One year contract for licensing and developing a virtual simulation platform with Ai-driven avatars.

The purpose of this procurement is to license a platform that will allow for the development and administration of research studies that investigate clinical and communication-related processes in the context of genetics and genomics. The primary project will focus on development and implementation of the Genetic Literacy Virtual Assessment simulation environment.

This will be achieved by formatting, developing, programming, and hosting a virtual simulation environment featuring AI-driven Virtual Human avatars representing simulated patients at varying levels of genetic literacy. Doing so will allow us to examine whether healthcare providers communicate differently about genetics and genetic testing during a simulated autism diagnostic encounter when provided with information about a patient's genetic literacy level in advance.

The simulation will serve as a controlled experimental environment for measuring provider communication behavior as the primary outcome, with genetic testing recommendation behavior as a secondary outcome. A secondary project, led by the Immersive Simulation Program (ISP) within the SBRB will use the platform to investigate efficacy of potential clinical genomics communication approaches to enhance prevention behaviors in conjunction with provision of genomic risk information.

The Contractor shall work independently with no direct supervision by any Government employee. The Engagement Methods Unit and/or Immersive Simulation Program staff will provide guidance in terms of the technical needs, technological support, and programming assistance that is needed.

The Contractor will communicate with the research staff to ensure their work is consistent with the project needs.The Contractor must respond to outstanding questions regarding technological and programming support with EMU and/or ISP staff to resolve any issues or challenges. The PI will ensure the work conducted by the Contractor is acceptable. The Contractor's workstations must be configured and used in a manner consistent with Government information security practices.

The virtual simulation environment will consist of Virtual Human avatars with editable features including voice, appearance, and setting. Avatar conversations with participants will be formulated by artificial intelligence integrated into the virtual simulation software, scripted to reflect the behavioral and communicative characteristics of a parent of a newly diagnosed autistic child.

The software will be accessible over a secure web browser without requirement for specialized hardware or VR headsets, while also retaining the ability to be access through a VR-based platform. Behavioral evaluation criteria defining what constitutes effective provider communication about genetics and genetic testing in an autism diagnostic context will be specified by the Government. The Contractor will integrate these criteria into the platform's coaching and behavioral analysis reporting system.

The platform will support the display of government-furnished video content to designated participants prior to their Virtual Human encounter. The Government will provide the video file in a format compatible with the Contractor's platform. The Contractor will confirm compatible file formats prior to content delivery. Data will be delivered via secure transfer to be arranged by the Government