The Chemical and Biological Defense (CBD) program was established by the Department of Defense (DoD) to provide state-of-the-art defense capabilities to allow military forces of the United States to operate and successfully complete missions in chemical and biological warfare environments. This requires the availability of the most effective products to detect and protect to ensure sustained operations.

The overall objective of the CBD Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is to elicit innovative solutions from the small business community that address chemical and biological defense technology gaps confronting DoD and to include technologies that will also have high commercialization potential in the private sector.

The Joint Science and Technology Office for Chemical and Biological Defense (JSTO-CBD) provides the management for the Science and Technology component of the Joint Chemical and Biological Defense program. Technologies developed under the SBIR program have the potential to transition to the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense (JPEO-CBD) if the appropriate level of technology maturity has been demonstrated. The JSTO-CBD Science & Technology programs and initiatives are improving defensive capabilities against Chemical and Biological Weapons.

SBIR topics are developed in the following program areas to address both chemical and biological threats.

 

• Detection and Identification

  Analytical techniques for both stand-off and point detection of chemical and biological agents; measurements conducted in environmental matrices (e.g., air, water, soil) in addition to other complex matrices.

• Protection

  All areas of individual and collective protection.

• Decontamination/Hazard Mitigation

  Processes and materials to be employed on facilities, equipment, and personnel.

• Medical Technologies

  Pre- & Post-treatments (vaccines) to protect warfighters from exposure; Therapeutics to mitigate or eliminate the effects of chemical and biological threats.

• Diagnostics and Disease Surveillance

  Providing capabilities to detect and identify biological or chemical threats in warfighters, and identify areas of potential disease outbreak.

• Digital Battlespace Management/Information Systems

  Modeling & Simulation tools to provide information associated with specific chemical and biological threat materials, their dispersion and environmental fate.