San Diego, Calif. – August 1, 2025 – ObjectSecurity, a leader in solving complex, evolving defense and industrial cybersecurity and supply chain risk challenges, today announced that it has been selected for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Based on the solicitation “Artificial Intelligence: AI User Trust” [1], the Phase I SBIR focuses on implementing and validating methods that improve user trust in AI systems through transparency and explainability. As stated in NIST’s AI-600-1 framework for AI Risk Management – “Understanding and managing the risks of AI systems will help to enhance trustworthiness, and in turn, cultivate public trust.” [2]
The project, “Framework for Operational Resilience and Trust (FORT),” will result in a proof-of-concept platform that expands the analysis surface of Large Language Models (LLMs). FORT will improve both explainability and moderation of LLM output.
ObjectSecurity will explore AI model component analysis and conductance optimization techniques to improve LLM explainability, and presenting complex results in an intuitive, user-configurable way, ensuring that explainability is not limited to subject matter experts.
“The Phase I SBIR award marks a significant achievement for ObjectSecurity, highlighting the robustness of our scientific innovation, which has successfully passed a rigorous peer review process,” said Ulrich Lang, CEO of ObjectSecurity. “This award enables us to focus on critical research and development for NIST and other stakeholders. SBIR contracts provide us the opportunity to explore advanced concepts, which in turn accelerate product development, allowing us to commercialize groundbreaking technologies that will deliver substantial value to NIST and our customers across DoD, the Government, and various industries.
ObjectSecurity’s FortiLayer™ is an AI/ML assurance platform focused on AI security, model tuning, and regulatory compliance. It automates deep model assessments, evaluating model accuracy, bottlenecks, vulnerabilities, and explainability, while integrating into CI/CD, MLOps, and DevSecOps workflows. FortiLayer™ identifies layer-specific issues, accelerates training, mitigates security risks, and maps supporting evidence to frameworks like NIST AI RMF and MITRE ATLAS. The platform enables organizations to build trustworthy, compliant AI systems through automated audits, remediation fine-tuning programs, and ongoing compliance tracking. [4]
“The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs are highly competitive programs that encourage domestic small businesses to engage in Federal Research/Research and Development (R/R&D) with the potential for commercialization. Through a competitive awards-based program, SBIR and STTR enable small businesses to explore their technological potential and provide the incentive to profit from its commercialization. By including qualified small businesses in the nation’s R&D arena, high-tech innovation is stimulated, and the United States gains entrepreneurial spirit as it meets its specific research and development needs.” [3]
About ObjectSecurity
ObjectSecurity LLC is a leader in advancing AI security and transparency for defense and industrial systems. Our research and development efforts focus on securing the AI lifecycle by ensuring transparency and compliance from development through deployment. By targeting vulnerabilities at the code, data, and model layers, our solutions help mitigate risks posed by opaque or adversarial AI behavior. Our tools support AI adoption across sectors such as defense, transportation, utilities, manufacturing, and life sciences. With over 20 years of experience serving U.S. defense and federal agencies, ObjectSecurity is now bringing its AI assurance innovations to both public and private markets. The company is privately held with headquarters in San Diego, CA, and global representation. [5]
More Information
- SBIR Solicitation https://www.sbir.gov/topics/11346
- NIST AI Risk Management Framework https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/ai/NIST.AI.100-1.pdf
- The SBIR and STTR Programs: https://www.sbir.gov/about
- FortiLayer https://objectsecurity.ai
- ObjectSecurity https://www.objectsecurity.com.
Media Contact
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- Contact https://objectsecurity.com/contact
