Cultivating innovation by expanding the American research enterprise for the Department of the Air Force
Cultivating innovation by expanding the American research enterprise for the Department of the Air Force
Cultivating innovation by expanding the American research enterprise for the Department of the Air Force
Cultivating innovation by expanding the American research enterprise for the Department of the Air Force
Cultivating innovation by expanding the American research enterprise for the Department of the Air Force
Cultivating innovation by expanding the American research enterprise for the Department of the Air Force
Cultivating innovation by expanding the American research enterprise for the Department of the Air Force
Cultivating innovation by expanding the American research enterprise for the Department of the Air Force
Cultivating innovation by expanding the American research enterprise for the Department of the Air Force
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
The Academic Partnership Engagement Experiment has the mission to 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. The APEX mission supports 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.
Creativity & Innovation
Data Analytics
Education & Training
National Engagement
Organizational & Workforce Development
SBIR/STTR Process Navigation
Technology Transition
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)
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
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
APEX develops and utilizes analytics to identify academic and business partners and map technology areas of interest to the USAF. These efforts are key to connecting an underserved community of Universities and Small Business partners with Air Force resources.
Anissa Lumpkin
Lead Program Manager, U.S. Air Force Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer
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
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
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
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)
$150,000 Agility Prime Phase I
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
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.
