AAL blends various government funding sources with private capital. Our contracts get more money to companies much faster – in the right amounts and at the right time. AAL offers a special brand of SBIR called SPARTN.
SPARTN:
- Shorter contracting times
- Faster Payment
- Deliverable-based capital
- Average 15 days to award notification and 40 days to contract (Phase I)
AAL matches companies with Army stakeholders actively looking for solutions. Our current technology focus areas are where the Army's needs most overlap commercial capability: Power and Energy, Human Performance, Robotics and Tactical AI, and Contested Logistics.
That doesn't mean we're only interested in companies that do exactly those things. Anyone — and we mean anyone — with applicable or adjacent tech is encouraged to join our network.
We want defense partners to make real money so you'll come back for more. Dual-use or purpose-built for defense, we just want to give Soldiers the best tech on the battlefield or in the barracks.
Join our network and tell us what you do. You'll be alerted to AAL opportunities that align with your business as they become available.
You're in the right place! We are looking for companies that have something the Army could use — even if they don't know it yet. And we want to make sure that anyone who wants to work with the Army, but doesn't know how, can cut through the red tape and focus on what matters.
AAL's current projects align to our FY23 focus areas, but there are other Army organizations working on exciting projects who want to work with new commercial companies, too. Check out these Useful Links to learn more about those other organizations and how to get started.
Probably not. While specifics vary by project, we often find the best value by making small investments and facilitating design or prototyping to speed development of revolutionary, early-stage capabilities. If you've got a piece of the overall solution, that might be just what we need.
If you want to find commercial technology that could solve an operational need but don't have the time or resources to explore and validate the solutions on your own, then we are the perfect partner for you. The Army doesn't have a problem creating new widgets; we have a problem getting products into the hands of Soldiers. And, while the Army and DoD have organizations dedicated to finding new technology, solutions discovered in the commercial market don't always align to an identified problem. We can help with both.
AAL partners closely with Cross Functional Teams (CFTs) within Army Futures Command (AFC) as well as with appropriate Program Executive Offices (PEO) and Program Managers (PMs) at the beginning of every project, embedding them into the capability development process to align funding and speed transition. We also work across the Army, acting as a broker, to transfer solutions from Science & Technology (S&T) to ASA(ALT) for validation and fielding to Programs of Record.
Our network includes big companies, small companies, and everything in between. What they share is a desire to work on Army problems, even if they've never worked with the government before. AAL's dedicated Commercial Ventures team actively curates and manages this network of nontraditional solvers, venture capital firms, aggregators, and industry partners within each of our four technology focus areas.
The Army Applications Laboratory (AAL) is part of Army Futures Command (AFC). In addition to launching new functions, such as AAL, AFC brings together a number of existing organizations into one to drive the Army into the future and maintain our advantage on the battlefield of tomorrow.
AAL is bound by the same rules and laws as all government organizations. We do not have special authorities in that regard. Our difference is one of perspective — we exist to challenge the status quo, so we're always looking for ways to do more, faster, and for less while remaining within the letter of the law. Imagination and a willingness to fail forward are what make us different, and we love showing other Army organizations how they can do the same.
The three red lines in our logo represent industry, government, and academia spurring each other forward to advance bleeding-edge technology. While "bleeding edge" is a term widely used to describe technology that's beyond cutting or leading edge, for us, it's much more. At AAL, the three red lines remind us of our core purpose — to support US Army Soldiers and protect our way of life. Our work is never about technology for its own sake. We exist to serve them.
- You can apply to one of our open projects! You can learn about those on the Industry page.
- You can apply to our Broad Agency Announcement. It's important to note this method doesn't have dedicated funding attached to it.
- You can tell us about your company and the tech vertices you are in by joining our network!
Check out these helpful links:
- To apply, you'll need a Unique Entity ID
- Register at SAM.gov
- Consider registering with the SBA
- Watch our SPARTN SBIR how-to series
- Check out the SBIR Phase I Template
- And the Direct to Phase II Template
- View the SBIR Optional Deck Guide
- Learn more about SBIR