Pro Solutions’ Innovations Plus has received a second Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to develop a new thermally stable machine gun barrel for the United States Marine Corps. The company applied for SBIR funding in January of 2009, and the contract took place in late October.
This is the second SBIR grant the company has received; the first, received in 2008 for an integral suppressed weapon barrel also for the Marine Corps, opened several doors for Innovations Plus and paved the way for this second grant, according to Robert Walters, president of Pro-Solutions, Inc. and CEO of Innovations Plus, LLC.
This second SBIR grant will fund the development of a machine gun barrel that can withstand a longer sustained rate of fire without overheating. As the proposal from the Marine Corps states, “Weapons such as FNH USA’s M249, also known as the Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) are capable of achieving cyclic rates of fire at 750 RMP. Unfortunately, the SAW and others are restricted in the rate of fire to preserve the integrity of the weapon. This is due to poor heat management of the systems.”
What this means for machine gun operators is that, due to concerns about the weapon overheating, a piece of equipment that could fire 750-800 rounds per minute can really only fire 50-100. That is only six to 13 percent of its potential. Such a difference can be dangerous for warfighters, who often do not have time to change the barrel of their weapon in the middle of a gun fight. Too much heat can mean weapon failure at a critical moment, a danger soldiers in eastern Afghanistan experienced first-hand in early October.
“My weapon was overheating,” said Spc. Chris McKaig in a Fox News article on the gunfight. “I had shot about 12 magazines by this point already and it had only been about a half hour or so into the fight. I couldn’t charge my weapon and put another round in because it was too hot, so I got mad and threw my weapon down.” A non-functional weapon is not something a Marine wants at any time, but especially not while being shot at. The SBIR grant Innovations Plus, LLC received will fund the development of a machine gun barrel that can better withstand the heat built up by sustained firing.
The Marine Corps has a schedule of at least two solicitations sent out each year for the SBIR program. Companies receive these solicitations and review them to find any potential matches between the technology requested and company operations. In 2008, Walters found such a potential match. He presented the opportunity to Mike Degerness, the owner of Advanced Barrel Systems in Lincoln, and the two companies collaborated under the umbrella of Innovations Plus to apply for SBIR funding and work to develop the technology. According to Walters, the SBIR program is a valuable resource for small businesses like his.
“The beauty for small businesses is that it can provide much needed funding,” said Walters. In his work with Pro-Solutions, Walters has often encountered people who have good ideas without the necessary funding to execute them. SBIR is a way for small businesses (defined as 500 or fewer employees) to find the funding necessary to expand on and develop those ideas.
“The SBIR grant program provides companies with a source of funding for product development and scale up for commercialization without either impacting cash flow from operations or surrendering equity,” said Steve Frayser, president of the University of Nebraska Technology Park. “For those firms successful in obtaining Phase II funding, an added benefit is the third party scientific validation of the concepts behind the product being developed.”
SBIR is essentially a three-step program. The first step, phase I, is a six month phase focused on proving the feasibility of certain technology; can it be done and will it work? Phase II “is truly the research and development phase,” according to Walters, and in his opinion the most exciting phase. This is the opportunity to apply the technology directly to the needs of the government body and really refine the design, while the SBIR program underwrites the entire process. Finally, in Phase III, the company manufactures the product to sell. Throughout the process, the participating company retains ownership of the developed technology.
The program takes time, and a company does not have a guarantee of receiving a phase II after completing phase I, or even a phase III after phase II. The success rate of applicants can be as low as 10 percent. Walters said the program
“…is very involved, very competitive. You’ve got to be convinced it’s a good opportunity for your company. It’s lots of work.” In order to apply for phase I funding, a participant is required to submit a 25-page proposal outlining the idea and why it is worthy of funding from the program. Walters’ proposal for the most recent grant involved more than 200 hours of work.
“It’s not something you can sit down and put together in a weekend,” he said.
The program requires a good level of commitment, but participation can yield many benefits. Participation in the initial phase I led a contact within the Marine Corps to push another topic based on the technology of Innovations Plus. Also, not only do smaller companies have the opportunity to receive funding to develop their ideas, they then have the chance to market that technology to other entities. Since the initial phase I grant, Walters’ company has entertained negotiations with several other government bodies, including the Army Special Forces. SBIR is designed in part to grow small companies, and the benefits can be significant.
Walters said his location within the University of Nebraska Technology Park has been remarkably helpful in regards to his participation in the SBIR program.
“The Technology Park really opened my eyes to the SBIR process. Knowledge gained from Steve [Frayser] and others has been very helpful,” he said. The networking aspect of being located in the Tech Park is encouraging for a small business-man, who could potentially be overwhelmed by the SBIR process. Hearing advice and success stories from other participants pushed Walters to become involved and energized him when he needed it. Having a support network in the Park helped to alleviate some of the intimidation of the SBIR program. Walters says he continues to draw on the expertise and experience of individuals within the Tech Park.
“I’m still able to call upon Steve and others for advice or help if I need it,” he said. “The Technology Park is definitely a good resource.”