Our Projects

Enables the University of Mississippi's Haley Barbour Center for Manufacturing Excellence to deploy MS Forge Forward to pilot several new workforce development programs and develop new partnerships with DoD-funded manufacturing institutes. These activities address the skills gap of the Mississippi defense manufacturing workforce. This project stimulates cooperation between statewide and local adjustment and diversification efforts making the industrial base more resilient to fluctuations in defense spending. Fiscal Year 2020 Award

Enables the University of Southern Mississippi to build the Mississippi Defense Initiative to invest in the expertise needed for a resilient business ecosystem and promote economic diversification. The project focuses on defense technologies accelerated into commercial and dual-use applications and provides technical assistance to defense-dependent communities, builds intellectual capacity, capitalizes on competitive strengths, and spurs innovation. This project stimulates cooperation between statewide and local adjustment and diversification efforts making the industrial base more resilient to fluctuations in defense spending. Fiscal Year 2020 Award

Enables the University of North Dakota's Center for Innovation to develop a supply chain map, database, and online portal of the defense sector in North Dakota. Further enables the development of an outreach campaign to build a greater understanding of defense cyber security compliance set forth in 2020 by DoD's new Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification. This project stimulates cooperation between statewide and local adjustment and diversification efforts making the industrial base more resilient to fluctuations in defense spending and cyber threats. Fiscal Year 2020 Award

Enables the New Mexico Economic Development Department, in partnership with New Mexico Cybersecurity Center of Excellence and the New Mexico Manufacturing Extension Partnership, to conduct a Photonics Industry Cybersecurity Gap Analysis--within the defense supply chain--related to DoD's new Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification published in 2020. This project stimulates cooperation between statewide and local adjustment efforts making the industrial base more resilient to cyber threats. Fiscal Year 2020 Award

Enables the Division of Science Technology and Innovation within the Empire State Development to support the defense industrial base in the State of New York through education and technical assistance for defense suppliers to achieve compliance with DFARS 252-204-7012/NIST 800-171 cyber security requirements. The project targets small companies and involves a series of educational workshops, assessments, gap reports, and system security plans for select qualifying companies. This project stimulates cooperation between statewide and local adjustment efforts making the industrial base more resilient to cyber threats. Fiscal Year 2020 Award

Enables The Ohio State Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence to assist small to mid-sized manufacturers by creating a new pathway for companies to introduce potential dual-use technologies at the right technology readiness level. The project pools new ideas from the regional manufacturing community, selects companies to participate, and works with the tech owners to create minimum viable products that can be demonstrated to DoD at a biannual tech demonstration workshop. Fiscal Year 2020 Award

Enables the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to help small defense manufacturers in the Delaware Valley Region adopt advanced manufacturing technologies. The project advances education and improves workforce development--by providing technical expertise--to help small companies adopt advanced manufacturing technologies that will spur innovation, enhance manufacturing capabilities, and promote resiliency within the regional defense supply chain. This project stimulates cooperation between statewide and local adjustment and diversification efforts making the industrial base more responsive to fluctuations in defense spending. Fiscal Year 2020 Award

Enables the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce to implement a program to assist defense firms in obtaining cyber security compliance. The objective is to educate and provide technical assistance to defense firms in achieving compliance with DoD's new Cyber security Maturity Model Certification published in 2020. The project leverages the South Carolina Department of Commerce, and the South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership to engage small and mid-sized defense firms with resources to assess their compliance and provide follow up assistance on any identified gaps. This project stimulates cooperation between statewide and local adjustment efforts making the industrial base more resilient to cyber threats. Fiscal Year 2020 Award

Enables the University of Texas at Austin to ensure resilience in the defense supply chain through a series of activities that (1) identifies problems within the state's defense manufacturing and innovation sector; and (2) identifies resources, prioritizes application solutions, and scales useful outcomes. This Texas Defense/Aerospace Innovation Ecosystem projet focuses on large-scale acceleration of dual use technologies critical to missions of Army Futures Command, the Defense Innovation Unit, AFWERX, and other DoD components. This project stimulates cooperation between statewide and local adjustment and diversification efforts making the industrial base more resilient to fluctuations in defense spending. Fiscal Year 2020 Award

Enables the University of Wisconsin Whitewater Cyber Security Center for Small Business to conduct educational workshops across the state and identify small and medium size defense-dependent companies needing cybersecurity assistance. The project will conduct assessments and gap reports and complete system security plans for small companies in the defense supply chain in Wisconsin to achieving compliance with DFARS 252-204-7012/NIST 800-171 cyber security requirements. This project stimulates cooperation between statewide and local adjustment efforts making the industrial base more resilient to cyber threats. Fiscal Year 2020 Award