Statement of Objectives (SOO) PIA CPO1.pdf

Statement of Objectives for Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA) Collaborative Project Orders (CPO): CPO #1

Period of Performance: 1 April 2024 – 31 March 2025

1. Introduction: Partnership Intermediary Agreements (PIA) provide a mechanism to facilitate and enhance the transfer of federal research and technology from a federal laboratory to industry and/or academic institutions through Partnership Intermediaries as well as facilitate the transition of vital technologies from industry and/or academic institutions to the government. Partnership Intermediaries identify companies, and academic institutions best suited to commercialize federally developed research and/or provide technological solutions necessary to fulfill the Air Force’s mission.

This PIA establishes a relationship between the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Munitions Directorate (RW) and the Partnership Intermediary (PI) focused on supporting the Secretary of the Air Force’s 2019 Air Force Science and Technology Strategy (AF S&T Strategy).

Specifically, focus areas from the AF S&T Strategy include developing and delivering transformational strategic capabilities along with deepening and expanding the scientific and technical enterprise. This calls for driving innovation in a meaningful way toward technology development and transfer through newfound opportunities and partnerships. In pursuit of that goal, this PIA supports the enhancement of opportunities for AFRL/RW though the PI in Technology Transfer (T2), Innovation and Technology Transition, Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR), and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) outreach.

2. Objectives:

2.1 Technology Transfer (T2): The PI shall assist AFRL/RW with all technology transfer related activities to include outreach to inventors, increasing invention disclosures, marketing and outreach to potential collaborators to increase Technology Licensing Agreements (TLAs), Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs), and Educational Partnership Agreements (EPAs) as well as outreach to connect RW with nontraditional companies and universities increasing exposure to innovative technologies of interest.

2.1.1 Actively promote AFRL/RW technology transfer partnership opportunities to entrepreneurs, businesses, and academic institutions.

2.1.2 Conduct technology and market landscape analysis and forecast studies to identify future directions for specific technologies and provide broad situational awareness regarding the origins and development of a particular technology domain or industry.

2.1.3 Evaluate the RW Intellectual Property (IP) patent portfolio to identify patents with the highest potential for commercial applications and research companies/markets, develop technology marketing summaries, and reach out to potential licensee companies/industries to promote T2 agreements.

2.1.4 Broker and facilitate license agreements, Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs), Educational Partnership Agreements (EPAs) and other technology transfer (T2) agreements between AFRL/RW and businesses and academic institutions.

2.2 Innovation and Technology Transition: The PI shall promote innovation by supporting AFRL engagement and collaboration with industry and academia. Additionally, the PI shall connect AFRL/RW with industry/academia to transition technologies into

AFRL/RW.

2.2.1 Publicize and promote AFRL/RW technology innovation and supporting Technology Transfer and Transition (T3) activities through a variety of channels and forums, which may include websites, paid advertising, events, digital campaigns, social media, email, press releases, articles, videos, infographics, surveys, and other forms of communications.

2.2.2 Provide physical and/or virtual collaboration spaces to promote RW engagement with industry and academia.

2.2.3 Conduct events which promote technology transition into the Air Force (e.g., demonstrations, showcases, technical challenges, industry days, design sprints, hackathons, workshops, and other similar events).

2.2.4 Facilitate technology transition of innovative industry and academia approaches that mature Munitions concepts and their technology/manufacturing readiness level.

2.3 Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) Support: The PI shall leverage the AFRL/RW SBIR/STTR Programs to achieve their mission and increase their effectiveness by supporting transition of SBIR/STTR-developed technology, leveraging Air Force technology transfer mechanisms, providing business and technical assistance to award recipients, conducting studies, and publicizing and promoting Air Force SBIR/STTR successes.

2.3.1 Perform technology scouting to identify and recruit small businesses to the SBIR/STTR programs and support transition of Phase I, Phase II and Phase III SBIR/STTR-developed technology.

2.3.2 Assist small businesses in navigating the SBIR/STTR process to facilitate transition of technology beyond Phase II, including the utilization of mechanisms such as Tactical Funding Increases (TACFI) or Strategic Funding Increases (STRAFI).

2.3.3 Identify partner companies with promising previous or current SBIR Phase I’s or Phase II’s and canvas the DoD ecosystem for government users to partner with for transition to Phase III efforts. Provide assistance to SBIR technical Program Managers to transition later stage SBIR technologies into other commercial products.

2.3.4 Conduct studies related to AFRL/RW SBIR/STTR programs, which may include the economic outcomes and impacts resulting from research and development performed with SBIR/STTR funding, best practices for achieving success in commercializing and transitioning the results of SBIR/STTR funded programs, and the feasibility of new, innovative approaches to increasing the effectiveness of the AF SBIR/STTR programs.

2.3.5 Facilitate SBIR/STTR Collaboration Days and events. Provide facility support for execution of Collaboration Days and ensure all security safety measures are adhered to.

2.3.6 Promote and publicize AFRL/RW SBIR/STTR successes through a variety of mechanisms, effectively communicating such successes to the Pentagon, Congress, industry, and the general US public.

2.4 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Outreach: The Partnership Intermediary shall work with AFRL and regional/national educational entities to expose students to high-value Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) learning opportunities.

2.4.1 Leverage local, state, regional, and national efforts to enhance STEM programs, increasing proficiency in the fields most directly related to the AFRL mission.

2.4.2 Identify trends in local and national K-12 STEM programming as well as compile data on student demographics to assist AFRL in designing programming that will have the maximum impact on students and families.

2.4.3 Identify potential partnerships with local and national organizations that provide STEM programming, paying particular attention to opportunities to provide programming to underserved/underrepresented students and communities.

3. Requirements.

3.1 State Charter or Sponsorship: The contractor will enhance the connection between the State of Florida and the surrounding region to technologies emanating from Eglin Air Force Base. The contractor will be an advocate for the AFRL/RW, and its relationship to the greater Eglin, AF, and DoD ecosystems/networks, and the surrounding Eglin region.

3.1.1 Neutrality: The contractor will serve as a neutral broker for AFRL/RW, and as such shall not bid or propose to perform AFRL sponsored Research and Development Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) work within the contractor’s organization organically.

3.1.2 Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI): Due to the nature of the position as the neutral broker for AFRL/RW, the recipient will be eliminated from competition as a contractor, subcontractor, or consultant, in any form, in obtaining a follow-on agreement on any work that they have familiarity with due to their involvement as the Partnership Intermediary.

3.2 Collaboration Environment: The contractor shall provide Collaboration Environments enabling effective communication between all parties to solve problems through innovation. The contractor shall host and facilitate meetings, forums, and collaborative teams to address AFRL technical challenges. The contractor shall also train on use of innovation and collaboration tools, techniques, processes, and commercialize research results emanating from AFRL.

3.2.1 Collaborative events will vary. Each objective could hold various events which span from small industry engagements to facilitating a STEM event with hundreds of participants. Initial interest in Technical Transfer or Transition events estimate a minimum of 150 industry engagements, which include Initial Industry Engagement Meetings, Innovation Discovery events, Industry Days, Independent Research and Development Meetings, and more per year. The Small Business objective is new and will require an evaluation on how the PIA can improve or assist in the process. Lastly, the STEM objective requires extensive outreach into 16 counties across NW Florida school districts from Leon to Escambia. In all, an estimated number of over 200 events at the onset of this agreement.

3.2.2 The contractor shall provide secure Collaboration Environments with the capability to communicate (CUI to classified) in a virtual or in-person setting. The contractor shall provide the capability to send/receive data/communications/visualization in collaboration areas for small teams, meetings, and forums that provide secure areas for participants to protect property and information.

3.3 Foreign Collaborations: The contractor shall conduct collaborations or Horizon scans and T2/T3 activities with international partners from U.S. allied nations. In these cases, the PIA activities shall occur under the guidance of the government Senior International Focal Point (SIFP) or under the guidance of the government representative identified by the government SIFP. The government SIFP shall assure proper formal agreements are in place to allow for the activity. These collaborations may include international industry, international academia, and international government entities.

3.4 Security: The contractor shall maintain policies and processes to ensure the ability to protect RW data so that unauthorized parties cannot view the data (confidentiality);

data or information within PIA contractor(s) network, cloud, Information Technology (IT), or client systems are maintained so that it is not modified or deleted by unauthorized parties (integrity); data and all supplemental data to supporting the above-mentioned activities are accessible to authorized individuals when needed under any circumstances, including power outages or natural disasters (availability);

verification of individuals, process, or device, prior to allowing access to the PIA contractor(s) resources within their network, cloud, IT, or client systems (authentication). The contractor shall maintain an understanding of what constitutes a cyber compromise, exploit, or vulnerability discovery within the PIA contractor network, cloud, IT, or client systems.

3.4.1 Safeguarding of Unclassified Controlled Technical Information (UCTI):

The recipient shall be able to access, handle, mark, receive, and store UNCLASSIFIED documents, equipment, hardware, and test items using the applicable standards of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). DFARS Clause 252.204-7012 (Safeguarding Covered Defense Information and Cyber Incident Reporting) applies to this contract. The Contractor shall submit all CUI documents designated by a controlled means using United States Postal Service (USPS) mail, Safe Access File Exchange (SAFE) website, and/or FIPS 140-2 validated encryption software such as https://spi.dod.mil/ewizard.htm.

The requirements for safeguarding UCTI will apply to all CPOs.

3.4.2 Operations Security (OPSEC): The contractor shall provide OPSEC protection for all sensitive/critical information and indicators involved in execution of this agreement, as defined by AFI 10-701 (Operations Security). Critical Information and Indicators are protected under the Operations Security Program and the Critical Information and Indicators List (CIIL). Contractor employees granted access to critical information and indicators will be provided initial OPSEC training by the OPSEC Program manager upon in-processing and prior to being granted access to CIIL items related to the project. The contractor shall participate in annual OPSEC training and education programs, which includes periodic updates and refresher training on CIIL items applicable to the project. The OPSEC Program manager will evaluate the OPSEC posture of AF contract activities and operations.

3.4.3 Safeguarding Export Controlled Information: The contractor shall not export technical data with military application without an approval, authorization, or license under the Arms Export Control Act, as amended 22 U.S.C. 2751-2794, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 C.F.R. 120 et seq.; and the Export Administration Act of 1979, 50 U.S.C app. 2401-2420. The contractor shall use the Militarily Critical Technologies List (MCTL) as general guidance for making this determination. An export license is required before assigning any foreign source to perform work under this agreement and before granting foreign persons access to any equipment and technical data generated or delivered during performance (see 22 C.F.R Section 125). The contractor shall notify the AO and obtain written approval 30 days prior to assigning or granting access to any work, equipment, or technical data generated or delivered under this agreement to foreign persons or their representatives. The notification shall include the name and country of origin of the foreign person or representative, the specific work, equipment, or data to which the person will have access, and whether the foreign person is cleared to have access to technical data (ref: DoD 5220.22-M, National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual

(NISPOM)).

The requirements for safeguarding Export Controlled Information will apply to all projects issued and apply to any project subcontractors. All documents determined to contain export controlled technical data will be marked with the following notice:

WARNING: This document contains technical data whose export is restricted by the Arms Export Control Act (Title 22, U.S.C., App. 2401 et seq.). Violations of these export laws are subject to severe criminal penalties. Disseminate in accordance with provisions of DoD Directive 5230.25.

3.4.4 Information Security and Force Protection: The contractor shall provide Information Security and Force Protection training as defined by AFI 16- 1404 (Air Force Information Security Program) and AFI 10-245 (Air Force Antiterrorism Standards). The contractor shall participate in the sustained information Security and Force Protection/Antiterrorism training or include this training as part of its ongoing security program. The Security Managers will evaluate the training posture of Air Force contract activities and operations. This requirement is set forth in AFI 16-1404, AFI 10-245 and applicable AFMC and local supplements. Information Security and Force Protection requirements will apply to all approved projects issued under this contract.

3.4.5 Security Access: Due to the nature of the work to be performed in the technical research areas under this contract, the contractor shall have or obtain the necessary items required to access, control and secure Secret information. Individual projects authorized under this agreement that will require different levels of security classification access and safeguarding.

The various access levels in each projects required to successfully support data analysis, model development, simulation testing, and Warfighter requirements development range from Unclassified through Secret.

3.4.6 Secure Communications and Storage: Individual projects authorized under this agreement will designate the level of classification necessary for the work to be performed through the project brief and security guidance required by applicable DD Form 254s, Security Classification Guides (SCG), and applicable Program Protection Plans (PPP). For those projects with a security classification requirement, the contractor shall be able to receive, and temporarily secure classified information at the security level specified by the project. Furthermore, the contractor shall use classified communications media, such as telephones, computers, and Secure Video Teleconference (SVTC), to transfer and communicate classified information at the security level specified by the project.

3.4.7 Common Access Card (CAC) Requirement: Contractor employees requiring access to U.S. Air Force bases, AFRL facilities, and/or access to U.S. Government Information Technology networks in connection with the work on this agreement must be U.S. citizens and have at least a favorable T1 investigation. The possession of a permanent resident card (“Green Card”) does not equate to U.S. citizenship. This requirement does not apply to foreign nationals approved by the U.S. Department of Defense or U.S.

State Department under international personnel exchange agreements with foreign governments. Any waivers to this requirement must be granted in writing by the AO prior to providing access. The above requirements are in addition to any other contract requirements related to obtaining a Common Access Card (CAC).

3.4.8 Security Clearances: The contractor shall maintain a U.S. Facility Clearance of Secret. On-site Contractor personnel must have an active clearance or Interim access at / or above the level of classified information access required on the specific project. Contractor personnel who already have approved security clearances are highly preferred. The Contractor shall maintain currency in all Privacy Act Laws. If subcontractors are needed to perform classified work, the Contractor will notify the program manager 15 days prior to any project. Furthermore, if subcontractors are required to perform classified work on a project, the Contractor shall submit a signed copy of the subcontractor DD Form 254 to the AO and program manager within 30 calendar days of establishment of the project authorization.

3.4.9 Disposition of Classified Material and Access: At the completion of a project, the contractor shall account for all classified hardware and material given, used, or generated during the project period of performance. If the classified hardware or material will not be used on another project under this agreement, the contractor shall submit an encrypted, unclassified list of all materials and/or hardware in their possession to the Government Agreements Officer. In the list of items, the contractor shall outline those items they wish to keep and the corresponding justification. The Government Agreements Officer and the Industrial Security Manager will determine whether the material will be destroyed, transferred, or returned to the Government.

At the end of this agreement, the above requirement still applies.

However, if there is to be a follow-on effort to this contract, a final DD Form 254 must be issued to the Contractor authorizing the Contractor to retain the classified material, access, and hardware for a specified time until the follow-on agreement is awarded and the material, access, and information are transferred to that new effort.

3.4.10 Processing Unclassified Government Information on Information Technology Systems: Contractor personnel and, if applicable, any project subcontractor personnel shall be able to access, handle, receive, and store unclassified documents, equipment, hardware, and test items, using the applicable standards for CUI. The Contractor and its project subcontractors (if applicable) shall submit all CUI (documents designated as CUI, ITAR, limited distribution, etc.) by one of the following controlled means: a) USPS mail, b) electronically via the SAFE website or DoD encryption wizard, or c) obtaining a DoD-approved PKI certificate and sending the information via encrypted email. The Contractor and its project subcontractors (if applicable) shall encrypt all emails containing technical data or other critical information for this program, per AFI 16-1404 (Air Force Information Security Program). AFRL program information is not approved for public release, social media, and/or use in advertisement or public website posts without approval from the program manager, RW Security and the Eglin AFB public release office.

3.5 Management Information Reporting: The designated Government Program Manager will be the technical point of contact and monitor the Awardee's performance and successful completion of the award, including but not limited to timely delivery of reporting requirements and frequency. The Government Program Manager will also monitor cost, technical, and schedule performance, and identify and inform the Government Contracting Agreement Officer of any anticipated difficulties/concerns with the Awardees performance of the Award. The following reporting requirements and frequency shall apply:

a. Kick-off meeting reports and associated data First 30 days of contract

b. Telecons to discuss projects/issues/concerns Monthly

c. Financial Status Report Monthly

d. Financial Progress Reports and Technical Progress Report Quarterly

e. Partnership Activity Report Monthly

f. Outreach/Marketing Report Quarterly

g. Tech Transfer/Tech Transition Activity Report Quarterly

h. STEM Report Quarterly

i. Program Management Review Annual