MARK YOUR CALENDARS for June 2021!!
Don’t miss the opportunity to meet with DoD’s team of Human Systems, Biomedical and Biotechnology S&T experts!
During the week of 21-25 June 2021, the Department of Defense (DoD) Communities of Interest (CoIs) for Human Systems, Biomedical and Biotechnology are joining together for an Independent Research and Development (IR&D) Technology Interchange Meeting (TIM) with interested Industry parties. This invitation is open to all industry IR&D, including large corporations, medium-sized, and small businesses, as well as, academia, National Labs and FFRDCs. The venue will likely be the Strategic Analysis Executive Conference Center, 4075 Wilson Blvd, Suite 200, Arlington VA. However, due to the COVID crisis and impact it continues to have on our everyday operations, a final determination on the venue will not be made until approximately 30-45 days prior to the event.
This engagement has broad goals to increase awareness, stimulate collaboration, and seek alignment between industry’s IR&D innovation investments and DoD’s high-priority science and technology needs and corresponding acquisition sustainment roadmaps. Leading Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) from the DoD’s Human Systems, Biomedical & Biotechnology CoIs are expected to participate.
This webpage mirrors/augments the event announcement on the betaSAM site. Future postings of changes or clarification updates will only be posted on this page.
Planning Schedule
| Posting Date | Window Opens for IR&D Project Nominations by Industry |
|---|---|
| 19 Mar 2021 | Window closes for IR&D project nominations by industry |
| 26 Apr 2021 | Send industry invitations to present at the face-to-face meeting |
| 1 Jun 2021 | Industry submits read-ahead briefs |
| 22-25 Jun 2021 | Execute Human Systems, Biomedical & Biotechnology CoIs IR&D TIM |
Please note dates listed are subject to change. For updates and additional information, stay tuned to the Defense Innovation Marketplace webpage.
Participation Interest
Please send your expression of interest to -- dtic.belvoir.ecm.list.human-systems inbox . Once your expression of interest is received by our DAF IR&D planning team, you will be sent additional instructions on how to nominate your IR&D projects and corporate investments. If you do not hear back from the planning team within one week, please resend the original email.
The IR&D report nomination period is closed.
The Taxonomies for this Event
Our targeted technology discussions center on these focus areas, some CoI and subarea-focused, as well as, some that are cross-cutting S&T interests between the CoIs. The taxonomies are shown here.
A. CoI CROSS CUTTING THEMES
Sense, Assess, and Respond
- (Sense) Data Management and Analytics: Data collection, fusion and analytics are increasingly essential processes to all three CoIs. Biotechnology needs to collect, store and merge biological data (e.g. genetic sequence, gene expression, protein sequence, metabolites, biomarkers and human microbiome). This biological data will be combined with higher-level information collected from the same individual such as aptitude, physical performance, biomarker and realtime physiological data collected from wearable sensors and medical instruments. Seamless, automated data collection must be combined from measurements at various echelons across all three services. Data will be converted into proper formats that allow combination for use in realtime visualization and modeling of warfighter performance and critical care for combat casualties.
- (Assess) Human Digital Twin (HDT) Capability:Predictive human modeling of performance and health status for digital engineering and modeling across multiple CoI’s. This includes predictive analytics from physiological sensors, performance in operational and extreme environments (including arctic and space operations), and personalized response to exposures and therapeutics. Applications include performance and failure modeling of warfighter status given different environmental, physical and medical conditions. Further applications can include gaming applications and AI/Machine Learning applied to predictive performance analysis and casualty care. Digital modeling will be based on a foundation of seamlessly integrated biological data and continuous, real-time feeds from sensors and medical devices. We’re also interested in technology or algorithm development that will enable the integration of large volumes of data from those sensors, sampling at vastly different time scales. Modeling will result in prescribed solutions for enhancement of warfighter performance, mitigation of negative bio-effects and remote, distributed combat casualty care.Another aspect of HDT is better representation of the human in digital engineering efforts as the Warfighter is a critical part of every weapon system's operational effectiveness. Incorporating the human into mission level evaluations of new technologies permits a comprehensive approach for quantifying and optimizing military value, and requires models which can behave as a human would based on many factors including environmental stressors, fatigue, and psychological effects. The ability to accurately predict the effect stressors and augmentation technologies have on warfighter performance is critical to make informed acquisition decisions, and for commanders to make decisions that decrease risk & improve probability of mission success. The optimization and survival of the human is a differentiator and validated human modeling is critical to more realistic Modeling & Simulation or wargaming outcomes.
- (Respond) Model-Based Prescription: Deliver responses and mitigations stemming from Data and Human Digital Twin modeling assessments and prescriptions. Broadly scoped, this can include, for example:
- synthetic biology that allows for synthesis of biologics at or near the point of need,
- prescribed training or behavioral change to improve/protect warfighter performance, and
- additive manufacturing of medical materials and devices in forward areas.
- Warfighter Performance: Address the intersection of physiological and psychological constructs (i.e., variables, influences) on soldier performance, particularly cognitive performance.
- Autonomous individual and team medical soldier cognitive and motor skills, performance assessment and enhancement, to include metrics, methodologies, novel tools and technologies, and safety protocols that optimize medical skill training and sustained abilities.
- Utilizing the full potential of Human-Machine teaming and trusting in Machine teaming output for casualties and treatment decision recommendations.
- Non-invasive neurostimulation/neuromodulation or other approaches for mitigating stress related cognitive decrements and enhancing learning capacity and time to proficiency.
- Warfighter Medical Readiness
- Methods to enhance resilience to traumatic or prolonged stress exposure.
- Development of technologies or out-of-the-box approaches, with growing evidence for suicide prevention.
- Non-invasive objective assessments of psychological health status.
B. SINGULAR SUBAREA TOPICS
Human Systems CoI/ Personalized Assessment, Education & Training (PAET)
- Education & Training Environments: - Environments need to enable exploration of CONOPS and Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP), the development of trust, mission preparation, and joint learning in teams of humans and machines.
- This topic includes Modeling & Simulation (M&S) capabilities, as well as the necessity of advances in training methods, performance measurement, and assessment. Could incorporate considerations like physiological monitoring.
- Exploration of CONOPs, human machine teaming, modeling and simulation in training methods.
- Collaborative Interfaces to Enhance Distributed Team Planning and Operations: Future Joint All Domain Command & Control (C2) will require planning and operations be conducted by distributed heterogeneous teams of humans, as well as intelligent machines. We are interested in how best to rapidly form these ad hoc distributed teams, how best to communicate & maintain common ground, dynamically assess team performance, overcome communication degradations, and adapt to changes in team membership.
- Multi-domain information integration & effects visualization: This topic focuses on how best to integrate and visualize information as well as Courses of Action (COA) effects across multiple domains associated with Joint All Domain Analysis and C2. Research is needed to understand commonalities and divergences between COAs that differentially involve Air, Land, Sea, Space, and Cyber domains. This topic also includes novel transparency methods to enable common ground between multi-domain operators as well as techniques to visualize multi-domain effects in the context of the battlespace (including geospatial as well as temporal constraints).
- “Sense-making” data analytic decision aids: Tools that assist the human analyst in rapidly assessing the “why” as well as the “what” in the information environment as well as from complex multi-dimensional datasets. Of particular interest are methods or tools that integrate data analytics into mission systems via models or assessment of analytics influence on how human operators make sense of data. Also of importance is the design of analytic tools that minimize human decision making bias and complacency.
Disclaimers
- COVID-19 – We are all currently aware of the very real dangers of the COVID pandemic and the importance of exercising safety protocols. There are still many uncertainties that face us in the near future. We are still assessing this event as a face-to-face (F2F) engagement (with masks and physical spacing, as needed). We will be looking at other options for this event, such as a combined hybrid form of F2F and virtual, or one that is entirely virtual. We will post relevant updates on our TIMs webpage, so please continue to monitor that site.
- The government is not obligated to enter into a contract with any entity as results of IR&D collaborations from our dialogue. Moreover, data exchanges, as a result of these dialogue activities, follow the International Traffic Arms Regulations (ITAR), including export controls and restrictions in accordance with Department of Defense Instruction 5230.24, Department of Defense Directive 5230.25, the Arms Export Control Act (Title 22, U.S.C., Sec 2751, et seq.), and/or the Export Administration Act of 1979 (Title 50, U.S.C., App. 2401 et seq.), as amended.
- Government technical support contractors may be a part of the team of SMEs at the event, and company-to-company Non-Disclosure Agreements may likely be necessary.
- All unclassified company proprietary data and Intellectual Property will be treated fully as Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI, formerly For Official Use Only (FOUO)). Some information we intend to share may be classified or unclassified and can only be released as Distribution C, D, or F material. Please be informed by visiting discover.dtic.mil and clicking on “Marking Documents”.
- Dates and locations listed for this event are subject to change. Refer requests for additional documents and data to Human Systems Mailbox.