatments for sepsis, including host-based therapeutics.

Offerors must include preclinical efficacy data in the Enhanced White Paper at the time of submission.

At the time of proposal submission, Offerors are also required to include toxicity data, if required by FDA.

The Offeror shall clearly indicate if toxicity data is not required for the proposed project. Otherwise, failure to include this information/documentation may result in an “Unacceptable” overall proposal rating.

Out of Scope Prototypes:

This Focus Area is not interested in vaccines, burn wound solutions, discovery-stage efforts, or proposals focused solely on direct treatment of wound infection rather than sepsis. Enhanced White Papers focused on these solutions may be deemed “Unacceptable” for failing to align to a specified Focus Area of Interest.

Focus Area 6: Knowledge Product Prototypes for the Prevention of Infection in Traumatic Penetrating Wounds

Battlefield and complex traumatic penetrating wounds sustained in austere or contested environments are highly vulnerable to bacterial and fungal contamination and subsequent infection, including infection caused by multidrug-resistant organisms.

Knowledge product solutions are needed to improve prevention practices, optimize clinical practice guidelines, and support decision-making in operationally relevant trauma care settings.

The Government seeks the development of knowledge product prototypes to optimize clinical practice guidelines for the prevention of infection in traumatic penetrating wounds.

Specific Requirements:

Proposed prototypes should optimize clinical practice guidelines for at least one of the following:

1. Decipher the intricate relationship between combat polytrauma involving penetrating wounds, infections, and sepsis for data-driven clinical practice guideline revisions and field medicine.
2. Modernize the effectiveness of acute penetrating traumatic wound management by assessing the effectiveness of the Acute Traumatic Wound Management guidelines as they apply to penetrating injuries and optimizing these guidelines to enhance the standard of care for traumatic wound infections found in operational environments.
3. Leverage polytrauma of infection preclinical models to evaluate emerging solutions and therapeutics that target infections of traumatic penetrating wounds, identifying refinements needed for solution maturation.

Focus Area 7: Bacterial Diarrhea Prevention

The Government seeks innovative prophylactic prototypes to prevent endemic and emerging infectious diseases.

Proactive prevention is the most strategically desirable medical countermeasure; it eliminates the need for post-exposure treatment, offers the most cost-effective approach to disease management, and preserves force readiness by minimizing unit loss rates.

This Focus Area targets the development of prototypes to prevent bacterial diarrhea resulting from high-priority pathogens including Campylobacter jejuni, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, and Shigella in operational settings.

The Government seeks the development of a self-administered, oral intervention, not a vaccine, capable of targeting multiple high-priority bacterial pathogens.

Proposals may feature novel interventions, repurposed existing countermeasures, or current standard-of-care approaches evaluated for military-specific use cases.

Offerors must include preclinical efficacy data in the Enhanced White Paper at the time of submission. Failure to include this efficacy data may result in an “Unacceptable” overall proposal rating.

The inclusion of toxicity data, if required by FDA, is preferred.

Technical approaches may include efficacy and safety testing in validated preclinical animal models; cGMP manufacture; and safety and efficacy testing in clinical trials of prophylactics.

Out of Scope Prototypes:

This Focus Area will not consider proposals for vaccine-based interventions. Solutions must exclusively target the high-priority pathogens listed above. Proposals targeting other pathogens will be deemed out of scope and will receive an overall “Unacceptable” rating for failing to align to a specified Focus Area of Interest.

Focus Area 8: Dengue Fever Prevention and/or Treatment Prototypes

Dengue Fever is caused by one of four related, but distinct, viruses, which poses a threat to the globally deployed Joint Force.

Recovery from infection by one serotype provides lifelong immunity against only that serotype, and later infection from another serotype can cause severe disease due to antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE), which is a scientific challenge that candidate solutions to prevent and treat Dengue Fever must address.

Effective prevention and treatment of Dengue Fever is critical for future near-peer conflicts where prolonged care and preservation of operational effectiveness and reduction of unit loss rates will be required and evacuations for severe disease will be greatly hindered.

Offerors must indicate in their proposals their responsiveness to one of the following sub-focus areas:

Dengue Fever Prevention: Desired prototypes include prophylactic drugs and vaccines to prevent all four serotypes of Dengue Fever.

Specific characteristics include, but are not limited to:

• Identifying and characterizing correlates of protection for both natural infection and vaccination or determining other unknown immune markers necessary for an effective Dengue Virus vaccine.
• Immunogenicity studies to measure type-specific antibodies in relevant animal models.
• Evaluation of candidate vaccines to elicit a balanced type-specific immune response in relevant animal models.
• Understanding and identifying ways to mitigate vaccine-induced viral enhancement risk.

Dengue Fever Treatment: Desired prototypes include antibody, including IgG and IgA, immunotherapeutics to treat Dengue Fever against all four serotypes. These could be either monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies or a cocktail of antibodies, if relevant.

At the time of proposal submission, Offerors must include:

1. Preclinical efficacy data.
2. Toxicity data, if required by FDA.
3. Regulatory strategy with documented FDA engagement, including minutes from pre-submission meetings.

Offerors shall clearly indicate if any of these requirements do not apply to the proposed project. Otherwise, failure to include this information/documentation may result in an “Unacceptable” overall proposal rating.

Proposed solutions must be designed for administration through one of the following routes suitable for field or austere settings:

• Oral (PO)
• Intramuscular (IM)
• Transdermal (TD)
• Subcutaneous (SC)

Out of Scope Prototypes:

Intravenous (IV) solutions are explicitly excluded and will not be considered under this Focus Area.

Focus Area 9: Prevention and Treatment of Emerging Infectious Diseases

Emerging infectious diseases represent a significant and persistent threat to the health, mission readiness, and operational effectiveness of deployed U.S. military personnel.

This modern challenge is underscored by the historical reality that diseases have often inflicted more casualties than combat.

This Focus Area seeks the development of solutions for Lassa fever virus, Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus (CCHFV), and various hantaviruses, which are high-consequence pathogens that pose distinct risks to the deployed Joint Force.

Offerors must indicate whether their proposals address prevention or treatment.

Prevention of Emerging Infectious Diseases: Develop pathogen-agnostic and/or broad-spectrum prophylactics for CCHFV and/or Lassa Fever utilizing agile platform technologies that can rapidly pivot toward future Joint Force priorities.

Treatment of Emerging Infectious Diseases: Develop pathogen-agnostic and/or broad-spectrum therapeutics for CCHFV, Lassa Fever, and/or hantaviruses utilizing agile platform technologies that can rapidly pivot toward future Joint Force priorities.

Products to treat hantaviruses that cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), such as Hantaan virus, are prioritized over those that cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), such as Andes virus.

At the time of proposal submission, Offerors must include:

1. Preclinical efficacy data.
2. Toxicity data, if required by FDA.
3. Regulatory strategy with documented FDA engagement, including minutes from pre-submission meetings.

Proposed solutions must be designed for administration through oral, intramuscular, transdermal, or subcutaneous routes suitable for field or austere settings.

Intravenous (IV) solutions are explicitly excluded.

Proposals focused solely on other pathogens, including endemic and emerging respiratory viruses, will not be considered and will receive an overall “Unacceptable” rating for failing to align to a specified Focus Area of Interest.

Focus Area 10: Musculoskeletal Injury Treatment

Musculoskeletal injuries are the single greatest threat to operational readiness in the armed forces.

These injuries affect over 800,000 Service members annually, resulting in approximately 2.4 million medical visits and 25 million limited duty days.

During training, musculoskeletal injuries account for up to 80% of the medically non-deployable force, and 50% of Service members can expect to sustain at least one musculoskeletal injury each year.

While deployed, combat-related injuries are an ongoing threat to Service members, and there is an unmet need to accelerate recovery from injuries that are not life-threatening and can be cared for in the pre-hospital setting.

In addition, approximately 30% of all medical evacuations while deployed are due to non-battle musculoskeletal injury, with approximately 85% of those injured not returning directly to in-theater operations.

Reducing this number through targeted interventions to treat musculoskeletal injuries in the pre-hospital environment has the potential to greatly impact medical readiness.

The Government is seeking prototypes for musculoskeletal injury interventions in the pre-hospital environment.

Enhanced White Papers submitted to this Focus Area must address ONLY one of the following subareas:

Focus Area 10A: Therapeutic Interventions to Accelerate Recovery from Musculoskeletal Injury

Proposed prototypes should accelerate recovery from musculoskeletal injury and are intended to be highly applicable to pre-hospital care scenarios.

The goal is to reduce the timeline of recovering from non-life-threatening injuries, including structural bone or soft tissue.

Animal studies are not permitted.

Proposals for Focus Area 10A may propose either clinical translational research or clinical research.

Focus Area 10B: Preservation of Musculoskeletal Health

Proposed prototypes should provide initial protection and preservation to facilitate later aspects of care, including reconstruction and long-term rehabilitation and recovery.

The focus is intended for soft-tissue injuries but may additionally apply to other applications.

Proposals for Focus Area 10B may propose either applied research or clinical translational research.

Offerors should consider the following guidance:

1. Proposed prototypes should be highly relevant to the military environment or injuries sustained by the military that would not be logically addressed by other funding agencies.
2. Solutions must apply to the pre-hospital environment, which may be in garrison or in the operational setting.
3. Offerors may propose development tasks associated with applied research, clinical translational research, and clinical research.
4. Both acute trauma and overuse injuries may be included.
5. Prototypes that are broadly applicable to multiple injury types are desirable, although not required.
6. Injured areas may include upper extremities, lower extremities, and/or spine/torso.
7. Acknowledgement of transition pathways or transition partners is highly encouraged for all proposals and required for clinical research studies.
8. Offerors are encouraged to propose follow-on tasks as option periods beyond the initial scope or budget of the project.

The following Addendums are required, as applicable:

• Additional Data Addendum: Offerors should include any preliminary and/or published data relevant to the proposed research.
• Letters of Support: Offerors must include letters of support if the proposed project involves accessing military populations or collaborators.

Out-of-scope solutions include:

1. Injury prevention.
2. Injury diagnosis/imaging.
3. Human performance optimization.
4. Personal protective equipment.
5. Definitive care interventions.
6. External stabilization, such as exoskeletons, braces, and splints.
7. Arthritis.
8. Neuropathy.
9. Spinal cord injuries.
10. Head and neck injuries.
11. Compartment syndrome.
12. Infection.
13. ACL tears/reconstruction.
14. Prosthetics/orthotics.
15. Training protocols.
16. Nutrition.

Additionally, funding from this award must NOT be used for basic science or purely retrospective or database-related research.

Awards made from this Focus Area are anticipated to begin in FY27.

For Focus Area 10A, the Government anticipates 1–2 awards of approximately $3 million each with a period of performance not to exceed 36 months.

For Focus Area 10B, the Government anticipates 2–3 awards of approximately $1.5 million each for a period of performance not to exceed 36 months.

Focus Areas 11–14: Pain Treatment

One of the most critical challenges in Warfighter care is how to control severe pain without compromising a Warfighter's ability to fight.

Pain is the single most common cause for medical evacuation from the battlefield.

Current doctrine for far-forward pain management, outlined in the Joint Trauma System (JTS) Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) and Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) protocols, is centered on the use of opioids, including fentanyl, and ketamine.

While effective, these interventions carry significant risks in a military context, including respiratory depression, cognitive impairment, and hemodynamic instability, which can be exacerbated by polytrauma and hemorrhagic shock.

There is also a critical need for advanced anesthetic capabilities that can support damage control resuscitation and surgery in austere settings, Roles 1 and 2, where access to anesthesiologists and robust medical equipment is not guaranteed.

The Sensory Systems Program is interested in solutions for combat-relevant pain and anesthesia across four primary areas of interest.

As with the other Focus Areas, each Enhanced White Paper SHALL specifically address ONLY ONE Focus Area of Interest. Offerors are not limited to a single Enhanced White Paper submission.

Focus Area 11: Operational Suitability of Existing Pain Treatments

The Government seeks the development of a knowledge product based on quantifying the impact of currently fielded battlefield analgesics, such as ketamine and oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate, on the operational effectiveness of a Service Member.

The primary goal is to generate definitive human performance data to inform risk/benefit decisions and create evidence-based recommendations for the JTS to refine and optimize existing CPGs and TCCC protocols.

Prototypes must include human-subject trials designed to measure cognitive and physical performance following administration of COTS/GOTS analgesics.

Proposed trials should assess mission-relevant tasks, such as marksmanship, decision-making under stress, communication clarity, and memory, in environments that simulate operational stressors such as fatigue, high altitude, or temperature extremes.

By the end of the period of performance, prototypes are expected to provide a comprehensive data package suitable for review by military medical authorities, including:

• A Detailed Study Protocol.
• Validated Human Performance Model.
• Pharmacokinetic & Pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) Data Package.
• Final Technical Report & Recommendations.

At submission, the Enhanced White Paper must include:

• A summary of previous experience conducting human performance studies, particularly those involving physiological stressors.
• A scientific justification for the proposed human performance model and its relevance to military operational tasks.

Failure to include this information/documentation may result in an “Unacceptable” overall proposal rating.

Focus Area 12: Repurposing and Novel Delivery of Approved Compounds

The Government seeks the accelerated development of safer, opioid-sparing analgesics by leveraging the FDA's 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway for repurposed drugs delivered via novel administration methods.

Proposed solutions are expected to be candidate drug/device combinations ready to enter Phase I clinical trials.

Proposals must focus on the formulation of an existing FDA-approved drug into a rugged, easy-to-use delivery system, such as an intranasal spray, sublingual film, or pre-filled auto-injector, suitable for use at the point of injury.

Expected deliverables include a Candidate Justification Report, Prototype Delivery Device, Formulation & Stability Data Package, Preclinical Data Package, and Pre-IND Meeting Package.

At submission, the Enhanced White Paper must include proof-of-concept data as part of the Additional Data Addendum demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed drug formulation.

Letters from potential commercialization partners or manufacturing organizations are highly encouraged.

Focus Area 13: Development of Novel, Non-Addictive Analgesics

The Government seeks the development of a novel, non-addictive analgesic compound with a mechanism of action suitable for treating acute, combat-related trauma.

Proposed prototypes are expected to include a promising lead candidate with a data package sufficient to justify further investment in IND-enabling studies.

Prototypes should utilize established, military-relevant animal models of trauma, including polytrauma, burn, and penetrating injury, to demonstrate efficacy and a superior safety profile compared to morphine or ketamine.

Expected deliverables include an Efficacy Data Package, Safety & Toxicology Report, Pharmacokinetic Profile, Addiction Liability Report, and Lead Candidate Nomination Report.

At submission, the Enhanced White Paper must include preliminary preclinical data demonstrating the compound's mechanism of action, analgesic efficacy in a relevant pain model, and any available preliminary safety/toxicology data.

Offerors must also provide a statement regarding their freedom to operate or an analysis of the patent landscape for the proposed novel compound.

Focus Area 14: Advanced Anesthesia and Procedural Pain Solutions

The Government seeks the development and demonstration of a prototype system or therapeutic for the management of anesthesia and procedural pain in austere environments, Roles 1 and 2.

Proposed prototypes are expected to reduce the cognitive burden on providers and can be used by non-specialists.

Proposals must address one of two solution pathways:

A. Closed-loop anesthetic delivery system that integrates physiological monitoring to autonomously control sedation.

B. Long-acting, single-administration anesthetic/analgesic suitable for providing procedural pain control without continuous infusion.

Expected deliverables include a functional prototype and supporting data package demonstrating feasibility in a relevant simulated or preclinical environment.

For closed-loop systems, deliverables include a functional TRL 4/5 prototype, documented software algorithm, and system performance report.

For long-acting therapeutics, deliverables include formulation data, a preclinical efficacy report, PK/PD analysis, and preliminary non-GLP toxicology analysis.

At submission, applicable technical specifications or existing preclinical data must be included in the Additional Data Addendum.

Failure to include applicable information/documentation may result in an “Unacceptable” overall proposal rating.

Focus Area 15: Blast and Blunt Sensors for Exposure Monitoring

Soldiers are frequently exposed to blast and blunt impacts during training and operations, which can lead to significant brain health decrements and safety risks.

Single or repetitive exposures can be linked to immediate and long-term health problems such as traumatic brain injury and cognitive difficulties.

The Government is seeking prototypes to address:

1. Monitor Service member brain health and/or cognitive performance.
2. Advance human blast exposure surrogates.
3. Develop integrated blast overpressure exposure software tools.

Proposals must address one of the following pathways:

Pathway A — Advanced Blast Surrogate: A prototype of an advanced, sensor-integrated surrogate with software-enabled tunable structures that mimic human blast responses. The system must automatically report BOP exposure injury risk using both sensor and surrogate data.

Pathway B — TBI Incidence and Performance Tracking: A methodology and system for the precise determination of TBI incidence, alongside a neurocognitive performance assessment and tracking method designed to enhance mission readiness.

All selected performers shall deliver quarterly progress reports, a final project report, and all technical documentation required for support, verification, and validation.

This includes all collected data and documentation of development efforts used to refine BOP exposure leadership requirements for tracking Service member concussions and mission readiness in the training environment.

At submission, the Enhanced White Paper must include the following, as applicable:

1. Letters of Support: Offerors must include letters of support if the proposed project involves accessing military populations or collaborators.
2. IRB approval documentation: Approval from an Institutional Review Board to conduct research involving human subjects.
3. Regulatory Engagement: Proof of regulatory engagement.

Animal studies are out of scope for this Focus Area, will not be considered for award, and may be deemed “Unacceptable” for failing to align to a specified Focus Area of Interest.

Funding Availability

The Government currently has available a total of $10.5 million for this topic.

Two awards of up to $7 million are anticipated, with a period of performance not to exceed 48 months. These awards are expected to start in FY27.

Proposers Conference

MTEC intends to host a Proposers Conference series conducted via webinar within several weeks of the release of the RPP and may include multiple sessions as deemed appropriate.

Further instructions will be forthcoming via email.

The intent of the Multi-Topic Proposers Conference series is to provide an administrative overview of the RPP process to award and to present further insight into the Focus Areas of Interest outlined in Section 3.

Offerors are advised to check the MTEC website periodically during the proposal preparation period for any clarifications found in Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) responses.

MTEC Member Teaming

While teaming is not required for this effort, Offerors are encouraged to consider teaming during the proposal preparation period, prior to proposal submission, if they cannot address the full scope of technical requirements of the RPP or otherwise believe a team may be beneficial to the Government.

MTEC's new website features functionality to assist members in team building.

To facilitate collaboration, MTEC members can utilize the Member Profiles directory to identify potential teaming partners, including technology innovators and specialized service providers.

MTEC also intends to hold Teaming Connects for this effort. These will be virtual Teams meetings to help the membership collaborate and partner in relation to specific Focus Areas listed in the RPP.

Organizations interested in presenting during the Teaming Connect event will be allotted three minutes to pitch their capabilities, supported by one slide.

More information on registering for these events will be available on the MTEC website within the next several weeks.

If an Offeror is in need of additional teaming assistance, the Offeror is encouraged to reach out to the points of contact listed in Section 6.

Points of Contact

For technical and membership questions, contact MTEC Senior Technical Program Manager Chuck Hutti, Ph.D., at chuck.hutti@mtec-sc.org.

All other questions should be directed to MTEC Program Manager Daniel Vala at Daniel.vala@mtec-sc.org.

The full-length RPP is available through MTEC's solicitation page.

Request Issue Date: August 6, 2026
Proposal Due Date: October 30, 2026

Read the full RPP at https://mtec-sc.org/solicitations/multitopic-26