The US Army, Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC), seeks industry partners interested in entering cooperative research and development agreements (CRADA) supporting the Army's efforts to develop Cluster Munition Replacement Technologies (CMRT). Interested industry partners and ARDEC will be responsible for funding their respective activities under any CRADAs; no ARDEC funding will be provided. Over the next three years, ARDEC will significantly invest in the exploration of systems and component technologies that address the pending loss of Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions (DPICM). ARDEC is leading efforts to address the Army's Science and Technology Objective (STO) for CRMT and DPICM replacement technologies. Three design options are being explored under the CMRT STO as potential material solutions for consideration in the FY17-21 Enhanced Lethality Cannon Munition (ELCM) Program of Record for the replacement of legacy Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions. ARDEC is seeking component technologies that augment, refine or mitigate risk associated with the areas highlighted below. Munition for Armored Combat Engagement (MACE) - an enhanced unitary projectile that employs anti-personnel and anti-materiel lethal mechanisms. Potential areas of collaboration include: Warhead (lethal mechanisms, gun launch survivability)Energetics Multipoint Initiation/fuze compatibility Proximity Initiated Submunition (PRAXIS) - full bore, side attack submunition with proximity, time and impact mode fuzes. Potential areas of collaboration include: Warhead (lethal mechanisms) Stabilizer and despin producibility Fuzing (power sources, safe and arm devices) Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munition Extra Large (DPICM-XL) - larger submunitions than DPICM that uses similar lethal mechanisms yet provides more fuze volume to incorporate high reliability fuzing components. Potential areas of collaboration include: Warhead (shaped charge jet producibility) Fuzing (power sources, safe and arm devices, overall fuzing architecture) ARDEC asks all interested parties to submit a short informational paper to include but not limited to: technology description, media (photos, 3-d models) and estimated performance information. Interested industry partners outside of the United States of America may request participation, but authorization for such participation cannot be guaranteed. Submissions should be sent to Ryan Gorman, 973.724.6149,
[email protected]. All submissions must be provided by December 1, 2016. These information papers should describe how the interested partners' may meet the objectives cited above. This may include a summary of the technology relevant expertise, facilities, experience, and resource commitment. Based on the whitepapers and technology proposals received in response to this notice, ARDEC will conduct an initial assessment of the technologies and determine which CRADA partnerships to pursue. ARDEC respects the importance of corporate intellectual property and data security while balancing the need to document the benefits of public expenditures. Provisions relating to proprietary information and intellectual property shall be set forth in the CRADA. ARDEC seeks Government Purpose License Rights to the inventions, data and software developed under any CRADAs in order to allow a future acquisition program to be conducted using full and open competition. Industry partners are required to make a declarative statement of asserted Limited Rights being offered to the Government for technologies provided under each respective CRADA. As stated above, companies participating in CRADAs will be responsible for funding their own activities. The Government will be responsible for providing all necessary materiel needed to assess and test the component technology (metal parts, fuzing, stabilizers, projectiles, etc.) in component, system, laboratory, and ballistic firing. This is not a request for proposal, request for quotation, or invitation for bid, nor does its issuance obligate or restrict the Government to an acquisition approach. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of any responses or pay for the preparation of any information submitted or use of such information. All information received will be used for planning and market research purposes only.