SPECIAL NOTICE
99 -- NOTICE OF MEETING AND REQUEST FOR INTEREST, ARMY CENTER FOR APPLIED BIOTECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY DAY
- Notice Date
- 4/21/2005
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 541330
— Engineering Services
- Contracting Office
- RDECOM Acquisition Center - Edgewood, ATTN: AMSSB-ACC-E, 5183 Blackhawk Road, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010-5424
- ZIP Code
- 21010-5424
- Solicitation Number
- USA-SNOTE-050421-001
- Archive Date
- 6/20/2005
- Description
- Notice of Meeting & Request for Interest For Army Center for Applied Biotechnology Industry Day Purpose: The U.S. Armys Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) is planning to hold an Industry Day on May 25, 2005 at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. The purpose of this Industry Day is to assess the level of int erest from the commercial biotechnology industry, academia and other government agencies in forming a consortium with the U.S. Army to develop biotechnology-based solutions to a broad range of Army and DoD mission requirements. Background: Studies conducted by the National Research Council (NRC), the Director of Net Assessment in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD/NA) and the Army Materiel Command (AMC) have all identified biotechnology-related disciplines as core and c ritical enabling technologies for the Armys Future Force. Further, the studies conducted by OSD/NA and NRC concluded that biotechnology has revolutionary potential for U.S. military capabilities and shared one overriding conclusion. The OSD/NA study (Exp loring Biotechnology: Opportunities for the Department of Defense, January 2002) stated this conclusion in the following manner: DoD needs to establish firm business ties to the commercial biotechnology community in order to develop the industrial base required for military capability production. The NRCs Committee on Opportunities in Biotechnology for Future Army Applications, sponsored by the Army, was established in 1999 to examine the military potential of relevant bioscience and engineering for applications to the future soldier. The Committ ee identified important medical and non-medical applications for biotechnology focused on soldier survivability, sustainment, and performance enhancement. Similar to the conclusion from the OSD/NA report, one of the overarching recommendations (Opportunit ies in Biotechnology for Future Army Applications) was: The Army should adopt new approaches toward commercial developers to accommodate cultural differences between the government and the biotechnology industry This recommendation reinforced the recognition that, in order to bring the vast resources and ongoing research and development in biotechnology-related fields in industrial and academic institutions to bear on critical Army needs, a strong partnership with both industry and academia is critical. In addition, the mechanism for implementing this partnership should be flexible and capable enough to embrace the full breadth of biotechnology-related activities. Recognizing the revolutionary potential of biotechnology for the Future Force, RDECOM established a Biotechnology Integrated Product Team (IPT) to focus current and future biotechnology R&D and to build an integrated portfolio of biotechnology programs. Formation of the Biotechnology IPT was part of a larger effort by RDECOM to establish a set of IPTs representing each of the major technology areas that support AMCs materiel acquisition needs. This action was taken in response to a recognized need to tr ansform its Science and Technology (S&T) business processes in accordance with the following tenets identified in its U.S. Army Materiel Command Transformation White Paper (July 2003): To meet the needs of the Objective (and Future) Force, we must transform our science and technology business processes to get technology into the hands of the Soldier faster The Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) will take a systems-of-systems perspective to help ensure that properly balanced trade-offs are made across individual systems and technologies so that systems will be optimized and integrated fo r performance within cost and schedule constraints Each of the IPTs is expected to coordinate needs and concomitant technology approaches across all of the engineering centers within AMC thus helping to address systems-related goals. Through the use of these IPTs, the Command will build fully integrated portfolios of technology programs that support the Armys Force Operating Capabilities (FOCs). One of the first issues being taken on by the Biotechnology IPT is to respond to recommendations regarding the need for new approaches with which to engage the private sector. The planned industry day will provide an opportunity to discuss the details of a proposed consortium-based Center for Applied Biotechnology and to solicit feedback from participants from industry and academia as to their interest in joining with the Army in such an endeavor. Description: The approach being taken is that of a consortium-based Center for Applied Biotechnology that leverages the experience and lessons learned in establishing and operating similar Army sponsored centers in a variety of other R&D application areas . The latter include the National Small Arms Center, the Defense Ordinance Technology Center (formerly the Warhead and Energetics Technology Center), the Center for Optics Manufacturing and the National Defense Center of Environmental Excellence. This or ganizational structure, employing an open partnering architecture, has demonstrated repeated success in creating a user friendly forum of academic, commercial and government partners. Membership in the consortium will be open to all interested U.S. companies, academic institutions and other organizations with the appropriate qualifications. This consortium, operating in partnership with the Army, the Armys Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies and other government partners, will comprise the Armys Center for Applied Biotechnology. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) will administer the Center for the Army reporting to an Army Management Team led by RDECOM. While the administrative structure for the Center will be located at JHU/APL, it will, in essence, operate as a virtual center in that the actual work of the Center will be performed at the locations and utilizing the facilities of the various co nsortium members and/or Army and other government facilities as appropriate. Funding for the Centers work will be project-driven, focusing on specific areas of need identified by the Centers team of partners from government, industry, and academia or that identified directly by other Army/DoD program offices or acquisition comman ds. It is a goal of the Center to emphasize applied RDT&E activities that are beyond basic research (i.e., RDT&E categories 6.2 6.7, production engineering and OMA funded engineering, for example), are focused heavily on prototype and proof of concept s ystems development, and which therefore complement other ongoing basic research activities in biotechnology by offering transition mechanisms that more rapidly move toward operational implementations (i.e., getting the technologies into the hands of the So ldier faster). Much of the work is expected to place a premium on teaming and partnerships made up of multiple consortium members working collaboratively on multi-disciplinary projects. Examples of the range of different types of prospective Army applica tions include biomaterial-based camouflage and concealment; biological markers for combat identification; functional foods; health monitoring; gene-expression monitoring for performance enhancement; protein-based components leading to radiation-resistant e lectronics; genomics-based, directed therapies for soldier therapeutics; and engineered skin, tissue, organs and biomaterial-based dressings to curtail bleeding and accelerate wound healing. Examples of some key technology focus areas to support these app lications include biomanufacturing, metabolic engineering, bioinformatics, biomaterials science, natural products biochemistry, molecular immunology, computational biology, and combinatorial biology. These applications and technology focus areas are exemp lary only and not exclusive. In order to attract the broadest range of organizations and to be the most effective and efficient in carrying out the above objectives, the Army plans to utilize an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) as the primary funding vehicle for the Center (Sections 845 and 822 of the 1994 Defense Appropriations Act). This will provide the flexibility to engage both members of the commercial biotechnology industry as well as academic organizations that do not normally work on DoD programs and it offers streamlined acquisition a pproaches for rapid, but controlled, technology transition. A Consortium Management Agreement (CMA) will be developed and used to define the rules by which the consortium members are bound together and work, including such areas as how the members will ad dress intellectual property. Administrative Information: If you would like to have a representative of your organization attend or if you have questions regarding the meeting, please submit your request/questions via e-mail to the following address: armybiotech.industryday@aplmsg.jhuapl.edu Include in your request the names of proposed attendees (please limit to 2 per organization), a short description of the type of work and/or research and development that your organization is involved in (please keep to one page or less), and an e-mail add ress for notification regarding the acceptance status of your request. Since seating space in the auditorium is limited, how well organizational qualifications described in the information provided match Army needs and IPT focus areas may be used to deter mine approval. The meeting will take place from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 25, 2005 in the Parsons Auditorium at JHU/APL. Previously registered attendees should check in outside the entrance to the auditorium. A nominal fee will be charged for each attend ee in order to cover the cost of refreshments and snacks provided during the meeting. Attendees are invited to use the extensive cafeteria facilities immediately adjacent to the Parsons Auditorium for lunch. Directions may be found on the JHU/APL website at http://www.jhuapl.edu. Click on the Contacts/Maps button for general directions, lodging information, etc. Under the Maps section, click on APL Campus for a layout of the campus. The meeting locat ion will be at the main entrance, labeled Lobby 1 (Main Lobby) with parking indicated as Visitor Parking immediately adjacent to Lobby 1. A detailed agenda for the meeting is currently being assembled and will be made available along with other inform ation on the Events page of the JHU/APL website at the address listed above (click on About APL and then click on Events ).
- Web Link
-
ASFI Posting
(https://acquisition.army.mil/asfi/solicitation_view.cfm?psolicitationnbr=W911SR05BA999)
- Record
- SN00793542-W 20050423/050421212027 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
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