Cultivating innovation by expanding the American research enterprise for the Department of the Air Force
A one-of-a-kind program that will play a cutting-edge role in developing the technology and practices of tomorrow, and I am proud that the nexus of these activities will be right here in the Dayton area.
Mike Turner
U.S. Rep. (R-Dayton)
Cultivating innovation by expanding the American research enterprise for the Department of the Air Force
We have so much talent in our region, and it is exciting that Parallax Advanced Research has been chosen as a partner for this new USAF initiative.
Nan Whaley
Mayor of Dayton
Cultivating innovation by expanding the American research enterprise for the Department of the Air Force
Importantly, the APEX project focuses specifically on growing the Air Force's technological defense capabilities in partnership with academia. This is the first of its kind in the country that is working across the country to connect small businesses and academia.
Bill Harrison
Former Small Business Director, U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory
Cultivating innovation by expanding the American research enterprise for the Department of the Air Force
One of the largest value-adds that APEX, and specifically our coach Rich, provided early on was detailed, weekly goals of what we needed to complete in order to be eligible for the grant. As a small company founded by students, we struggled to understand the vast array of government requirements and compliances, but Rich kept us on track and ensured we were ready by the time our grants were due. In addition to organizational help and expertise, the APEX team was vital in the production of our vital slide deck. Their team of experts helped us express our main value proposition that likely assisted us in winning the grant.
Luke Sommer
Co-Founder, EZTrain
$50,000 AFWERX 21.1 SBIR Phase I
Cultivating innovation by expanding the American research enterprise for the Department of the Air Force
The APEX team has been phenomenal in helping us navigate the STTR process, from learning how to write a proposal to helping us find potential partners and now, teaching us how to engage with the Air Force during the post-award phase.
Atossa Alavi
Co-Founder & CEO, Immobileyes
$50,000 AFWERX STTR
Cultivating innovation by expanding the American research enterprise for the Department of the Air Force
I think the subject of my email was “Urgent! Help Needed” and APEX successfully delivered that help. There are so many unknowns in that last phase of the process… that expert guidance at critical hours… the quality and success of our proposal may not have been there if I had ventured on my own. It was APEX that helped necoTech see how our innovation fits in the military and DoD industry.
Steve Flaherty
Founder & CEO, necoTech
$500,000 AFWERX STTR Phase II
Cultivating innovation by expanding the American research enterprise for the Department of the Air Force
We're really good at what we do, but we were very bad at navigating this process, so, APEX walked us through it. Without APEX ’s help, we wouldn’t be where we are today – with a $150,000 award to apply our technology in the defense market.
Justine Blank
Co-Founder & Vice President, Engineering Products of Ohio, LLC (EPI)
$150K Agility Prime Phase I, $750K Agility Prime Phase II
Cultivating innovation by expanding the American research enterprise for the Department of the Air Force
APEX helped us from beginning to end. One of the things I tell people here at the University is that if you do want to pursue one of these opportunities, you need to go through a group like APEX; it’s essentially someone guiding you and telling you the next step the whole way. The entire presence of APEX through our STTR contract solicitation process was very mentor like and exactly what we needed at that stage of our business.
Kyle Gillis
Co-Founder, IconicAir
$700,000 AFWERX STTR Phase II
Cultivating innovation by expanding the American research enterprise for the Department of the Air Force
Having an APEX mentor to touch base with on a regular basis helps first time and experienced small businesses navigate the Air Force requirements for SBIRs and STTRs. I highly recommend joining this program.
Dean Zody
CEO, GhostWave Inc.
$300,000 Agility Prime, 21.1A, two 21.2B awards
Pre-release STTR/SBIR opportunities happening now. Find a partner & proposal consulting here.
Who We Are and What We Do
The Academic Partnership Engagement Experiment (APEX) is a first-of-its-kind program that aims to enhance partnerships between the Department of the Air Force and academia nationwide in support of the United States Air Force Science & Technology 2030 Strategy. APEX is a Partnership Intermediary Agreement between the Department of the Air Force and Parallax Advanced Research.
APEX provides free resources to academic researchers and innovators throughout the U.S.A. who are interested in participating in or applying for funding from the Air Force Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transition Research (STTR) programs. APEX's goal is to make a major leap forward in Department of the Air Force defense technology innovation and development.
Our Vision
Enhance access to top national talent, advance innovative workforce development, support agile practices, expand the Department of the Air Force's scientific presence, cultivate partnerships and increase technology transition opportunities.
Our Mission
Connect universities, businesses and the government; build collaborations between these sectors; identify their transformational operational defense solutions and capabilities; and advance defense technology development for the Department of the Air Force.
Academic Partnership Engagement Experiment Creativity & Innovation
Academic Partnership Engagement Experiment Data Analytics
Academic Partnership Engagement Experiment Education & Training
Academic Partnership Engagement Experiment National Engagement
Academic Partnership Engagement Experiment Organizational & Workforce Development
Academic Partnership Engagement Experiment SBIR/STTR Process Navigation
Academic Partnership Engagement Experiment Technology Transition
Get Connected with the USAF
Share your idea with the Department of the Air Force!
The Department of the Air Force is committed to delivering an effective service to connect industry, academia and the government by expanding and strengthening their partnerships and leveraging the innovation networks within them. The Air Force Tech Connect is a new product provided by the U.S. Air Force to ensure more external innovations have a transformational impact on the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force.
The Tech Connect team, comprised of Air Force Research Laboratory personnel, connects quality, relevant ideas and technologies with U.S. Air Force subject matter experts. The Tech Connect Team will review submitted ideas and inquiries, provide feedback and establish a dialogue between the submitter and potentially interested U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force programs.
This button will navigate you to the Air Force Tech Connect website for submission of your idea.
