U.S. Army is seeking information from eligible small businesses innovative concepts for an advanced autonomous unmanned system (UAV, UGV, and/or sensor network)

The U.S. Army is seeking information from eligible small businesses across the U.S. regarding innovative concepts for an advanced autonomous unmanned system (UAV, UGV, and/or sensor network). The xTechOverwatch competition provides an opportunity to engage with the Department of Defense (DoD), earn prize money and have the opportunity to submit a Direct to Phase II (DP2) Army Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) proposal.

The Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology (ASA(ALT)) is partnering with Army Futures Command (AFC) to deliver the xTechOverwatch competition. The Army recognizes that the DoD must enhance engagements with U.S. small businesses by (1) understanding the spectrum of ‘world-class’ technologies being developed commercially that may benefit DoD; (2) integrating the sector of non-traditional innovators into the DoD Science and Technology (S&T) ecosystem; and (3) providing expertise and feedback to accelerate, mature, and transition technologies of interest to the DoD.

The xTechOverwatch competition will consist of three rounds:

1. Call for concept white papers;
2. Finals pitch event/demonstration; and
3. Opportunity to submit a DP2 Army SBIR proposal.

Collaborations between Small Business Concerns (SBCs) and between an SBC and another entity is encouraged for submissions to this competition. The submitting organization must be eligible in accordance with Section II of the request for information (RFI). SBCs selected may have opportunities to collaborate during the course of the competition and following the competition to integrate their technologies into comprehensive autonomous systems.

The competition will award up to $1 million in cash prizes throughout the competition to selected participants. Up to 40 applicants will receive a cash prize of $15,000 each and an opportunity to pitch and demonstrate their innovative technology solutions to a panel of Army and DoD subject matter experts (SMEs) at the Army Human Machine Integration (HMI) Summit in October 2025. The Army intends to select up to 20 final winners of the competition to receive an additional cash prize of $20,000 each. Final winners of the competition with technologies that demonstrate sufficient maturity for direct prototype development will have the opportunity to submit a DP2 Army SBIR proposal worth up to $2 million, not to exceed 18 months in duration. Additional details on prize structure can be found in Section VII of the RFI.

In addition to non-dilutive cash prizes, participants will have the opportunity to engage with Army and DoD representatives through information-sharing and networking opportunities.

More here.

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