Rapid and frequent advances in fiber materials (“Moore’s law for fibers”) and fabric manufacturing processes enable, for the first-time, fabrics with sophisticated technological capabilities. AFFOA is pleased to announce a new MicroAward pilot program designed for engaging member organizations in prototyping projects. The current focus relates to incorporating fibers with advanced capabilities produced by AFFOA into a variety of forms such as yarns, fabrics, composites using conventional industrial equipment and processes. These projects will support rapid iteration in product design and development, AFFOA roadmap execution, manufacturing readiness and scale, and will develop educational tools and the workforce. The MicroAward program aligns with AFFOA’s technology development cycle (90 days or less) and is designed to increase the swift turnaround of agreements and execution. Through working together on the fabric revolution, AFFOA and its members will transform the fabrics industry.

WHAT IS A MICROAWARD?

A MicroAward is a short duration contract with a Statement of Work for near-term deliverables to reach a defined milestone or objective. MicroAwards may serve different purposes including development, manufacturing, and education. Initially, awards will focus on advancing manufacturing readiness levels (MRL) 4-7 and are typically fixed price. They will leverage your organizations current capabilities to advance the state of advanced fibers and fabrics. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, yarn formation, textile assembly, advanced coatings, systems integration, manufacturing scaling, and testing.

ELIGIBILITY 

All applicants must be members of AFFOA and must have a completed capability page on AFFOA’s Member Portal that reflects their relevant interests and expertise. Follow-on activities as a result of an award must be consistent with AFFOA’s “Made in America” policy.

APPLICATION PROCESS 

AFFOA will launch approximately 15-30 MicroAward opportunities throughout the year. Opportunities will be closed once the MicroAward objectives are met. The process includes:

1. Update Capabilities — Review and update your capability page on the Member Portal with information relevant to the MicroAward opportunity.
2. Submit Application – Submit your responses to questions, an initial Statement of Work (SOW), and the proposed price. To align with the Institute’s product development cycle, the period of performance should be 90 days or less. Terms and conditions for commercial services are available at: Terms and Conditions. If work involves research and development, additional terms apply.
3. Review & Refine — Upon submission, AFFOA will reach out to applicant within 10 business days to understand the applicant’s technical approach and capabilities. Applicants will then submit a refined SOW.
4. Evaluate & Select — AFFOA will evaluate and select applications based on: (1) manufacturing readiness, (2) technical merit, (3) experience of team members, (4) price, and (5) cost share/commercial discounts.
5. Award & Execute — Within 10 business days of the selection decision, AFFOA will issue a Purchase Order under its Prime Award. The awardee will begin executing the project and report progress and accomplishments on the MicroAward project page.

FUNDING