The Defense Department has sent Congress a legislative proposal intended to help small companies bridge the "valley of death" by hastening the progression of critical technologies from prototype to production.
The proposal seeks amendments to the Defense Research and Development Rapid Innovation Program, including renaming the program and altering its mission to focus on the innovative technologies of small companies.
The Defense Research and Development Rapid Innovation Program was established in 2011 with the goal to “accelerate the commercialization of various technologies, including critical technologies” through a “competitive, merit-based program,” the proposal states.
DOD seeks to rename the program to the Rapid Integrated Scalable Enterprise Program. The department also wants to clarify that the program will “enable and assist small business concerns” while focusing on stimulating “particularly innovative” technologies and “reduce acquisition” costs to help small companies bridge the “valley of death.”
The “valley of death” is the period of time when a technology in development becomes stalled, normally due to lack of funding, in between the prototype and production phase.
“This LP would help bridge that divide and enable innovative small businesses into the Defense Industrial Base,” the proposal states.
Currently, the program limits all project funding to a maximum of $6 million, however, the legislative proposal adds a stipulation that the defense secretary can approve a larger amount of funding for specific projects.
The proposal also changes the number of years a project can receive funding. Currently, a project is limited to no more than two years of funding unless the defense secretary approves funding for one additional year. The proposal, however, increases the limit of funding years to three years and says that the defense secretary can approve funding for “up to an additional two years.”