This Week’s Tech Highlights:
- DOD Strategy for Countering Unmanned System: The New DoD strategy integrates counter-drone efforts to protect personnel, facilities, and critical ins
- NSF Study on R&D in Federal Facilities: Survey Highlights $35B in R&D work done in federal labs and facilities.
- SBA Awards $240K Grant for Development.: SBA grants National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development to support trade and export growth for Native businesses.
Tech Sector News:
- Clean Energy: DOE announces $20 million funding to improve wind turbine recyclability and sustainability.
- Microelectronics: U.S. Department of Commerce announces additional CHIPS Act funding awards for semiconductor facilities.
- C-UAS: DOD releases CSO for advanced UAS command system to enhance automated defense capabilities.
- AI: DoD advances deepfake detection to combat disinformation and safeguard national security.
- Cybersecurity: Clean Energy Cybersecurity Accelerator boosts electric sector security with emerging technology solutions.
And more!
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GENERAL EMERGING TECHNOLOGY NEWS
DoD Announces Strategy for Countering Unmanned Systems
The U.S. Department of Defense has announced a classified Strategy for Countering Unmanned Systems to address growing threats from drones and other unmanned technologies. The strategy unifies efforts across domains, focusing on current and future challenges. Key initiatives include counter-drone offices, senior integration groups, and advanced defense programs to safeguard U.S. personnel, facilities, and critical installations.
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New NSF Survey to Track R&D Spending Inside Federal Facilities
A new U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NSF NCSES) survey highlights $35 billion in federal research and development performed internally by agencies like NASA and the Defense Department across 470 facilities in FY 2022. This complements other surveys tracking R&D funding to develop a comprehensive view of federal spending on innovative research vital to shaping the nation’s future.
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SBA Awards $240K Grant to National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has awarded the first Native American Trade Expansion Program grant to the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development. This initiative supports Native American-owned small businesses with resources like trade missions, export training, and international marketing. The goal is to boost global competitiveness and foster economic growth in Native American communities.
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Archer Teams Up with Anduril to Build Defense Aircraft
Archer Aviation announced Thursday that it had raised $430 million in equity and had signed an exclusive partnership with Anduril to jointly develop a hybrid gas-electric powered vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. Anduril already manufactures several aerial systems, but software will be their main contribution to the partnership with Archer. Anduril’s AI-powered command and control platform, Lattice, integrates data from various sensors to provide real-time situational awareness and is plugged into hundreds of military systems today.
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EPA Announces Over $735M in Selections for Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced $735 million in grants for 70 projects across the U.S. to replace over 2,400 heavy-duty vehicles with zero-emission models. This program includes funding for charging infrastructure, workforce training, and disadvantaged communities. Selected projects will reduce harmful emissions, improve air quality, support clean transportation, and beareas heavily impacted by pollution and outdated vehicle technologies.
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DOT Announces $20 Million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding to Modernize Airport-Owned Air Traffic Control Towers
The DOT’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded $20 million to 20 airport-owned traffic control towers across 15 states to improve safety and infrastructure. Funding supports upgrades or new constructions at smaller and regional airports, enhancing operations like passenger flights, cargo, and emergency services. Projects include modernizing facilities, replacing outdated systems, and improving accessibility, security, and sustainability to bolster aviation infrastructure nationwide.
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Incubators and Accelerators Awarded Over $4.5 Million from DOE to Support Clean Energy Tech Startups
The DOE’s Energy Program for Innovation Clusters (EPIC) Round 3 awarded five winners $1 million each to support clean energy innovation through incubators and accelerators. The program boosts startups by enhancing local ecosystems, improving commercial success, and addressing energy challenges. Winners include initiatives focused on energy-water technologies, green chemistry, data center energy use, and regional energy innovation, fostering job creation and sustainable development.
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DOE Announces Building a Better Grid Awards
The DOE’s Grid Deployment Office announced finalized awards for projects improving energy infrastructure resilience and efficiency. These include replacing aging power lines, hardening facilities, and refurbishing hydroelectric systems. Programs like Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants and Hydroelectric Efficiency Incentives aim to reduce outage risks, enhance system reliability, and support clean, affordable energy access while boosting local economies and job creation.
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Dept. of Interior Announces $20 Million is Available to Strengthen Local Governments’ Wildfire Response
The Department of the Interior announced over $20 million in funding to help local governments convert vehicles into wildland fire engines, enhancing wildfire response for communities with populations under 50,000. Part of a broader initiative under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this program supports wildfire mitigation, response capacity, and coordination.
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PSF ANALYSIS & INSIGHTS
PSF Dashboard: Robotics and Advanced Manufacturing
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There’s a lot more to uncover. You can access the Public Innovation Ecosystem Dashboard to see more information.
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TECHNOLOGY SECTOR-SPECIFIC NEWS
Clean Energy: DOE Announces Clean Energy Prize Winners
The Department of Energy (DOE) has announced 19 winners of the Community Energy Innovation Prize, awarding up to $310,000 each for projects fostering clean energy innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development in underserved communities. Initiatives range from workforce development to clean energy deployment and manufacturing. The program awarded $7.5 million in total, concluding with the Community Energy Innovation Summit in Chicago.
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Clean Energy: DOE Announces Funding Opportunity to Improve Recycling of Wind Energy Technologies
The DOE has also announced a $20 million funding opportunity to improve wind turbine recyclability, focusing on fiber-reinforced composites and rare earth element magnets. The initiative aims to enhance sustainability, develop recyclable designs, and commercialize recycling technologies. Projects will address decommissioning waste, manufacturing processes, and material certification.
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Microelectronics: Dept. of Commerce Announce Preliminary Terms with Coherent, SkyWater, and X-Fab to Advance U.S. Supply Chain Security
The U.S. Department of Commerce has announced preliminary funding agreements under the CHIPS Act, proposing $33M for Coherent (Texas), $16M for SkyWater Technology (Minnesota), and $50M for X-Fab (Texas). These investments will support facility upgrades, enhance semiconductor manufacturing capabilities, and create over 290 jobs, strengthening domestic supply chains and advancing technological leadership in critical industries.
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Microelectronics: Dept. of Commerce Announces CHIPS Incentives Awards with Absolics and Entegris
The U.S. Department of Commerce has also finalized up to $75 million in funding for Absolics and up to $77 million for Entegris under the CHIPS Incentives Program. Absolics will build a 120,000 sqft facility in Georgia to develop advanced semiconductor packaging substrates, while Entegris will establish a manufacturing center in Colorado to produce critical materials for chip production. These projects are expected to create over 2,100 jobs.
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Microelectronics: Dept. of Commerce Awards CHIPS Incentives to Micron for Idaho and New York Projects and Announces Preliminary Memorandum of Terms for Virginia DRAM Project
Finally, the U.S. Department of Commerce has awarded Micron Technology up to $6.165 billion in funding to support a significant expansion of advanced memory chip production. This investment, part of a larger $100 billion commitment, will focus on Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) and High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM) for AI and other technologies. Micron plans to create 20,000 jobs across New York and Idaho, boosting U.S. semiconductor manufacturing capacity. Additionally, a $275 million investment for a Manassas, Virginia facility expansion is also underway.
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C-UAS: Forward Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems Command and Control (FCUAS C2) System
Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has released a Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) that seeks a tactical command and control system to counter adversarial unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) by enabling a single operator to manage multiple targets. The system must integrate sensors, effectors, and fire control, supporting automated decision-making and operator assistance. It should operate on portable devices, allow for rapid integration of new capabilities, and function autonomously if necessary.
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AI: Defense Innovation Unit and DoD Collaborate To Strengthen Synthetic Media Detection Capabilities
DIU is also advancing deepfake detection and attribution technologies to counter synthetic media threats like disinformation and deception. Hive’s solution, selected from 36 submissions, aims to enhance the DoD’s ability to identify AI-generated content and safeguard national security. Successful tools could have broader applications for civilian sectors.
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Cybersecurity: NREL Announces Second Cohort of Clean Energy Cybersecurity Accelerator Program
NREL’s Clean Energy Cybersecurity Accelerator (CECA) is enhancing cybersecurity in the electric sector by evaluating emerging operational technology security solutions. The second cohort report focused on industrial control systems and included testing of Asimily’s risk management platform, which improves the visibility of connected devices, vulnerability mitigation, and threat detection in energy systems.
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