1 Texas Research Institute Austin, Inc (TRI/Austin) SBIR Transition to the DoD Dr. Michael L. Dingus Vice President Texas Research Institute Austin, Inc. (TRI) 9063 Bee Caves Road Austin, TX 78733 512-263-2101 Advanced Polymers Composite Design and Analysis Non-destructive Testing Reliability Engineering About TRI/Austin Texas Research International, Inc Parent Company of TRI/Austin Founded in 1975 by Dr. J. Scott Thornton 130 employees Located in Southwest Austin TRI/Austin Research and Product Development Specialties Non-Destructive Evaluation/ Structural Health Monitoring Advanced Polymer Development Composite Engineering Accelerated Life Testing / Reliability Engineering Multiple SBIR transitions Small business based in Austin, Texas with over 35 years of experience in applied materials research, product development, and testing.
2 US Government Clients TRI Transition and Commercialization Commercialization paths: In-House Production Licensing Joint ventures Partnerships (passive and active) Production outsourcing Outright sale of technology Example Transitioned Technologies: Proteckt TM Blast Injury Mitigating Material ecomass, non-toxic lead substitute Bond-Coat TM non-conductive ceramic coating Non-toxic rubber cement Composite Towed Array OSA Kits ThermaSafe TM, fire resistant, low smoke, non-toxic resin system LAHMP TM, large area health monitoring system Chemical and biological warfare resistant water pouch Torpedo flex hose ballast tape minimizing lead exposure SBIR Developed technologies successfully transitioned into both the government and commercial sectors
3 ecomass Compounds Non-toxic lead substitute developed for the Army Injection moldable dense plastic Applications Projectiles, shot Medical Radiation Shielding Weights for golf and fishing TRI technology spin off to Ideas to Market Passive partnership www.ecomass.com SBIR Phase I Sponsor: US Army Bond-Coat R NCC Specified as requirement for all Navy submarine underwater electrical connectors Featured as Navy SBIR transition success story TRI initially manages, markets, distributes, and sells Bondcoat R directly SBIR Sponsor: NAVSEA
4 Chemical Biological Warfare (CBW) Safe Water Pouch Successfully Tested Against Live CBW agents and sold to the US Army SBIR Sponsor: NAVAIR ThermaSafe R Fire Resistant, Low Smoke, Non-Toxic Resin System ThermaSafe R resin system initially developed for submarine use Passed MIL-STD-2031 for submarine internal use (fire, smoke, toxicity standard) Cost effective system for FST applications, including lithium battery storage and racking Fire test on Pultruded Plank made with ThermaSafe TM Resin System SBIR Sponsor: NAVSEA
5 Non-Hazardous Rubber Cements MMM-1617B Type I Natural rubber base, synthetic natural (polyisoprene), styrene butadiene (SBR), reclaim, or combinations thereof; non-oil Resistant. Type II Polychloroprene (neoprene) rubber base; oil resistant. Type III Butadiene acrylonitrile (Nitrile) rubber base, fuel resistant. Type II Formulation sold to W.W. Henry SBIR Sponsor: NAVAIR Large Area Health Monitoring Processor (LAHMP) Embedded Structural Health Monitoring System Composites & Metals Automatically & Passively Detects, Locates & Assesses Importance of Damage Miniaturized for Field Applications Successful F-15 ground & flight tests Passed MIL-STD tests: 810 704 461 SBIR Sponsors: NAVAIR, Army, Air Force
6 Proteckt R Energy Absorbing Material IEDs caused the majority of US deaths in Iraq During Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, the leading cause of non-battle injury fatalities was land transport accidents (overturned vehicles). Proteckt R Energy Absorbing Material Head Impact Protection Side Impact Protection Flooring Blast or Crash Impact Mats Seat Bottoms Under Side Impact Attenuation TRI s In-house, ISO 9001 Certified Manufacturing facility SBIR Sponsor: Army
Proteckt R Energy Absorbing Material When Compared to Leading Fielded Competitor. PERFORMANCE: 20-30% MORE ENERGY ABSORPTION WEIGHT: OVER 40 % LIGHTER COST: 30-40% LOWER 13 Critical Steps to Transition Identify / Engage Stakeholders COTR Prime Contractors/OEMs Program Office DoD Testing laboratories Technical Warrant Holder Budget allocator Spec Holder Field Commander Warfighter / End User Depots NSN/DLA Etc. Keys to Success Understand the real problem Solve the real problem Identify and obtain buy-in from ALL Stakeholders Project the value of the solution Transition In-House Production Licensing Joint ventures Partnerships (passive and active) Outright sale of technology Texas Research Institute Austin, Inc. (TRI) 9063 Bee Caves Road Austin, TX 78733 512-263-2101 Advanced Polymers Composite Design and Analysis Non-destructive Testing Reliability Engineering 7
Private Sector Investment is Essential Internal Investments IR&D Facilities Equipment Inventory Marketing & Sales Staff Outside Investments - Program Offices - Angel / VC TRI Assets Leveraged During Transition DCCA Approved Accounting System Contracts specialist Purchasing Business development Marketing Sales Quality control Manufacturing facilities Human Resources DoD Contacts Laboratories DC office Internal funding Sister companies Transition experience Always interested in Teaming Hiring Acquisitions 8
Patience and Timing TRI Seal Plus R Primer - Achieved specification 15 years after initial development CBW water pouch patent - 10 years from initial patent application to issued patent 4 8 Year Transition Cycle is typical Timing is important Decon Check TM Advanced Decontamination Method SBIR Sponsor: US Army 9
10 Contact Information Management: Scott Strehli Executive Vice President Texas Research International Inc. 512-263-2101 ext. 174 sstrehli@tri-austin.com Dr. Michael L. Dingus VP, Operations Texas Research Institute Austin, Inc. 512-263-2101 ext. 207 mdingus@tri-austin.com Business Development Technology Transition: Vince Newton Business Development / Technology Transition Texas Research Institute Austin, Inc. Office: 703-272-3079 Cell: 703-944-4763 vnewton@tri-austin.com