NEXTTECH
Connecting innovative Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) with companies and Federal agencies looking for technology solutions.
NEXTTECH connects innovative Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) with companies and Federal agencies looking for technology solutions. We find buyers who have a specific need or challenge to overcome and funding for their challenge.
Unlike other business matchmaking events, during NEXTTECH the buyers explain their technology challenges. MBEs with potential solutions have an opportunity to ask questions in an open format.
Who Are the Buyers?
Corporations and federal agencies (big buyers) supply challenges to NEXTTECH in an effort to identify solutions that can be sourced to MBEs. MBEs with innovative solutions will be recruited and curated to maximize opportunities for all participants.
Big buyers are seeking businesses with market-ready technology, a product, or service to address their challenges. Buyer Interest Form
Interested In an Upcoming NEXTTECH Pitch Session?
To qualify, MBEs must own a technology, product, or market-ready service and have the ability to address the needs of participating corporations and federal agencies. We have an ongoing application process.
Slots are still available. Visit the application link for more information.
Current Challenges
#1 Accelerated Learning through Advanced Neural Interfaces
Noninvasive neural interface technologies that can reduce training time, increase learning, and enable more rapid, effective decision making.
Seeking noninvasive brain machine/brain computer interface technologies/general advances that effectively interface the nervous system technologies. This can include hardware (e.g. optical, electrical, magnetic-based, acoustic-based) or software (e.g. advanced signal processing algorithms, machine learning). We are especially interested in, but not limited to technologies that provide alternative inputs into augmented, virtual, and/or mixed reality and nervous system-based technologies that can enable more rapid, effective decision making.
#2 Supporting a Sustainable Training Ecosystem
Technology to improve the speed and quality of decisions, and training technology to improve how effectively we adapt to rapidly changing situations – particularly in a complex, dynamic, and uncertain operating environment.
Seeking training technologies to create an ecosystem that supports real time reconfiguration & adaptation as new capabilities emerge where sophisticated autonomous systems and human operators can interact and train as teams in operationally relevant environments. This might include:
- Managing learning events and developing prediction models of trajectories for future events
- Automated scenario content metadata tagging
- Intelligent tutoring mechanisms to support adaptive operational training and exercises
- Rapid instructor and student modeling from existing learning environment data
- Methods for less obtrusive learner monitoring and content adaptation
Past Challenges
The first NEXTTECH presentation in May 2020 was in collaboration with the Department of Energy and focused on energy storage challenges. The Department of Energy shared a list of energy storage needs to be addressed through market-ready technology solutions.
To see the Department of Energy NEXTTECH presentation, watch below.
The second virtual meeting of the NEXTTECH Pitch Day series unveiled challenges presented by Zel Technologies, Inc. and Georgia Green Energy Services.
The third of the NEXTTECH Pitch Day series revealed challenges presented by the Air Force Research Lab.