SBIR-STTR Award

Direct to Phase II Open Topic: Evaluation and Improvement of a Peer-to-Peer Social Support Platform for Military Service Members and Veterans
Award last edited on: 3/1/2024

Sponsored Program
SBIR
Awarding Agency
DOD : AF
Total Award Amount
$3,000,001
Award Phase
2
Solicitation Topic Code
AF193-DCSO1
Principal Investigator
David Gowel

Company Information

RallyPoint Networks Inc (AKA: RP)

75 State Street Suite 100
Boston, MA 02109
   (215) 285-2111
   info@rallypoint.com
   www.rallypoint.com
Location: Single
Congr. District: 08
County: Suffolk

Phase I

Contract Number: 2020
Start Date: ----    Completed: 7/7/2020
Phase I year
2020
Phase I Amount
$1
Direct to Phase II

Phase II

Contract Number: N/A
Start Date: 7/7/2022    Completed: 7/7/2020
Phase II year
2020
(last award dollars: 1709303694)
Phase II Amount
$3,000,000

The proposed project aims to implement and test enhancements to a peer-to-peer social support platform for U.S. military Service members (SMs) designed to prevent suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) and related problems. This platform, "RallyPoint," is an existing peer-to-peer support platform currently being used by 1.7m SMs and Veterans. Aim 1 of this project tests a validated text-reading machine learning (ML) guided system to help identify SMs most in need of help, based on their posts, and other user activity to aid targeted interventions for those at elevated risk of STBs and related problems. Aim 2 uses two experiments to test interventions aimed at improving the mental health of SMs within the RallyPoint platform by increasing: (a) social engagement with other SMs/Veterans, and (b) the likelihood of accepting referrals to higher levels of care (e.g., contact with a hotline or clinician) for those determined to be at high risk of STB. This proposed project builds on successful earlier work by our team, maximizing the likelihood that this project will achieve the intended goal of providing an effective peer-to-peer support platform that is accessible to SMs/Veterans and can increase military readiness and mitigate risk of STBs and related problems.