DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM SBIR 21.4 Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) Army Applied SBIR Opportunity (ASO) Announcement April 1, 2021: ASO issued for pre-release April 14, 2021: Army begins accepting proposals May 20, 2021: Deadline for receipt of proposals no later than 12:00 p.m. ET IMPORTANT Deadline for Receipt : Proposals must be completely submitted no later than 12:00 p.m. ET, May 20, 2021. Proposals submitted after 12:00 p.m. will not be evaluated. The final proposal submission includes successful completion of all firm level forms, all required volumes, and electronic corporate official certification. Classified proposals will not be accepted under the DoD SBIR Program. This BAA and the Defense SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal (DSIP) sites are designed to reduce the time and cost required to prepare a formal proposal. The DSIP is the official portal for DoD SBIR/STTR proposal submission. Proposers are required to submit proposals via DSIP; proposals submitted by any other means will be disregarded. Proposers submitting through this site for the first time will be asked to register. Effective with this announcement, firms are required to register for a login.gov account and link it to their DSIP account. See section 4.14 for more information regarding registration. The Small Business Administration, through its SBIR/STTR Policy Directive, purposely departs from normal Government solicitation formats and requirements and authorizes agencies to simplify the SBIR/STTR award process and minimize the regulatory burden on small business. Therefore, consistent with the SBA SBIR/STTR Policy Directive, the Department of Defense is soliciting proposals as a Broad Agency Announcement. SBIR/STTR Updates and Notices: To be notified of SBIR/STTR opportunities and to receive e-mail updates on the DoD SBIR and STTR Programs, you are invited to subscribe to our Listserv by emailing
[email protected]. Help Desk: If you have questions about the Defense Department's SBIR or STTR Programs, please call the DoD SBIR/STTR Help Desk at 1-703-214-1333, or email to
[email protected]. Topic Q&A : The Topic Q&A for this BAA opens on April 1, 2021 and closes to new questions on May 4, 2021 at 12:00 PM ET. Proposers may submit written questions through Topic Q&A at https://www.dodsbirsttr.mil/submissions/login or through the SBIR Mailbox at usarmy.pentagon.hqda-asa-alt.mbx.army-applied-sbir-program@mail.mil. In Topic Q&A, the questioner and respondent remain anonymous and all questions and answers are posted electronically for general viewing. Once the BAA closes to proposal submission, no communication of any kind with the topic author or through Topic Q&A regarding your submitted proposal is allowed. Questions should be limited to specific information related to improving the understanding of a particular topic’s requirements. Proposing firms may not ask for advice or guidance on solution approach and you may not submit additional material to the topic author. If information provided during an exchange with the topic author is deemed necessary for proposal preparation, that information will be made available to all parties through Topic Q&A. Proposing firms are advised to monitor Topic Q&A during the BAA period for questions and answers. Proposing firms should also frequently monitor DSIP for updates and amendments to the topics. This Army Applied SBIR Opportunity (ASO) is issued under the Army Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for SBIR/STTR 21.4. All proposals in response to the technical area(s) described herein will be submitted in accordance with the instructions provided under 21.4, found here: https://beta.sam.gov/opp/b79ded14dcf54451bcfb11bddf5cd259/view?keywords=%22army%20sbir%22&sort=-relevance&index=opp&is_active=true&page=1. a. Eligibility The eligibility requirements for the SBIR/STTR programs are unique and do not correspond to those of other small business programs. Please refer to Section 3.1, Eligible Applicants, of BAA 21.4 for full eligibility requirements. b. Anticipated Structure/Award Information Please refer to Section 1, Funding Opportunity Description, provided in BAA 21.4 for detailed information regarding SBIR/STTR phase structure and flexibility. For this BAA, Department of the Army will accept Phase I proposals for the cost of up to $259,613 for a 6-month period of performance. Proposers should refer to Section 4, Application and Submission information, of BAA 21.4 for detailed proposal preparation instructions. Proposals that do not comply with the requirements detailed in BAA 21.4 and the research objectives of this ASO are considered non-conforming and therefore are not evaluated nor considered for award. Phase I proposals shall not exceed 5 pages. Phase I commercialization strategy shall not exceed 2 pages. This should be the last section of the Technical Volume and will not count against the 5-page limit. Please refer to Appendix A of BAA 21.4 for detailed instructions on Phase I proposal preparation. c. Evaluation of Proposals Section 5, Evaluation of Proposals, in BAA 21.4 provides detailed information on proposal evaluation and the selection process for this ASO. d. Due Date/Time Full proposal packages (Proposal Cover Sheet, Technical Volume, Price/Cost Volume, and Company Commercialization Report inclusive of supporting documentation) must be submitted via the DoD SBIR/STTR Proposal Submission website per the instructions outlined in BAA 21.4 Section 4.3 Electronic Submission no later than 12:00 p.m. ET, May 20, 2021. Army SBIR 21.4 Topic Index A214-030 Wide Bandgap Bi-Directional Converter OBJECTIVE: Design a wide bandgap bi-directional converter (BDC) capable of operating across all military ground vehicles. The use of different wide bandgap semiconductors, such as Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Silicon Carbide (SiC), are expected to significantly increase the BDC’s end-to-end efficiency which will reduce size, weight and cooling demands. DESCRIPTION: With the growing vehicle electrical power requirements in military vehicle systems the use of wide bandgap semiconductor technology is necessary for the future. Topic proposals should focus on a BDC capable of bi-directionally converting from 600VDC to 28VDC and from 28VDC to 600VDC and delivering 20kW. The converter must account for safety, efficiency, scalability, configurability, CAN control, and integration. The BDC should be 8-bit microcontroller (MCU) or smaller. The solution will have the processing power necessary for fault detection and handling capabilities, built-in diagnostics, and stand alone and remote control in a compact device suitable for use in military ground vehicle applications. The proposed unit must use wide bandgap technology, such as GaN or SiC, that is capable of operating at high voltages. The use of wide bandgap power electronics that can operate in a 71 degrees Celsius ambient environment is required. The unit should be able to communicate using J1939 CAN interface, and should demonstrate High Voltage Interlock capabilities, and Ground Fault Detection and Protection. The proposal should address thermal management plan for the BDC, while also meeting military standards. PHASE I: Develop a proof-of-concept circuit for a wide bandgap bi-directional converter that addresses the features and functionality described above. This preliminary design will include a packaging plan with a size, weight power, and cost analysis (SWaP), thermal analysis, and considerations for meeting MIL-STD-1275, MIL-STD-810G, and MIL-STD-461 by modeling, analysis, and/or brass board proofs of concept, all to be provided. For further elaboration, MIL-STD-1275 standardizes characteristics of 28-volt DC input power to utilize equipment in military vehicles, MIL-STD-810G reviews the potential impacts that environmental stresses can have on materials, and MIL-STD-461 standardizes the requirements and test limits for the measurement and determination of the electromagnetic interference characteristics of electronic equipment. PHASE II: Electrical, thermal, mechanical, and functional aspects of a wide bandgap bi-directional converter solution will be designed, developed, and built. Demonstration and technology evaluation will take place in a relevant laboratory environment, on a military ground vehicle system, or in a stand-alone configuration. Phase II will reach at least TRL 5 and commercial viability will be quantified. PHASE III: Mechanical packaging and integration of the solution into a vehicle will be achieved (TRL6) and a technology transition will occur so the device can be used in military ground vehicle applications, and/or in a stand-alone configuration. Conformance to key military standards will be emphasized in the Phase III effort. KEYWORDS: Power Conversion; Power Electronics; Gallium Nitride; GaN, Silicon Carbide; SiC, Wide Bandgap; Bi-Directional BACKGROUND: This new Bi-Directional Converter will utilize wide-band gap technology to improve performance for the vehicles. The Bi-Directional Converter is also critical component being used in the Extended Range Canon Artillery (ERCA) mission, which aim to field systems capable of accurately firing at targets more than 70 kilometers away. This effort will serve as an example of that potential as well as provide a path to transitioning the technology into power conversion that can be used in existing vehicles, such as MRAP CS13 vehicles, the Stryker family of armored fighting vehicles, Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, Abrams, armored multi-purpose vehicles (AMPV), and the THAAD Missile Defense System. REFERENCES: MIL-STD-1275 MIL-PRF-GCS600A MIL-STD-810G MIL-STD-461 *MIL-STD refers to a United States defense standard that is used to help achieve standardization objectives set forth by the U.S. Department of Defense. MIL-STD establishes uniform engineering and technical requirements for military-unique or substantially modified commercial processes, procedures, practices, and methods.