Dr. Scott Walter, the Director of Technology Transition/Transfer for the 59th Medical Wings Office of the Chief Scientist, along with Michael "Mic" Borcherding, Director of Innovation for VelocityTx co-chaired a panel session titled “Leveraging SBIR, CDMRP, and MTEC to Accelerate Dual-Use Solutions” at the San Antonio Startup Week (SASW).  SASW 2025 was held 20 – 24 October 2025 for entrepreneurs, startups, and small business owners to support business development and featured educational panels, workshops, pitch competitions, and networking opportunities. The free, five-day event celebrated its 10th anniversary and was held downtown San Antonio, with Geekdom as the central location.   

The "Leveraging SBIR, CDMRP, and MTEC to Accelerate Dual-Use Solutions" focused on helping attendees gain insight into DoD priorities, understand the structure of various Defense funding programs, and learn actionable tips for strengthening proposals to align their innovations with defense needs.  The team covered key topics such as understanding DoD priorities and what the Department of Defense is looking for in terms of innovative solutions; navigating the structure and requirements of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs for successful submissions and selections, funding opportunities and mechanisms like the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) and the Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC) for helping the DoD address military needs and requirements, tips and practical advice on how to submit proposals to improve the chances of selection and successful outcomes, and help participants leverage these programs to accelerate the development of technologies with both commercial and military applications (dual-use solutions). The team answered questions from over a dozen attendees and helped establish connections for future military medical R&D projects.