Latest news with #SmallBusinessTechnologyTransfer
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Solideon Announces $1.25 Million AFWERX Contract
BERKELEY, Calif., June 11, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(Additive Space Technologies Inc., d.b.a. Solideon) announces it has been selected by AFWERX for a Direct-to-Phase II contract in the amount of $1.25 million focused on developing a single pallet additive manufacturing cell that is capable of flexibly manufacturing critical systems across expeditionary environments. to address the most pressing challenges in the Department of the Air Force (DAF). The Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) process by accelerating the small business experience through faster proposal to award timelines, changing the pool of potential applicants by expanding opportunities to small business and eliminating bureaucratic overhead by continually implementing process improvement changes in contract execution. The DAF began offering the Open Topic SBIR/STTR program in 2018, which expanded the range of innovations the DAF funded, and now, on May 21st, 2025, Additive Space Technologies Inc, d.b.a Solideon will start its journey to create and provide innovative capabilities that will strengthen the national defense of the United States of America. Quote From Company "The future of industrial power isn't centralized — it's deployable. This award is a signal that the Department of the Air Force is ready to break from the past and lead with agility. With this contract, we're building the foundation for a world where manufacturing happens not in factories but wherever the mission demands — from airbases to shipyards and, eventually, orbit." CEO Oluseun Taiwo The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government. About Additive Space Technologies Inc., d.b.a. Solideon Solideon is revolutionizing manufacturing by transforming readily available robotic arms into multi-robotic-enabled factories. This innovative approach empowers end-users with the capability to robotically weld, fabricate, and assemble entire structures on-site. By doing so, Solideon is fundamentally reshaping how the industrial base approaches the manufacturing of critical assets, such as ships, submarines, and other large vehicles. About AFRL The Air Force Research Laboratory is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space, and cyberspace forces. With a workforce of more than 12,500 across nine technology areas and 40 other operations across the globe, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development. For more information, visit About AFWERX As the innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory, AFWERX brings cutting-edge American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the DAF. AFWERX employs approximately 370 military, civilian and contractor personnel at four hubs and sites executing an annual $1.4 billion budget. Since 2019, AFWERX has awarded over 10,400 contracts worth more than $7.24 billion to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability. For more information, visit: View source version on Contacts Company Press Contact: Kait EwoldtCreative Director and Strategic Erreur lors de la récupération des données Connectez-vous pour accéder à votre portefeuille Erreur lors de la récupération des données Erreur lors de la récupération des données Erreur lors de la récupération des données Erreur lors de la récupération des données
Business Wire
11-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Solideon Announces $1.25 Million AFWERX Contract
BERKELEY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(Additive Space Technologies Inc., d.b.a. Solideon) announces it has been selected by AFWERX for a Direct-to-Phase II contract in the amount of $1.25 million focused on developing a single pallet additive manufacturing cell that is capable of flexibly manufacturing critical systems across expeditionary environments. to address the most pressing challenges in the Department of the Air Force (DAF). The Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) process by accelerating the small business experience through faster proposal to award timelines, changing the pool of potential applicants by expanding opportunities to small business and eliminating bureaucratic overhead by continually implementing process improvement changes in contract execution. The DAF began offering the Open Topic SBIR/STTR program in 2018, which expanded the range of innovations the DAF funded, and now, on May 21st, 2025, Additive Space Technologies Inc, d.b.a Solideon will start its journey to create and provide innovative capabilities that will strengthen the national defense of the United States of America. Quote From Company 'The future of industrial power isn't centralized — it's deployable. This award is a signal that the Department of the Air Force is ready to break from the past and lead with agility. With this contract, we're building the foundation for a world where manufacturing happens not in factories but wherever the mission demands — from airbases to shipyards and, eventually, orbit.' CEO Oluseun Taiwo The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government. About Additive Space Technologies Inc., d.b.a. Solideon Solideon is revolutionizing manufacturing by transforming readily available robotic arms into multi-robotic-enabled factories. This innovative approach empowers end-users with the capability to robotically weld, fabricate, and assemble entire structures on-site. By doing so, Solideon is fundamentally reshaping how the industrial base approaches the manufacturing of critical assets, such as ships, submarines, and other large vehicles. About AFRL The Air Force Research Laboratory is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space, and cyberspace forces. With a workforce of more than 12,500 across nine technology areas and 40 other operations across the globe, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development. For more information, visit About AFWERX As the innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory, AFWERX brings cutting-edge American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the DAF. AFWERX employs approximately 370 military, civilian and contractor personnel at four hubs and sites executing an annual $1.4 billion budget. Since 2019, AFWERX has awarded over 10,400 contracts worth more than $7.24 billion to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability. For more information, visit:
Boston Globe
05-05-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Innovation at risk: Congress must make vital small-business programs permanent
Advertisement But the innovation economy is under threat. The Trump administration is slashing federal research funds to public universities and cutting experienced research staff across agencies, including at the National Institutes of Health. These reckless cuts will jeopardize future breakthroughs and sacrifice US competitiveness. We cannot cede next-generation technologies to other countries. To support and grow the innovation economy, the federal government must bolster the successful initiatives that help keep the United States at the front of the pack. Since 1982 and 1992, respectively, the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs have delivered federal research and development funding exclusively for innovative small businesses and the research institutions they partner with — without forcing entrepreneurs to give up ownership in their companies. For every dollar spent, these programs have produced Advertisement Since the creation of SBIR and STTR, Massachusetts small businesses have become some of the best innovation partners for the federal government and have benefited significantly, receiving In the biotechnology sector, private early-stage funding can be especially hard to secure because it is capital intensive and requires years of trials and research before products reach patients. Yet, some Republicans in Congress are demanding major reforms that would hamstring these programs and stifle innovation — all to benefit private interests and private profits. Republican proposals to reform the SBIR and STTR programs would force innovative small businesses to rely on hard-to-secure private investment, which would require entrepreneurs to give up partial ownership in their companies. There is even a proposal to cap the amount of funding available to a single company within the programs, which would end the more than 40 years of a merit-based system. These federal programs were created by Congress, on a bipartisan basis, with the belief that the government has a responsibility to invest in innovative small businesses to further foster innovation in America. Advertisement Thanks in part to the SBIR and STTR programs, the United States has experienced a golden age of innovation over the past several decades. To build on this success and fuel a robust innovation economy, Congress must ensure SBIR and STTR can meet the growing needs of entrepreneurs and small businesses for years to come. It can do this by
Newsweek
01-05-2025
- Science
- Newsweek
Sweating Spacecraft May Be the Key To Greener Space Travel
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Space junk surrounds us. The European Space Agency estimates that there are approximately 130 million pieces of space junk from the over 6,800 successful rocket launches that have occurred since 1957. The South Pacific Ocean Uninhabited Area (SPOUA), a region near Point Nemo, is called the spacecraft cemetery as it is where those craft are routinely crashed at the end of their usefulness. Orbital debris falls into the Earth's atmosphere and burns up on its way back down. Until recently, marked notably by the multiple successes by SpaceX, many spacecraft have been one-and-done use cases. The longest-serving spacecraft in history, the space shuttle Discovery, only flew a few dozen times before it was retired in 2011. Scientists at Texas A&M University's Department of Aerospace Engineering are working to develop and test a 3D-printed material that aims to make spacecraft reusable and space travel greener in partnership with Canopy Aerospace. The work is enabled by a $1.7 million Air Force Small Business Technology Transfer grant. Reentering The Atmosphere Reentering The Atmosphere Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty Spacecraft returning to Earth are subjected to intense heat. NASA's space shuttle experiences temperatures around 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit during reentry. NASA's Orion spaceship sustains even hotter temperatures, near 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, the same temperature Apollo 13 reached during its reentry. Even higher temperatures are possible during hypersonic reentry. Traditionally, spacecraft rely on heat shields or ceramic tiles to serve as a barrier from the extreme temperatures. SpaceX's Starship has an advanced heat shield, made up of approximately 18,000 hexagonal tiles. The solution the partners are looking to prove out is a cooling method that acts as a heat barrier. Experts are testing transpiration cooling for spacecraft. This method features a layer of gas along the craft's surface that cools it and provides a barrier between the craft and extreme temperatures. "The air around rockets becomes extremely hot as they reenter Earth's atmosphere — often exceeding 10,000 degrees Celsius. This requires heat shields to protect the rocket from overheating, which are not fully reusable. Upon mission completion, they need to be replaced or refurbished, which makes space travel astronomically expensive," Dr. Hassan Saad Ifti, assistant professor of aerospace engineering at Texas A&M University, told Newsweek. "This technology creates a gaseous layer as the rocket 'sweats' or transpires a coolant gas, which acts as the heat shield. Once the mission is complete, the coolant gas tanks can be refueled for the next mission. This would make the rocket more reusable, and perhaps one day, we will have a fully and rapidly reusable rocket, just like the aircraft we fly today," he said. This thermal effect is similar to how a puffer jacket works, Dr. Ifti explained. "This is why a puffer jacket is so effective. It traps air in these pockets, so it is the insulation from the air keeping you warm, not the solid part of the jacket." The hypothesis is that when a vehicle uses the gas barrier as opposed to a single-use heat shield, flight times between missions could be reduced from years or months to days or hours, more similar to the turnaround time of a traditional passenger jet. The gas barrier is not a new concept. Though the idea has existed for years, limitations in materials science, computational power and ground testing abilities have made it challenging to implement, Ifti said. Testing rig development is being led by William Matthews, a fourth-year Ph.D. student at Texas A&M. "We should see that the material's surface is cooler at hypersonic speeds when the coolant flow is introduced than the baseline when no coolant is present," Matthews said. "Depending on how well the gas permeates the material, there are a lot of potential outcomes for this technology, and these tests should help us decide which direction we want to go." Initial wind tunnel testing will take place at Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station's National Aerothermochemistry and Hypersonics Laboratory. The results of that testing will determine if a full-scale testing mission is worth investing in ahead of any possible application for commercial use. "I am optimistic about this technology," said Ifti. "If all goes well, we could see sweaty spacecraft in the sky by the end of our lifetimes."
Technical.ly
28-04-2025
- Business
- Technical.ly
Startups often struggle with grant applications. A new group wants to change that.
A new coalition wants to make sure Pittsburgh companies don't leave federal money on the table. The Pittsburgh Technology Council and Keystone Space Collaborative have teamed up to launch the Data, Robotics, Energy, AI, Manufacturing and Security (DREAMS) Coalition, an initiative designed to help local companies in that industry cluster better apply for federal grant funding. The application to be considered for the coalition, announced last week, is open to companies at all stages to apply — and it comes at just the right time. Local companies need help applying for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) funding, especially in the current 'uncertain federal funding environment,' said Justine Kasznica, founder and board chair of Keystone Space Collaborative. Bringing businesses together in a coworking space and connecting them with government agencies and investment stakeholders provides the foundation to score more grants. 'There [are] a number of these companies that really need support,' Kasznica said, 'identifying what opportunities exist and then sitting down and figuring out what they need to do to maximize their chances of getting critical early-stage [research and development] dollars.' From startups that are first-time applicants to seasoned businesses, the DREAMS coalition is seeking companies with expertise in data, robotics, energy, AI, manufacturing and security that can apply their skills to solve problems identified by federal agencies. Along with offering federal funding assistance, the coalition will provide a collaborative workspace in Bakery Square and facilitate connections to industry stakeholders and investors to propel advanced technology startups in aerospace, robotics, AI and manufacturing. 'If you take the assets we have in this region, both historical and recent, there's not one industry that's going to take us to the next iteration of Pittsburgh,' Audrey Russo, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Technology Council, told 'The diversity of the [coalition's] industries are only going to make us stronger.' As applications roll in, companies could begin receiving support at the coalition's coworking space as early as next month, according to Kasznica and Russo. The coalition is currently in a six-month pilot phase, but if it proves successful, the Pittsburgh Technology Council and Keystone Space Collaborative plan to extend the initiative and establish a more permanent location. 'We're calling it a pilot because we want to test out this broader industry cluster,' Kasznica said. 'How we evaluate ourselves is based on how many new projects and funding dollars we can bring to new technologies or existing companies.' Instead of supplying access to cash like accelerators and incubators, the coalition relies on the importance of building connections and providing hands-on guidance through the grant application process. A tough fed funding landscape still rife with opportunities Despite the uncertain federal funding landscape, Russo and Kasznica both said they were optimistic about local companies securing grants moving forward. Since the creation of the SBIR and STTR programs, Pittsburgh companies have received over $400 million for innovation research and new technology development across over 1,000 grant awards. The early-stage, non-dilutive funding has allowed Pittsburgh to compete with larger cities that have more private capital and has helped numerous local startups get off the ground. The coalition will specifically target agencies in aerospace and defense, Kasznica said, which aligns with the type of funding Pittsburgh companies have received to date. A majority of the grants to Pittsburgh companies have come from the Department of Defense, with the other top agencies being the Department of Health and Human Services, NASA, the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation. 'We're anticipating even more opportunities, in some cases, particularly for the future technology development that we're looking at doing in this region, which is advanced manufacturing, robotics and AI,' Kasznica said. 'There's a real appetite for that, even with this administration.' Through DREAMS, Kasznica and Russo want to keep those dollars flowing into the region. What early-stage companies often get wrong when applying for grants, according to Kasznica, is approaching the process with a product-first mindset and trying to pitch a product they've already built. The coalition aims to shift this approach early on by encouraging companies to first understand the needs of potential customers and then apply their expertise in robotics, manufacturing, or AI to solve those specific problems. 'It's really important to have good processes intact and people around you that have experience doing this kind of work,' Russo said, 'so that you can understand what you're able to leverage and what you need to make it happen.' Plus, a free coworking space to spread knowledge even further With a $60,000 grant from the Benedum Foundation, the coalition is leasing space at Spaces Bakery Square, utilizing the coworking hub with 11 rooms, including private offices and flexible conference and working areas that could accommodate up to 30 people. Staff from the Pittsburgh Technology Council, Keystone Space Collaborative and innovation research firm Parallax will all be onsite to work with participating companies. Through the no-cost coworking space, companies will gain access to mentorship and open office hours with a Parallax team member who specializes in connecting universities, businesses and government. Also, eligible members will be able to access Keystone Innovation Zone tax credits, further incentivizing growth. Additional programming could include workshops on scaling innovation and networking events designed to build a strong, connected entrepreneurial ecosystem, according to a recent press release. 'We need a better concierge system, which is what we're trying to set up here with this coalition,' Kasznica said. 'This isn't a traditional accelerator … we're not giving money out, but we're providing a place to come and participate, meet potential partners and funders.'
