The Department of Defense Office of the Secretary has just released the SBIR FY 2009.1 Solicitation. One of the important goals is to be able to integrate assessments from health databases and other intelligence assessments such as incidents from land mines and safety incidents so the data can be used to help identify future medical technology capabilities.
Basically, the DOD OSD SBIR program is interested in:
- Health surveillance planning and decision support tools. These can include targeted software applications, decision support tools, data and knowledge management information visualization technologies including geospatial tools and artificial intelligence-based applications for analyses purposes
- New methods to monitor health status and clinical laboratory data. Data and information analysis tools are needed to collect and harmonize disparate data and information sources
to provide health status surveillance pre or post injury, Projects are required to have a strong biological basis and be sensitive to changes in health status based on real-time measurements, clinical laboratory data sources, or recorded inpatient, outpatient, or trauma registry data - Medical training and learning tools. Advanced distributed learning simulation-based training and other computer based training technology is needed to enable all healthcare personnel to plan, respond and manage future medical situations
Specific Defense Health Program Biomedical Technology topics with an emphasis on TBI are:
- Army (OSD09-H01) to develop a highly interactive PC or web-based videogame application using a videogame console platform to improve cognitive, motor, and sensory performance following traumatic brain injury
- Army (OSD09-H02) to prototype or refine and test a portable system to provide battlefield triage and monitoring of traumatic brain injuries. The system needs to provide complete diagnostic data
- Army (OSD09-H03) to develop a highly interactive PC or web-based application to allow family members to verbally interact with virtually with deployed service members
- Army (OSD09-H04) to design, prototype, and provide preliminary validation data for a virtual reality based assessment tool to use to determine return-to-duty status of patients diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury
- Army (OSD09-H05) to develop a computing interface to be used for cognitive and physical rehabilitation of victims with traumatic brain injuries. The interface needs to be interoperable with new and existing cognitive and physical rehabilitation tools
The solicitation was issued November 12, 2008 and proposals can be accepted on December 8, 2008. Final proposals are due January 14, 2009. For questions and more information, go to www.dodsbir.net/solicitation/sbir091/osd091.htm
