Fusing the power of integrators and U.S. small businesses is critical in accelerating innovation to equip the Warfighter of 2030. Enter the Army SBIR CATALYST Program.
Army SBIR CATALYST unites the Army, integrators and small businesses to create innovative technologies — propelling concepts to final transition and commercialization. With contracts up to eight times larger than typical SBIR awards, small businesses and their Army and industry partners can drive Army priorities and support modernization efforts.
Announced at the October 2022 Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting and Exposition by the Under Secretary of the Army, Hon. Gabe Camarillo, the Army SBIR CATALYST Program is one of five initiatives incentivizing the Army’s collaborative efforts with industry. The Army SBIR CATALYST pilot launched in February 2023, followed by the second iteration of the program, unveiled at the October 2023 AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition.
The Army SBIR Program will select up to five small businesses for new CATALYST contracts — totaling up to $75 million over the duration of their potential awards. To ensure the U.S. can overcome any adversary, the current Army SBIR CATALYST Program prioritizes ecosystems such as artificial intelligence and machine learning; autonomy; climate and clean tech; contested logistics and sustainment; immersive and wearables; and sensors.
Army SBIR CATALYST will require interested Army transition partners to recommend SBIR projects for the program via an application process. Additionally, federal agencies outside the Army can work with an Army transition partner to submit a CATALYST application with the topic and recommended small business.
The Army SBIR Contracting Center of Excellence will execute all SBIR CATALYST contracts, quickly placing money in the hands of innovators and efficiently responding to Army needs.
The contract is a two-level funding structure. Phase II and Direct to Phase II recipients receive a base award of up to $1 million over a 6-to-12-month performance period. Meanwhile, Sequential Phase II awards require the small business to have a matching investment at the time of award. Following the base phase or matching investment, recipients can receive CATALYST Enhancement Phase II funds of up to $7 million of Army SBIR funds, up to $3.5 million in funding from their Army transition partner, and up to $3.5 million from their project’s integrator. The Army will base the award on a 2:1:1 matching fund ratio over a 12-to-24-month PoP.
The program will only award CATALYST Phase II Enhancement funds following a successful base performance — and if the Army transition partner and integrator have available funding.
Watch a webinar on the Army SBIR CATALYST Program here.
Have any questions? Interested in learning more? Reach out to the Army SBIR Team via the Contact Us page.