MTEC Pre-Announcement: Multi-Topic Request for Proposals: Military Medical Prototype Advancement
Below is a brief summary. Please check the full solicitation before applying (link in resources section).
Executive Summary:
The Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC) has released a pre-announcement for an upcoming "Multi-Topic Request for Proposals: Military Medical Prototype Advancement." This opportunity is expected to fund military-relevant medical prototype technologies, medical techniques, knowledge products, devices, drugs, and biologics across 14 focus areas spanning prevention, infectious disease, trauma care, pain management, musculoskeletal health, and operational medicine.
This is a pre-announcement, not the final solicitation. The Request for Project Proposals (RPP) has not yet been released, and many key details—including funding amounts by topic, number of awards, deadlines, and proposal requirements—will be provided in the upcoming RPP. Companies interested in any of the 14 focus areas should begin evaluating fit and preparing for submission now because the competition is expected to be highly competitive and will use a two-stage Enhanced White Paper process.
Application deadline: Not specified in the pre-announcement.
How much funding would I receive?
The funding amount for each Focus Area has not been specified and will be described in the upcoming Request for Project Proposals. Funding availability is contingent upon the availability of federal funds for each program.
For informational purposes, MTEC states that the average size of MTEC awards for the initial Period of Performance is approximately:
$2.0M–$3.5M
Over a 2–3 year Period of Performance
These figures are historical averages and are not guaranteed award amounts for this opportunity.
What could I use the funding for?
Each proposal must address only one Focus Area.
Proposed solutions may include:
Medical techniques
Knowledge products
Medical devices
Drugs
Biologics
Military relevance is a key requirement.
Focus Areas:
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The aim of this focus area is to develop and evaluate non-training interventions/activities that address risk and protective factors for harmful behaviors. Priority risk/protective factors to address include: morale, fairness, work-life balance, passive leadership, toxic leadership, and workplace hostility.
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The aim of this focus area is to develop interventions or trainings to combat the key contributors to obesity and physical inactivity. This focus area encourages offerors to consider resource/environmental constraints and social and psychological barriers present for warfighters when developing solutions.
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The aim of this focus area is to identify and develop solutions against key drivers of help-seeking. Solutions should prioritize high-impact resources/services and Service member populations at elevated risk for harmful behaviors.
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The aim of this focus area is thedevelopment of solutions to prevent or delay wound infections (bacterial, fungal, and/or antimicrobial-resistant) following battlefield and complex traumatic wounds, including in austere or contested environments, for use at the point of injury and in prolonged care environments (Roles 1 and 2), without negatively impacting wound healing. High-priority pathogens include Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus, and invasive fungal infections.
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The aim of this focus area is the development of products, including immune modulators, novel drugs, immunotherapeutics, and other pathogen-agnostic and/or host-directed approaches, to treat sepsis following battlefield and complex traumatic wounds (excluding burn wounds), including in austere or contested environments.
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The aim of this focus area is the development of knowledge product solutions to optimize clinical practice guidelines for the prevention of infection in traumatic penetrating wounds.
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The aim of this focus area is the development of solutions to prevent bacterial diarrhea resulting from high-priority pathogens (Campylobacter jejuni, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, and Shigella) in operational settings.
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The aim of this focus area is the development of prophylactic drugs and vaccines, to prevent all four serotypes of Dengue Fever.
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The aim of this focus area is on developing pathogen-agnostic and/or broad-spectrum solutions for prevention or treatment of Lassa fever virus, Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus (CCHFV), and various hantaviruses, which are high-consequence pathogens that pose distinct risks to the deployed Joint Force.
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The aim of this focus area is the development of solutions for musculoskeletal injury interventions for the pre-hospital environment. Specifically, this focus area seeks (1) therapeutic interventions to accelerate recovery from musculoskeletal injury or (2) solutions for the preservation of musculoskeletal health.
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The aim of this focus area is for solutions that inform risk/benefit decisions and create evidence-based recommendations for the Joint Trauma System (JTS) to refine and optimize existing Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) and Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) protocols.
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The aim of this focus area is to accelerate the development of safer, opioid-sparing analgesics by leveraging the FDA's 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway for repurposed drugs delivered via novel administration methods. The desired end-state is a candidate drug/device combination ready to enter Phase I clinical trials.
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The aim of this focus area is to advance the preclinical development of a novel, non-addictive analgesic compound with a mechanism of action suitable for treating acute, combat-related trauma. The desired end-state is a promising lead candidate with a data package sufficient to justify further investment in IND-enabling studies.
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The aim of this focus area is to develop and demonstrate a prototype system or therapeutic for the management of anesthesia and procedural pain in austere environments (Role 1 and 2). The goal is to produce a solution that reduces the cognitive burden on providers and can be used by non-specialists.
Are there any additional benefits I would receive?
Potential additional benefits include:
Potential award of one or more follow-on tasks based on successful project performance and milestone progression. Any follow-on work is expected to be awarded non-competitively to the original project awardee(s).
Access to MTEC member teaming resources and member profiles to identify collaborators, innovators, service providers, and MTEC M-Corps subject matter experts.
Potential access to MTEC's consortium network and relationships with the Defense Health Agency and other government agencies.
What is the timeline to apply and when would I receive funding?
The application deadline is not specified in the pre-announcement.
The solicitation will use a two-stage Enhanced White Paper process:
Stage 1:
Current MTEC members will submit Enhanced White Papers using a mandatory format provided in the forthcoming RPP.
Stage 2:
Selected offerors will be invited to submit a full cost proposal and may be required to submit additional documentation or supplemental information.
The timing of funding availability has not been specified and will be described in the upcoming RPP.
Application deadline: Not specified in the pre-announcement.
Where does this funding come from?
The opportunity is being released through the Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC). MTEC supports the Department of Defense (DoD), Defense Health Agency (DHA), DHA Research and Engineering Directorate, and other government agencies.
MTEC operates under a 10-year renewable Other Transaction Agreement (OTA), Agreement No. W81XWH-15-9-0001, with the Defense Health Agency Contracting Activity (DHACA).
Who is eligible to apply?
The pre-announcement states that current MTEC members will be invited to submit Enhanced White Papers during Stage 1.
Additional eligibility requirements include:
Proposed projects must fit MTEC's prototype definition.
Proposed projects must not be exploratory in nature and must have a foundation of preliminary data.
A minimum KRL/TRL of 3 at the time of proposal submission is required to meet the prototype definition.
Proposed solutions must not have been submitted to MTEC under previous RPPs within the past 2 years.
Any additional eligibility requirements have not yet been specified and will be provided in the upcoming RPP.
What companies and projects are likely to win?
MTEC states that selection will be based on:
Technical merit
Programmatic considerations, including portfolio composition
Availability of funds
Selection will be highly competitive.
Projects that appear most aligned with the pre-announcement are those that:
Directly address one and only one Focus Area
Demonstrate military relevance
Meet the prototype definition
Have supporting preliminary data
Meet the minimum KRL/TRL requirements
Address clearly identified Department of Defense medical needs
These alignment factors are explicitly described in the pre-announcement.
The detailed evaluation criteria have not yet been specified and will be provided in the upcoming RPP.
Are there any restrictions I should know about?
Yes.
Each proposal must address only one Focus Area. Projects that do not align with only one Focus Area may not be considered for funding.
Proposed projects should not be exploratory in nature and require preliminary data.
A minimum KRL/TRL of 3 is required at proposal submission to meet the prototype definition.
Proposed solutions submitted to MTEC within the previous 2 years may not be resubmitted.
Additional topic-specific requirements may be established in the forthcoming RPP.
How long will it take me to prepare an application?
The pre-announcement does not specify the expected preparation time.
Because the opportunity uses a two-stage Enhanced White Paper process and requires prototype-stage technologies with supporting preliminary data, applicants should begin preparation before the full RPP is released. The specific submission requirements will be provided in the upcoming RPP.
How can BW&CO help?
BW&CO can help your team:
Assess fit against the 14 Focus Areas.
Determine whether your technology satisfies MTEC's prototype requirements and minimum KRL/TRL expectations.
Develop the Enhanced White Paper strategy.
Build a compelling military relevance narrative.
Identify teaming opportunities where additional capabilities are needed.
Prepare the Stage 1 Enhanced White Paper and any invited Stage 2 proposal materials.
