Momentous was recently awarded 3 separate research contracts with the United States Air Force (USAF) AFWERX Program. These Phase I Small Business Innovation Research / Small Business Technology Transfer Research (SBIR/STTR) contract (2x SBIRs and 1x STTR) will allow Momentous to explore, refine, and validate relevant and actionable interventions for reducing injuries, improving cognition, and enhancing performance across the DoD. With these newest selections, Momentous has won 6 total research contracts through the AFWERX program.
Phase I SBIR - Refine and improve our Collagen product to reduce injuries and down days in the DoD. MSK injuries are the leading source of down days causing 25 million limited duty days DoD-wide annually and resulting in 2.4 million doctor visits. With ACL injuries occurring 4-5X more often among active-duty personnel than civilians, where females are 2X more likely to suffer any MSK injury, it comes as no surprise that such injuries and down days are massive DoD cost centers. Consuming collagen and vitamin C an hour before exercise increases the appearance of collagen-building amino acids, thereby increasing collagen synthesis, tissue repair, and injury prevention. Collagen supplementation can improve bone density, relieve joint pain, and protect cartilage whiling improving tendon efficiency, force production, and endurance output.
Phase I SBIR - Produce a DoD-specific version of our stimulant-free Brain Drive in an effort to reduce error rates with a daily cognitive product. Although they can be used to acutely increase cognitive function and reduce mental fatigue, the stimulants used in the DoD often cause jitters, frequent trips to the bathroom, regularly come with added sugars and can cause sleep dysregulation. Decreasing any of these measures alongside an improvement in cognitive function may help improve individual mood, outlook, and warfighting function.
Phase I STTR - Explore and conceptualize an actionable intervention to enhance tactical performance in the DoD through the use of an innovative carbohydrate and menthol mouth rinse solution. Menthol’s cooling sensation and carbohydrate’s presence in the mouth provide beneficial sensory effects that can enhance performance through neural processes.
To better serve the Department of Defense, Momentous is aligning and collaborating with experts in the fields of physiology, exercise science, tendinopathy, cognition, and neuroscience to produce research-backed, evidence-based, and best practice-informed solutions that can meaningfully improve both the quality of life and performance in the brave men and women that serve this country. The tested, validated, and trusted products that result from these research contracts will benefit the brave men and women in uniform alongside our own Momentous community.
About the AFWERX SBIR Program
AFWERX is the Air Force's team of innovators who encourage and facilitate connections across industry, academia, and the military to create transformative opportunities and foster a culture of innovation. For start-ups and small businesses, AFWERX is working with the SBIR program to increase collaboration between the Private Sector and the United States Air Force.
"AFRL and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the process in an attempt to speed up the experience, broaden the pool of potential applicants and decrease bureaucratic overhead. Beginning in SBIR 18.2, and now in 21.2B, the Air Force is offering 'The Open Topic' SBIR/STTR program that is faster, leaner and open to a broader range of innovations."
