Military offers business opportunities for medical technologies and supplies

The U.S. military has the most advanced technology of any fighting force, but there’s still room for improvement when it comes to medical equipment, supplies and devices used in combat.

That assessment came from speakers at the Medical, Biomedical and Biodefense Symposium held in late September at the Friday Center at UNC-Chapel Hill.

“Our mission is simple in statement, but it’s complex in execution,” said keynote speaker Carrie M. Quinn, Ph.D., appearing via videoconference. Quinn is deputy to the commanding general of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command.

“If we fail to modernize our capabilities at the same pace as our adversaries are reshaping the character of war, we leave our soldiers, our joint force, and our nation vulnerable to unacceptable consequences,” she said. “We’ve got to have industry partners with us to move at speed and scale.”

The symposium, organized by the North Carolina Military Business Center, is an annual event designed to give the state’s business community a look at medical innovations and technologies the armed forces need. 

In addition to the Military Business Center, which is based at Fayetteville Technical Community College, this year’s event was hosted by U.S. Senators Thom Tillis and Ted Budd, the Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium, and the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.

Needs in advanced medical technology

Companies making or distributing medical and health-related technology, equipment, supplies and devices have multiple paths toward securing business opportunities that support the military.

Those opportunities range from everyday medical supplies for Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals to advanced new technologies that improve battlefield care for wounded soldiers – without leaving an electronic trace that enemy forces can detect.

For example, military medical units are set up to deploy MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), ultrasound and other diagnostic and surgical equipment in the field. But these devices emit specific electronic signatures, potentially tipping off a unit’s location.

“If an electronic signature is not detectable, then that unit is not detectable,” said Capt. Arriel Atienza, command surgeon with the Second Marine Expeditionary Force, speaking during a panel discussion on operational requirements for tactical medicine. “In the absence of a signature, what’s the next best option? It would be maybe having a signature that is like the electronic signature around you.”

Panel moderator Lt. Col. (Retired) Stephen DeLellis, senior technical advisor and director of the Fort Bragg Research Institute, said technologies to help avoid detection by blending in with the surroundings are a critical need for the military.

“You as entrepreneurs out there need to think about what that ambient noise looks like, and how you would hide a surgical team and their electronic devices,” he said.

Another need, several panelists agreed, is for artificial intelligence tools that can help medics make split-second, life-saving decisions under challenging conditions. AI decision support tools can assist medics when standard communications and telehealth platforms aren’t accessible, said Lt. Col. Jonathan Haller, chief of medical information and training and a senior physician assistant with the U.S. Army Special Operations Command.

“Most simply put, I think we need an AI tool that’s a doc-in-a-box and serves as a replacement for telemedicine in a traditional sense, so that they can pull it out and reference it when they don’t have other communication available,” he said.

Opportunities for small businesses

While advanced medical technology can go a long way toward supporting the military, so can supplies, materials and equipment that are commonly used in medical settings. Small businesses that provide these products have multiple entry points to offer their goods and services, several speakers on a panel about business opportunities said.

A good place to start is with the Program Executive Office (PEO) for each branch of the armed services, said Maj. Tanishia Greene, deputy director, Integrated Logistics Support Center, Army Medical Logistics Command. While the military’s procurement and supply chain processes might seem daunting, there’s a good reason for it: Anything the military acquires must meet regulatory, national security, data security and risk management requirements, she said.

Panelists described a variety of needs, ranging from the general (pharmaceutical, laboratory, dental, optical and hospital equipment of all types) to the highly specific (a field sterilization system for surgical equipment that can be operated without water).

Mary Beth Thomas, senior vice president for science and business development at NCBiotech, said the symposium gives North Carolina businesses, entrepreneurs and researchers a close-up view of the military’s requirements and their procurement priorities.

“It really serves a dual purpose,” she said. “Medical and life sciences businesses can meet with military personnel to get more information about opportunities they might not otherwise be familiar with, and they can find new ways to support our military personnel who are serving our country every day.”

To learn more, contact the North Carolina Military Business Center.