Open call for xTechHBCU – Student Competition (US)

xTechHBCU Student is a forum for students to engage with the Department of Defense, earn prize money, participate in a unique accelerator program, and potentially have an opportunity to develop a prototype for their designed solutions as final winners of the competition. The competition finals will be held at or around the 2024 Black Engineer of the Year Awards STEM Conference from February 15 – 17, 2024.

The Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, recognizes that the Army must enhance engagements and highlight opportunities for HBCUs. Diverse perspectives provide a critical source of innovative talent and novel concepts for the advancement of Army Modernization Priorities and national security.

The xTechHBCU Student competition provides a structured and focused entry path for eligible undergraduates to submit novel concepts and technology solutions directly to the Army. Participants will receive detailed feedback from Army and DOD stakeholders; and will have access to training, mentorship, and networking opportunities through the xTechHBCU Student accelerator.

The xTechHBCU Student competition will consist of two rounds:

• Call for pentacharts; and
• Final Pitch Event

The xTechHBCU Student competition will provide non-dilutive seed prizes to select undergraduate students.

Topic Areas

xTechHBCU Student is seeking novel, disruptive concepts and technology solutions from HBCU Students that can assist in tackling the Army’s current needs while strengthening relationships and collaborations between HBCU Students and the Army. The xTechHBCU Student competition will focus on three main open topic areas:

• Topic 1: Autonomy
  • The U.S. Army, recognizing the significance of autonomy in modern warfare, is actively seeking innovative approaches to leverage autonomous technologies for the benefit of its service members. This includes a wide array of applications, including unmanned ground and aerial vehicles, autonomous logistics and supply chain management, advanced artificial intelligence systems for decision support, as well as autonomous weaponry. These innovations aim to enhance Soldier protection, augment situational awareness, and improve the lethality of the forces while adapting to the complexities of contemporary conflict.
• Topic 2: Chemical and Biological Sciences
  • The Army Research Laboratory (ARL) has also identified a critical need to pursue synthetic biology solutions to yield new capabilities in protection, situational awareness, and lethality for warfighters. Research has already demonstrated the potential for this field to have major effects on commodity and specialty materials, sensing, human performance, medical, and biological and chemical weapons threats/defense, all of which are of substantial importance to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).
• Topic 3: Health
  • Emerging technologies like cloud, AI, extended reality, and wearables continue to shape battlefield domains in ways that allow the Soldier to stay more connected than ever before.  Remote and hybrid work environments have also shaped society towards a trend of 24/7 digital connectivity.  While digitization has many benefits, research shows increased technology usage can also have negative effects to physical and mental health if not properly protected.  Statistics also show these effects are exacerbated in marginalized communities with fewer paths and resources leading towards recovery and health.

Prizes and Incentives

• The total prize pool is $100,000. Other non-monetary incentives are provided through the xTechHBCU Student competition to help participants engage with the Army.
  • Phase – Part 1: Pentachart
    • Number of Winners – Up to 20
    • Prize – $3,500 each
  • Phase – Part 2: Finals
    • Number of Winners – Up to 4
    • Prize
      • 1st Place – $10,500
      • 2nd Place – $8,500
      • 3rd Place – $6,500
      • 4th Place – $4,500

Eligibility Requirements

• The individuals allowed to participate in this competition must be current students from institutions classified as an HBCU by the U.S. Department of Education designated HBCU institutions.
• The student must:
  • Be a full-time undergraduate student at a covered institution at the time of application
  • Be 18 years or older by the Part 1 submission deadline
  • Provide documentation of the HBCU status and current enrollment status with their submissions
• Eligible applicants include community colleges or other 2-year degree granting institutions meeting the definition of a “covered educational institution.”

For more information, visit xTech.