Collaborate with TARDEC through the External Business Office

By Ms. Kimberly Bratic (TARDEC)September 28, 2016

TARDEC recently established the External Business Office (EBO) to be its central point of contact for outreach to external domestic and international organizations. The EBO identifies and cultivates new business opportunities to support and implement TARDEC's 30-Year Strategy. EBO's scope of engagement spans: academia; commercial product industries and related associations; military agencies; military product industries and related associations; and federal, state and local government agencies.

EBO scope of engagement includes:

► Creating awareness of TARDEC's specific technical needs

► Connecting TARDEC with organizations ideating, developing, maturing, demonstrating and accelerating the deployment of technologies enabling a more agile, mobile and effective fighting force

► Contributing to the generation of new technical standards

► Collaborating in the joint creation of future ground vehicle requirements

► Promoting personnel professional development

► Facilitating business agreements

The National Automotive Center (NAC) now included as part of the EBO is a charted organization continuing its 20 plus year affiliation with the automotive industry, acting as the Army focal point to leverage dual-use automotive technologies and development - for application to military ground vehicles. Dual-use partners include automotive, trucking, and off-road vehicle manufacturers, their supplier base, and associations. The NAC links with these entities to build collaborative relationships based on mutual technical interests and legislative impacts, standards and research. Current Focus areas include: Vehicle Cyber Security, Vehicle Autonomy, Hydrogen power vehicles and their infrastructure, vehicle and infrastructure electronics architecture and vehicle energy efficiency.

Current NAC connections include:

• The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG), Automation Alley, and the Center for Automotive Research (CAR). Our memberships provide access to discuss collaboration and technology development venues of mutual benefit.

• The High-Efficiency Truck Users Forum (HTUF) is a NAC funded program that brings truck original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), suppliers, fleets and other industry stakeholders together to ensure commercial product offerings are capable of meeting high-efficiency military requirements.

• The Automotive Research Center (ARC) is a university-based, U.S. Army Center of Excellence in Modeling and Simulation. TARDEC manages the center in partnership with The University of Michigan, Clemson University, Oakland University, University of Iowa, Virginia Tech University and Wayne State University. The ARC conducts basic and applied research projects each academic year based on current Army and TARDEC needs in alignment with TARDEC's 30-Year Strategy.

The EBO employs several collaborative methods to engage industry, academia and other government agencies, depending upon stakeholder requirements, some of those methods are listed below. To start communications with the EBO go the main section of this Web Site and click on the Ground Vehicle Gateway link.

The Ground Vehicle Gateway serves as the central point for external communications into TARDEC, providing a process for evaluation of submissions by government subject matter experts, and a resource for questions or guidance when working with the federal government.

► Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR): This highly competitive program encourages domestic small businesses (fewer than 500 employees) to engage in federal research/research and development (R/R&D) that has potential for commercialization. https://www.armysbir.army.mil/default.aspx

► Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR): This program provides funding opportunities in the federal innovation (R&D) arena providing for joint venture opportunities for small businesses and nonprofit research institutions. www.sbir.gov/about/about-sttr

► Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) are established between federal laboratories and commercial, academic or association partners to facilitate technology transfer between the parties for mutual benefit. Under a CRADA, the partner may contribute resources such as personnel, services, property and funding to the effort. The government may contribute all of the above except funding.

► Test Service Agreement (TSA): TSAs allows commercial entities to utilize the unique capabilities of government labs. The government is reimbursed for operational and equipment expenses but cannot compete with private industry.

► Ground Vehicle Systems Other Transaction Agreement (OTA): The OTA is designed to attract non-traditional defense companies/industries, who are interested in doing business with DoD agencies to develop prototype efforts to best support ground vehicle system technologies.

► U.S. Army Manufacturing Technology (MANTECH): Army ManTech program submissions focus on products and processes that reduce manufacturing costs and production risks in key technology areas. Life cycle cost reduction and sustainability improvement of current systems support critical S&T efforts unique to the Army's Advanced Manufacturing Technology Initiatives (AMI).

► Transition Maturation Initiatives (TMI) also called Budget Activity Four (BA4): Projects using Integration or 6.4 funds can be used to bridge activity gaps between research / development and manufacturing.

► Rapid Innovation Fund (RIF): The goal of RIF is to accelerate transition of innovative technologies that resolve operational challenges or save significant costs for acquisition programs.

► Educational Partnership Agreements (EPA): Encourages institutions to enhance study in scientific disciplines at all levels of education.

Related Links:

Communicate with TARDEC through the Ground Vehicle Gateway