Technical Whitepaper
Semantic Infrastructure for Government R&D Intelligence
Building secure, AI-native infrastructure to structure, enrich, and operationalize fragmented government innovation signals—transforming how organizations navigate federal R&D opportunities.
Executive Summary
The federal government publishes thousands of R&D solicitations annually through SBIRs, BAAs, RFIs, and grant opportunities across agencies like DARPA, NSF, NIH, and DOE. This represents billions in funding, yet the fragmented nature of these signals creates systematic barriers for researchers, startups, and contractors seeking to align with government priorities.
Assertion Labs addresses this challenge with a semantic infrastructure platformthat ingests, enriches, and operationalizes government innovation signals. Our first product transforms unstructured solicitation data into intelligent, searchable knowledge graphswhile laying the foundation for secure, policy-aligned AI agentsthat can operate in sensitive government contexts.
The Challenge
Current Limitations
- • Fragmented data across dozens of agency portals
- • No semantic search or similarity matching
- • Manual monitoring of deadlines and updates
- • Limited historical analysis capabilities
- • No automated trend identification
Market Requirements
- • Unified view of federal R&D opportunities
- • Intelligent matching and recommendation
- • Real-time alerts and deadline tracking
- • Secure, policy-compliant AI assistance
- • Historical trend analysis and forecasting
Platform Architecture
Multi-Source Data Ingestion
Automated collection and normalization of government R&D signals from multiple sources:
Primary Sources
- • SBIR.gov solicitations and awards
- • SAM.gov federal opportunities
- • Grants.gov research funding
- • Agency-specific portals (DARPA, NSF, NIH)
Technical Implementation
- • Go-based microservices with colly/goquery
- • Headless browser automation with rod
- • Real-time diff detection and updates
- • OCR processing for PDF attachments
AI-Powered Semantic Enrichment
Advanced language models transform raw solicitation text into structured, searchable metadata:
WebAssembly Security Runtime
Policy-constrained execution environment for sensitive government applications:
- • Offline Inference: Run language models in air-gapped environments
- • Policy Enforcement: Capability-based access control for AI agents
- • Compliance Checking: Automated verification of export control requirements
- • Portable Deployment: Consistent execution across cloud, edge, and classified networks
Target User Scenarios
Startup Founder
University Technology Transfer Office
Defense Contractor
Dual-Use VC Fund
DoD Technology Analyst
Product Portfolio
SaaS Dashboard
- Semantic search across all agencies
- Saved searches and deadline alerts
- Similar opportunity recommendations
- Trend analysis and insights
Data/API License
- Structured dataset exports
- REST/GraphQL API access
- Real-time data streams
- Custom integration support
Private Deployment
- On-premises or GovCloud hosting
- Air-gapped operation capability
- Custom security configurations
- Dedicated support team
Consulting Services
- Custom integration projects
- SBIR application assistance
- Grant strategy consulting
- Technology transfer optimization
Technology Roadmap
Foundation Platform
- Ingest and enrich 3-5 major agencies (DARPA, NSF, NIH, DOE, SBIR.gov)
- Deploy public dashboard with semantic search capabilities
- Launch pilot partnerships with 2-3 research institutions
Advanced Intelligence
- Full vector search with embedding similarity matching
- WebAssembly-based secure inference layer for offline operation
- API monetization with Stripe integration and tiered access
Enterprise Scale
- Comprehensive whitepaper publication and Series A funding
- International technology monitoring (Five Eyes, EU Horizon)
- FOIA-backed historical data collection and trend analysis
Market Opportunity
Technical Implementation
Data Pipeline
Security & Deployment
Strategic Foundation
This government R&D intelligence platform serves as Assertion Labs' strategic wedge into the broader market for secure, semantic AI infrastructure. By solving a concrete, high-value problem in the government innovation ecosystem, we establish relationships and technical foundations that enable our long-term vision.
Immediate Value
- Revenue-generating product with clear ROI
- Direct customer relationships in target markets
- Proven technical capabilities at scale
- Data moat in government innovation signals
Platform Foundation
- WebAssembly security runtime for AI agents
- Policy-constrained execution frameworks
- Semantic infrastructure for sensitive data
- Pathway to defense and intelligence markets
Conclusion
The federal government's R&D ecosystem represents one of the world's largest sources of innovation funding, yet its fragmented nature creates systematic inefficiencies that limit participation and slow technology transfer. Assertion Labs' semantic intelligence platform transforms this challenge into a competitive advantage for our users.
More importantly, this product establishes the technical and commercial foundation for our broader mission: building secure, semantic infrastructure that enables trustworthy AI systems in high-stakes environments. Every component—from WebAssembly security to policy-constrained agents—serves both immediate customer needs and our long-term vision of transforming how AI operates in sensitive contexts.
Data Sources & References
Primary Data Sources
- • SBIR.gov - Small Business Innovation Research Program
- • SAM.gov - System for Award Management
- • Grants.gov - Federal Grant Opportunities
- • Agency-specific portals (DARPA, NSF, NIH, DOE, ARPA-H)
Technical Standards
- • WebAssembly System Interface (WASI)
- • Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP)
- • International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR)
- • NIST Cybersecurity Framework
Ready to Transform Your R&D Intelligence?
Contact Assertion Labs to learn how our semantic infrastructure can unlock hidden opportunities in government innovation funding.
contact@assertionlabs.com