Abbott (NYSE:ABT) won a $20 million contract with the U.S. Defense Dept. to develop a test to detect traumatic brain injuries in military personnel, the Pentagon said this week.

The $19.5 million deal calls for Abbott Park, Illinois-based Abbott to assess and verify biomarkers that reveal mild TBI, according to a press release.

Those biomarkers would then be used to develop a test for TBI using the Abbott i-Stat device already used by the military health system, according to the release.

"Work will be performed in Ottawa, Canada; Chicago, Illinois; and Princeton, New Jersey, with an estimated completion date of Aug 12, 2016," according to the release.

The deal calls for $3.9 million in research, development, test and evaluation funds to be released for fiscal 2014. Abbott was the only company solicited and the only bidder for the contract, the Pentagon said.