How BW&CO Helped Natural Science, LLC Win an AFWERX SBIR Phase I Contract for Air Force Spill Response

Quick Answer

Natural Science, LLC, an environmental technology company based in Big Rock, Illinois, was selected by AFWERX for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I contract on July 27, 2026, in the amount of $75,000. The award funds work on the company's patented Electromagnetic Remediation Technology (ERT) and MagnetAsorb magnetizable absorbent, applied to hydrocarbon and hazardous chemical spill response challenges facing the Department of the Air Force. BW&CO Consulting supported Natural Science through the full award cycle, providing solicitation strategy and fit review, grant and proposal writing support, project management, administrative and submission support, and compliance review. The result is a first federal SBIR contract for a commercially proven environmental technology and an entry point into the Department of the Air Force innovation pipeline.

The Client: Natural Science, LLC

Natural Science, LLC is a team of scientists and engineers focused on solving environmental problems with materials and systems that are environmentally safe, reusable, and more efficient than conventional spill response methods. The company's core intellectual property covers two connected product lines.

Electromagnetic Remediation Technology, including the E-MOP electromagnetic boom and ramp system, uses timed electromagnetic fields to move, lift, and separate hydrocarbons from water and solid surfaces without dispersants or other chemical additives. The technology traces back to a 2015 license from Fermilab's Office of Partnerships and Technology Transfer, and the system was independently validated at Ohmsett, the National Oil Spill Response Research and Renewable Energy Test Facility, where it demonstrated 97.2 percent recovery and separation of oil from water.

MagnetAsorb, the company's magnetizable absorbent, is a hydrophobic, organic, non-leaching sorbent that can be manipulated magnetically after it absorbs oils, fuels, chemicals, and PCBs. Because spent absorbent can be retrieved with a magnet rather than by hand, cleanup crews reduce direct contact with contaminated material and can work in confined spaces and difficult retrieval locations. The company also reports the ability to demulsify oil instantly without chemicals and with very little energy input. The portfolio is protected by multiple issued U.S. and international patents.

For a company like this, the technical proof was never the problem. The problem was translating a validated commercial environmental technology into the language, structure, and compliance requirements of a federal defense solicitation.

The Challenge: A Commercial Technology Meeting a Defense Requirement

The Department of the Air Force manages fuel and hydrocarbon spill risk across flight lines, tarmac, maintenance facilities, fuel storage sites, and installations near sensitive waterways. Conventional response depends on chemical dispersants, single-use sorbents, and manual handling, all of which create downstream disposal burdens, environmental exposure, and personnel risk.

Natural Science had a technology that spoke directly to that mission need. What it did not have was a track record of federal SBIR submissions.

Three specific gaps stood between the company and an award.

First, positioning. AFWERX Open Topic proposals are not judged the way a commercial pitch or a state environmental grant is judged. Reviewers need to see a defense end user, a mission problem stated in operational terms, and a credible path from feasibility work to transition. A strong environmental story is not automatically a strong Air Force story.

Second, proposal mechanics. Defense SBIR submissions run through the Defense SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal with strict formatting, volume, and content requirements. A single missed registration, an out-of-date SAM.gov entry, or a volume that exceeds page and character limits can end a submission before technical review begins.

Third, bandwidth. Natural Science is a lean team of scientists and engineers with an active commercial business, an EPA-approved product to sell, and existing partnership commitments. The AFWERX Phase I window does not pause for that.

What BW&CO Did

BW&CO Consulting was engaged to run the process end to end so that the Natural Science team could stay focused on the science and the business while the proposal moved forward on schedule.

Solicitation Strategy and Fit Review

BW&CO started with fit rather than writing. That meant assessing the AFWERX opportunity against the maturity of the ERT and MagnetAsorb portfolio, identifying which Air Force use cases represented the strongest and most defensible mission fit, and confirming that a Phase I feasibility scope was the right entry point rather than a more aggressive path. Strategy review continued through the drafting process, with BW&CO pressure testing the technical narrative against the evaluation criteria before it was locked.

Grant and Proposal Writing Support

BW&CO provided proposal writing support across the technical narrative, translating the company's patent-backed electromagnetic and materials science into an Air Force problem statement, a feasibility work plan, and a transition rationale. The independent Ohmsett validation and the existing patent estate were positioned as risk reduction for the government rather than as marketing claims, which is a distinction that matters to defense reviewers.

Project Management

BW&CO managed the proposal timeline, owned the internal deadline schedule, and coordinated inputs across the client's technical staff. Founders and principal investigators are the only people who can supply certain technical content, and the practical role of a project manager is to make those requests small, specific, and early enough that nothing lands in the final 48 hours.

Administrative and Submission Support

BW&CO handled administrative preparation and submission logistics, including registration status, required forms and certifications, budget documentation, and the mechanics of assembling and uploading the submission package.

Compliance Review

Before submission, BW&CO ran a full compliance review against the solicitation instructions. That review covers every required element, formatting and length constraints, eligibility and certification requirements, and consistency between the technical volume and the cost volume. Compliance failures are the most avoidable way to lose an SBIR award, and they are entirely preventable with a structured pre-submission check.

The Result

Natural Science, LLC was selected by AFWERX for an SBIR Phase I contract on July 27, 2026, in the amount of $75,000, focused on applying Electromagnetic Remediation Technology and MagnetAsorb to Department of the Air Force spill response challenges.

The award does more than fund a feasibility study. An AFWERX Phase I establishes the company as a Department of Defense contractor, creates a structured reason to build relationships with Air Force end users, and opens the door to the SBIR Phase II and STRATFI pathways that carry substantially larger non-dilutive funding. For an environmental technology company whose prior commercial traction was concentrated in utility, industrial, and municipal markets, it is also a credential that transfers.

Every dollar of it is non-dilutive. Natural Science gave up no equity to fund this work.

Why This Matters for Environmental and Deep Tech Founders

Two lessons from this engagement apply broadly.

The first is that dual-use is a framing exercise as much as a technical one. AFWERX Open Topic exists specifically so that companies with commercial technology can propose a defense application rather than waiting for a solicitation written around their product. Environmental remediation, materials science, water treatment, and industrial safety technologies routinely have real Air Force relevance. The work is in stating that relevance in operational terms and naming a plausible end user.

The second is that validation is leverage only if it is positioned as such. Natural Science arrived with independent third-party test data, EPA approval on a commercial product, and a patent estate. Those assets did not win the award by themselves. They won it because they were placed inside a proposal structure that showed a government reviewer exactly how much technical risk had already been retired.

Work With BW&CO

BW&CO Consulting helps deep tech, environmental technology, biotech, MedTech, and defense-adjacent founders win non-dilutive federal funding through SBIR, STTR, and other government mechanisms across AFWERX, DARPA, DoD, NIH, NSF, NASA, DOE, and ARPA-H. Our team has supported more than $350 million in funding secured for clients.

If you have a validated commercial technology and you are trying to determine whether AFWERX or another federal program is the right entry point, we can assess fit before you commit to a proposal cycle.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Natural Science, LLC win from AFWERX?

Natural Science, LLC was selected by AFWERX for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I contract on July 27, 2026, in the amount of $75,000. The award supports work applying the company's Electromagnetic Remediation Technology and MagnetAsorb magnetizable absorbent to hydrocarbon and hazardous chemical spill response challenges facing the Department of the Air Force.

What is MagnetAsorb and Electromagnetic Remediation Technology?

MagnetAsorb is a patented magnetizable, hydrophobic, organic absorbent developed by Natural Science, LLC. It absorbs oils, fuels, chemicals, and PCBs and can then be retrieved magnetically, which reduces manual handling of contaminated material. Electromagnetic Remediation Technology is the broader system of electromagnetic booms, ramps, and tools that move, lift, and separate hydrocarbons from water and solid surfaces without chemical dispersants. Both are protected by multiple issued U.S. and international patents.

What role did BW&CO play in the AFWERX SBIR Phase I award?

BW&CO Consulting supported Natural Science across the full award cycle, providing solicitation strategy and fit review, grant and proposal writing support, project management of the proposal timeline, administrative and submission support, and pre-submission compliance review against the solicitation instructions.

How much is an AFWERX SBIR Phase I award worth?

Under the Department of the Air Force Open Topic structure, SBIR Phase I awards have been issued at up to $75,000 for a roughly three-month period of performance, with STTR Phase I at a higher ceiling. Phase I under Open Topic is oriented toward customer discovery and feasibility rather than prototype construction. Award ceilings and periods of performance vary by solicitation and cycle, so founders should confirm current figures in the active solicitation.

What happens after an AFWERX SBIR Phase I award?

Companies that complete Phase I successfully can compete for an SBIR Phase II award, which funds prototype development at a substantially higher level over a longer period of performance. Beyond Phase II, the Department of the Air Force offers STRATFI and TACFI supplemental funding for companies with strong transition momentum, and Phase III contracts for technologies moving into operational use. AFWERX reported more than 1,000 contracts totaling $1.37 billion in fiscal year 2025, along with 438 Phase III transitions valued at $8.1 billion.

Can environmental and cleantech companies win defense SBIR funding?

Yes. The Department of the Air Force has real and recurring requirements in spill response, hazardous material handling, water treatment, environmental compliance, and installation resilience. The Open Topic model was designed to let companies with commercial technology propose a defense application rather than waiting for a solicitation written around their specific product. The determining factor is usually whether the company can articulate a mission problem and identify a plausible Air Force end user, not whether the technology was originally built for defense.

Do you need to be an existing defense contractor to apply to AFWERX?

No. AFWERX explicitly targets small businesses, startups, and nontraditional vendors that have not previously worked with the Department of Defense. Applicants do need to be U.S.-based for-profit small businesses meeting SBIR eligibility requirements, with active registrations in SAM.gov and the Defense SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal, and a principal investigator primarily employed by the company.

How can my company get proposal support for an AFWERX SBIR?

BW&CO Consulting provides SBIR and STTR proposal support across strategy, writing, project management, compliance, and submission for AFWERX and other federal agencies. Contact BW&CO for a fit assessment on your technology before the next solicitation window opens.