AFWERX Awards $74K to Security Tech Companies

AUSTIN, Texas and SAN FRANCISCO, California, Sept. 28, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- Prometheus Security Group Global (PSG) and Zignal Labs have been selected by the Air Force Research Laboratory’s innovation arm, AFWERX, for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I contract in the amount of $74,292. The contract is focused on evaluating the feasibility of integrating PSG’s portable Zero Trust physical security technology stack with Zignal Labs’ open source intelligence capabilities to address the most pressing challenges in the Department of the Air Force (DAF).

The proposed approach brings together, in a portable package, PSG’s critical infrastructure systems, built on a modular open systems approach for detecting, authenticating, and communicating physical security events, including hardware-rooted device authentication that verifies events at their source, with Zignal’s multi-modal collection, enrichment, and alerting capabilities, transforming fragmented open source information into structured, contextualized intelligence. The Phase I effort will explore how these complementary, dual-use capabilities can provide security forces with earlier warning and greater operational context.

AFWERX, the innovation arm of the Department of the Air Force, has partnered with the Air Force Research Laboratory to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) process by accelerating the small business experience through faster proposal to award timelines, changing the pool of potential applicants by expanding opportunities to small businesses, and eliminating bureaucratic overhead by continually implementing process improvement changes in contract execution. The DAF began offering the Open Topic SBIR/STTR program in 2018, which expanded the range of innovations the DAF funded, and now, Prometheus Security Group Global and Zignal Labs will start their journey to create and provide innovative capabilities that will strengthen the national defense of the United States of America.

Fusing trusted detection at the resource with indicators across the open information environment means the protection envelope no longer ends where the installation or resource does. That matters most where we have the least terrain but need to launch sorties, dispersed, expeditionary locations."

The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, the Department of War, or the U.S. government.

PSG's mission-driven security innovation builds on a proud tradition of protecting the nation's most critical infrastructure. PSG delivers a unified physical security platform built on Zero Trust Architecture, extending trust to devices at the far edge and bridging legacy analog systems with modern digital networks to produce authenticated, AI-ready data that enhances safety, security, situational awareness, and operational resilience. Backed by federal government certifications and ATOs and a $200M+ IP portfolio, PSG solutions serve Defense, Energy, Government, and Critical Infrastructure customers worldwide.

Zignal Labs delivers AI and agency intelligence for national security, transforming publicly available information into structured, mission-aligned intelligence that analysts and operational systems can reliably consume and operationalize. Built on more than fifteen years of operational experience, Zignal ingests, filters, enriches, validates, and structures multi-modal information across text, imagery, and video to support earlier warning, force protection, maritime awareness, influence detection, and other mission-critical operations.

The Air Force Research Laboratory is the Department of the Air Force’s primary scientific research and development center and one of six centers within Air Force Materiel Command. AFRL leads the discovery, development, and delivery of technologies for air, space, and the multidomain. With a workforce spanning seven mission areas at more than 40 locations worldwide, AFRL conducts research ranging from basic science to advanced technology development. For more information, visit afresearchlab.com.

AFWERX, the innovation arm of the Department of the Air Force and a division within the Air Force Research Laboratory, partners with small businesses, startups, and nontraditional vendors to address challenges facing Airmen and Guardians. Headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, AFWERX strengthens the defense industrial base by expanding access to innovators, building partnerships, and accelerating the transition of critical technologies to operational capability. In fiscal year 2025, AFWERX awarded more than 1,000 contracts totaling $1.37 billion and achieved 438 Phase III transitions valued at $8.1 billion. For more information, visit afwerx.com.