REGIONAL PARTNERS
When your focus or goals are local, you need a partner that understands the nuances of your region. Connect with organizations headquartered in the North, South, West or Midwest.
APEX Accelerators
The APEX Accelerators, formerly known as the Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP), was authorized by Congress in 1985 to expand the number of businesses capable of participating in government contracts. Today, the APEX Accelerators program focuses on building strong, sustainable and resilient U.S. supply chains by assisting a wide range of businesses that pursue and perform under contracts with the DoD, other federal agencies, state and local governments, and with government prime contractors.
BusinessFirst!
The BusinessFirst! Program uses a customer‐oriented approach to economic development designed to link businesses to resources in the community. The BusinessFirst! team is a coordinated group of approximately 100 government agencies, development organizations and non‐profit corporations that support the growth and retention of businesses in the Greater Dayton Region.
Entrepreneurs’ Center
The Entrepreneurs' Center is a technology accelerator and business incubator in Dayton. TEC will work with clients to identify actions and services that move the entrepreneur toward growth, profitability and sustainability. They provide analysis to help determine what the entrepreneur needs at any given phase of business development.The Entrepreneurs' Center is a technology accelerator and business incubator in Dayton. TEC will work with clients to identify actions and services that move the entrepreneur toward growth, profitabil...
Ohio Third Frontier
Businesses and entrepreneurs have access to a statewide network of resources through this nationally-recognized initiative. The network provides access to business expertise, mentorship, capital and talent to help turn great ideas into thriving companies and well-paying jobs.
ASSOCIATIONS & NON-PROFITS
We partner with Partnership Intermediaries (PIs), or organizations that work with small businesses to broaden their opportunities with the AFRL. Partnership intermediaries hold PIAs, or Partnership Intermediary Agreements, that allow them to engage small businesses on behalf of the government to accelerate technology transfer and licensing.
Academic Partnership Engagement Experiment (APEX)
The Academic Partnership Engagement Experiment (APEX) cultivates innovation by expanding the American research enterprise for the USAF. APEX does this by engaging and collaborating with innovators across academia, industry and the Department of Defense (DoD) and who possess capabilities of interest to the USAF; utilizing data analytics to identify transformational operational defense solutions in academia, industry and government sectors; providing high-touch coaching for business startups and proposals; and engaging with DoD programs to connect universities, businesses and government entities in a way that moves defense technology from discovery to reality.
Bricc
The BRICC, as part of the Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA) between AFOSR and VT-ARC, offers an environment and suite of services that foster meaningful and impactful initiatives and engagement opportunities to further the overall AFOSR mission of finding and funding revolutionary basic science.
Catalyst Campus
Catalyst Campus is a collaborative ecosystem with best-in-class amenities where industry, small business, workforce training, entrepreneurs, startups and venture capital intersect with the aerospace and defense industry to create community, spark innovation and stimulate business growth. We serve as a trusted agnostic partner that facilitates connections to initiate, cultivate and enhance the public-private partnerships.
Cyber Innovation Center
The Cyber Innovation Center (CIC), located in Bossier City, Louisiana, is the anchor of the 3,000 acre National Cyber Research Park and serves as the catalyst for the development and expansion of a knowledge-based workforce throughout the region. As a 501c3 not-for-profit corporation, the CIC fosters collaboration among its partners and accelerates technology, research, and development. One of its primary missions is to develop a sustainable knowledge-based workforce that can support the growing needs of government, industry, and academia.
DEFENSEWERX
Defensewerx is a neutral facilitator and trusted counselor, connecting a national network of individuals, businesses, educators and government organizations to enable creative and integrated solutions for our DoD customers.
Doolittle Institute
The Doolittle Institute, an AFRL Innovation Institute, supports the Air Force Research Labs Munitions Directorate by working to license and commercialize AFRL/RW technologies in the private sector, enable rapid technology delivery to the warfighter, identify and foster new R&D partnerships and develop AFRL’s current and future workforce. The Doolittle Institute is a member of the Defensewerx Family.
Government Agencies
The United States government provides resources and tools to aid small businesses who are starting the defense contractor process or are actively defense contractors.
APEX Accelerators
The APEX Accelerators, formerly known as the Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP), was authorized by Congress in 1985 to expand the number of businesses capable of participating in government contracts. Today, the APEX Accelerators program focuses on building strong, sustainable and resilient U.S. supply chains by assisting a wide range of businesses that pursue and perform under contracts with the DoD, other federal agencies, state and local governments, and with government prime contractors.
Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)
The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) strengthens national security by accelerating the adoption of commercial technology throughout the military and bolstering our allied and national security innovation bases. DIU partners with organizations across the Department of Defense (DoD) to rapidly prototype and field dual-use capabilities that solve operational challenges at speed and scale. DIU is the only DoD organization focused exclusively on fielding and scaling commercial technology across the U.S. military at commercial speeds. DIU’s process delivers prototypes to our DoD partners, along with scalable revenue opportunities for our commercial vendors, within 12 to 24 months. Upon completion, successful prototypes may transition to follow-on production-Other Transaction agreements or Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)-based contracts.
DoD Manufacturing Technology (ManTech)
DoD ManTech Program was originally created to further national security objectives through the development and application of advanced manufacturing technologies and processes. The enterprise attempts to utilize advanced manufacturing to secure a more lethal force, strengthen alliances and new partnerships, and reform the Department for greater performance and affordability. The mission of the program is to reduce the acquisition and supportability costs of defense weapon systems and reduce manufacturing and repair cycle times across the lifecycles of such systems.
GSA Contracts Search
The Acquisition Solutions Navigator allows you to compare General Services Administration (GSA) contract vehicles and search contract award information. Conduct market research for your procurements by using these tools to explore GSA resources.
SpaceWERX
SpaceWERX inspires and empowers collaboration with innovators to accelerate capabilities and shape our future in space. Major technology trends that affect our national security continue to emerge from private industry, academia, and the government. The U.S. Space Force’s competitive advantage is our ability to identify, validate, acquire, and integrate those technologies quickly. Accordingly, SpaceWERX seeks to form collaborative partnerships between the military’s operational experts and the top problem solvers in industry, academia, and the government.
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
Make sure you meet your SBA size standard. Learn about the definition of – and qualifications for – a small business and why it’s important to know your status.
ACADEMIC CONNECTIONS
We have forged connections with several higher-learning institutions that promote innovation and technological advancement in partnership with the AFRL.
Digital Manufacturing & Design Innovation (DMDI) Institute
MxD is where innovative manufacturers go to forge their futures. In partnership with the Department of Defense, MxD equips U.S. factories with the digital tools and expertise they need to begin building every part better than the last. As a result, our more than 300 partners increase their productivity and win more business.
Purdue Research Foundation
The Purdue Research Foundation is a place where ideas turn into inventions and where inventions are used to propel the world forward/into new territories. Our technology transfer, business development and incubation program have not only earned numerous awards and recognition, but they have also strengthened economies by developing breakthroughs into deliverable products.
SOFWERX
SOFWERX was created under a Partnership Intermediary Agreement between Doolittle Institute and the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). Located in Tampa, FL, SOFWERX has a very dynamic environment designed to create a high rate of return on collision for all participants. Through the use of our growing ecosystem, promotion of divergent thought, and neutral facilitation, our goal is to bring the right minds together to solve challenging problems.
CONSORTIA
Tap into industry-specific organizations to connect with other small business owners facing the same challenges and opportunities as you.
Advanced Functional Fabrics of America
Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA), is a non-profit Institute headquartered near the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and is one of the latest members of the National Network of Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) Institutes. AFFOA’s mission enables a manufacturing-based revolution—the transformation of traditional fibers, yarns, and textiles into highly sophisticated integrated and networked devices and systems.
Advanced Regeneration Manufacturing Institute/ BioFabUSA (ARMI)
BioFabUSA has been initiated as a Manufacturing USA (MII) and will be sustained by the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI), a non-profit organization located in Manchester, New Hampshire. ARMI's mission is make practical the large-scale manufacturing of engineered tissues and tissue-related technologies, to benefit existing industries and grow new ones. To that end, the technical scope for BioFabUSA work includes innovations across five thrust areas: (1) Cell Selection, Culture and Scale-up, (2) Biomaterial Selection and Scale-up; (3) Tissue Process Automation and Monitoring; (4) Tissue Maturing Technologies and (5) Tissue Preservation and Transport.
Advanced Robotics Manufacturing (ARM)
As a national membership-based consortium, ARM is dedicated to creating the ecosystem that will drive innovation in robotics. Our staff and resources are focused on spurring innovations in not just ro...
Aeroacoustics Research Consortium (AARC)
The AeroAcoustics Research Consortium (AARC) was established in 2001 by NASA Glenn Research Center and Industry partners with the goal of advancing the development of technologies for reducing the environmental impact of noise produced by commercial aircraft. Since that time, significant expansion of commercial air travel and revolutionary changes in flight systems and operations, combined with increased community engagement and national and international regulations, have only increased the demand for innovative approaches to controlling noise, which need to be made with the often-competing requirements of improving performance and reducing emissions.
AIM Photonics
The American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics (AIM Photonics), is an industry driven public-private partnership that focuses the nation’s premiere capabilities and expertise to capture critical global manufacturing leadership in a technology that is both essential to National security and positioned to provide a compelling return-on-investment to the U.S. economy. The Institute’s goal is to emulate the dramatic successes experienced by the electronics industry over the past 40 years and transition key lessons, processes, and approaches to the photonic integrated circuit (PIC) industry. AIM Photonics supports Small and Medium Enterprises, providing practical access and technology on-ramps for U.S. industry, government, and academic communities. We are creating a National PIC manufacturing infrastructure, widely accessible and inherently flexible to meet the challenges of the marketplace with practical, innovative solutions.
American Metal Casting (AMC) Consortium
The mission of the American Metalcasting Consortium (AMC) is to develop and apply procurement support and new technologies that rapidly deliver high quality, cost-effective cast parts to assist the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) in supporting today’s warfighter.