Week of June 20, 2023
NSF selects 34 semifinalists from states/cities for the inaugural NSF Regional Innovation Engines competition
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced 34 semifinalists for the first NSFL Regional Innovation Engines competition. NSF Engines spans technology areas as well as economic challenges outlined in the CHIPS and Science Act. NSF anticipates awarding the final list of NSF Engines awards this fall, with each awardee receiving about $15 million for two years with the potential to receive up to $160 million over 10 years.
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DOD Enters Agreement to Expand Domestic Manufacturing and Strengthen U.S. Supply Chains
The US government has partnered with Jervois Mining USA to expand cobalt extraction in Idaho, reducing reliance on overseas sources and strengthening the domestic industrial base for national defense. Cobalt is a critical mineral in the production of rechargeable batteries and one of the 50 critical minerals identified by the US Geological Survey (USGS) as part of the Energy Act of 2020.
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USDA Sets $714M in Broadband Grant Funding
The Biden administration and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack have announced $714 million in grants to connect rural residents with broadband, promoting economic growth and opportunity in 19 states.
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AFMC Releases White Paper on Digital Materiel Management
The Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) aims to accelerate procurement processes through Digital Materiel Management (DMM), leveraging models, data, and infrastructure. This approach enhances collaboration, decision-making, and fielding efforts for sustained modernization and warfighting capabilities. Initiatives include data structuring, IT modernization, training, and fostering a digital-first culture.
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Department of Energy Awards $135M to 40 Projects Focused on Decarbonizing Industrial Sector
The Department of Energy will provide $135 million in grants to fund 40 research projects focused on decarbonizing the industrial sector. The grants will target sectors such as chemicals, iron and steel, food and beverage, cement and concrete, and paper and forest products. The projects aim to reduce carbon footprint and improve energy efficiency in these industries through various innovations and technologies.
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Aerospace Industrial Association Issues Global Supply Chain Agenda, White Paper on Critical Minerals
The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) has released two documents outlining its recommendations to ensure a resilient and secure global supply chain and promote investments in critical mineral supply chains. The AIA emphasizes the need to address vulnerabilities, build domestic production capacity, and secure critical minerals for the aerospace and defense industry. Recommendations include expanding the government’s understanding of supply chain challenges, reviewing compliance and regulatory burdens, investing in infrastructure, and incentivizing metals recycling. A resilient supply chain is crucial for maintaining U.S. global leadership in aerospace and defense.
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ARPA-I Instigates Initiatives to Help Modernize US Transportation Infrastructure
The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Infrastructure (ARPA-I), a newly established agency within the Department of Transportation (DOT), is taking steps to advance U.S. transportation infrastructure modernization. ARPA-I is working with DOT program offices to develop a research agenda aligned with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The agency issued a request for information and plans to conduct a listening tour in the Pacific Northwest. ARPA-I aims to address challenges, promote novel technologies, improve accessibility, and enhance safety in the transportation sector.
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DARPA Requests Proposals for Quantum-Augmented Network
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has issued a call for proposals for the development of a hybrid quantum-classical communication network architecture with enhanced security features. The Quantum-Augmented Network (QuANET) program aims to integrate quantum communications networks with existing classical infrastructure to enhance security. The hybrid network will utilize quantum properties to address vulnerabilities in non-quantum networks.
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Event: Small Businesses Working with Big Businesses
The upcoming CO— Strategy Studio session will focus on the topic of small businesses working with big corporations. Attendees will learn strategies for identifying opportunities, navigating the procurement process, negotiating, and building lasting partnerships. Experts will share their experiences and best practices.
Date of the Event: June 22, 2023
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DOE Invests $77 Million in States and Tribal Nations to Modernize America’s Electric Grid
The U.S. Department of Energy has announced the second cohort of recipients for the Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants, totaling over $77 million. The grants aim to modernize the electric grid, enhance resilience against extreme weather, and ensure reliable power. The grants will be distributed over the next five years based on a formula that considers factors like population size and historical mitigation efforts. The selected states, tribes, and the District of Columbia will prioritize projects that provide clean and affordable energy while generating maximum community benefit.
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Accelerating Innovation and Managing Risk through Deep Market and Supply Chain Intelligence
Join Professor Rob Handfield, Jack Pellegrino, Pete Guinto, Dr. Daniel Finkenstadt, and Raj Sharma to go beyond the surface to learn how “deep” market and supply chain intelligence can help you accelerate innovation while managing risk
- Discuss goals and use cases (key questions) for deep market and supplier intelligence including some of the current trends shaping the market
- Explore challenges and solutions including data, research best practices, and supplier engagement
- Discuss case studies with impact and results
We will also share practical frameworks and best practices taken from the 7MI – Market and Supplier Intelligence Best Practices, developed based on over two decades of research and practices across public and private sectors.
Register
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New York Begins Exploring Non-Renewable Energy to Meet Climate Target
Four years after passing its climate law, New York is debating the definition of “zero emissions” sources for its goal of producing 100% energy from such sources by 2040. The power industry, represented by the Independent Power Producers of New York, is advocating for subsidies to support technologies like hydrogen, nuclear, alternative fuels, and carbon capture and storage.
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Minnesota IT Services to Receive $130M for Modernizing State Services
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has signed spending bills that allocate over $500 million for technology initiatives, with $130 million specifically designated for the Minnesota IT Services agency. The funding will support the modernization of state systems, enhance cybersecurity measures, and improve user experiences in digital services. The state aims to leverage cloud services to foster innovation and increase agility.
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PSF’s Article on Creating a Standard Definition of ‘Critical Technologies’
With significant investment into critical technologies coming from the public sector in bills like the CHIPS Act and subsequent investments from venture capital, a question has emerged: What are “critical technologies?” With varying definitions of Critical Technologies coming from the White House, the CHIPS Act, the DOD, NSTC, and others, there is an important need for a consistent definition driven by data and experts. Read this recent article by our founder, Raj Sharma, to dive deeper into the definition of critical technologies and how AI can be used to create consistency across organizations.
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Customer Testimonial: Deep Tech and Market Analysis with Air Force Research Labs
WE’RE HERE TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND COMPLEX MARKETS, QUALIFY SUPPLIERS AND MANAGE SUPPLIER RISK
If you would like to put our comprehensive market, supply chain, demand and tech data on millions of suppliers and tech markets along with our expert advisory services/workshops to work for you, please reach out to us at support@publicspendforum.net.
We can help in three ways:
- AI-Assisted Market and Supplier/Supply Chain Intelligence Reports and Data through our AI-Assisted Market Intelligence (AIMI) offering. We use our comprehensive datasets, AI-MI technology assisted by our SMEs to create a custom market report and datasets that helps you understand market and tech trends, map out the ecosystem of small business, underserved and non-traditional and incumbents; qualify suppliers and assess supplier risk; map the R&D landscape and discover the venture capital and funding network.
- Market and Supply Chain Intelligence Advisory Services – We bring our decades of strategic market intelligence and supply chain expertise along with our powerful datasets and AI to help you develop plans to strengthen your supplier base, map out multi-tier supply chains, qualify and monitor suppliers and understand supply chain risk.
- Market and Supplier Intelligence Training and Workshops – Access the best faculty and practitioners such as Dr. Rob Handfield (NC State) in the world and get your team up to speed by learning the most cutting-edge methods for market and supplier intelligence
The key questions we help you answer:
- What are the emerging technology trends in a specific market? For example, we just analyzed markets such as batteries for aircraft, polymers and elastomers for in-space repair, and mobility solutions.
- Who are the participants in the ecosystem (R&D labs, venture capital, startups, underserved)?
- Who are the small and underserved companies in the market and what track record do they have?
- Where is there risk in our supply chain and how we can best manage it?
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