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    Northeast Tech Bridge is leveraging partnerships to advance NUWC Division Newport’s mission

    Northeast Tech Bridge is leveraging partnerships to advance NUWC Division Newport’s mission

    Photo By David Stoehr | Julie Kallfelz, a former technical program manager in the Naval Undersea Warfare...... read more read more

    NEWPORT, RI, UNITED STATES

    04.12.2023

    Story by Public Affairs Office 

    Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport

    NEWPORT, R.I. – The Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport has some of the most talented engineers and scientists working for the U.S. Navy, but taking a set of requirements or an idea and turning it into something useful to the fleet can be a long and arduous process. So the Northeast Tech Bridge is cultivating new ways to partner with the private sector and academia as a means of accelerating research and development, which will ultimately get new technologies and solutions into the warfighters’ hands faster.

    With the appointment of the Northeast Tech Bridge’s first full-time director in January, Julie Kallfelz, a former technical program manager in Division Newport’s Undersea Warfare Weapons, Vehicles, and Defensive Systems Department, is hoping to increase awareness about the goals of the Tech Bridge.

    “The work we do at Division Newport often gets mired in the complex processes of the Department of Defense and the Navy,” Kallfelz said. “With today’s geopolitical environment, it’s more important than ever that the Division’s work doesn’t get bogged down. The Northeast Tech Bridge can’t accelerate physics, but it can make it easier to get the work done.”

    Kallfelz, a resident of Jamestown, Rhode Island, replaces Dr. Steve Bordonaro, who got the Northeast Tech Bridge launched in 2019, as director of one of 18 Tech Bridges nationwide that fall under the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Naval Accelerator Department (NavalX). Each Tech Bridge is partnered with at least one local command, such as an air, surface, undersea, or information warfare center, or naval research laboratory. Most are also partnered with a local nonprofit organization.

    “Our nonprofit partner, the 401 Tech Bridge, provides this robust network of companies nationwide that we can tap into when our engineers or scientists need a prototype, want to test a product, or seek a partner to help solve a problem,” Kallfelz said. “This network gives us access to resources our scientists and engineers need to support their projects and get capabilities to the fleet faster.”

    Showcasing resources on April 18

    In her new role, Kallfelz is organizing the Northeast Tech Bridge’s first event in 2023 — a Technology Showcase on Tuesday, April 18, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the 401 Tech Bridge’s collaboration space at 127 John Clarke Road, Middletown, Rhode Island.

    “It’s an opportunity for engineers and scientists at Division Newport to discover the resources available through the Northeast Tech Bridge and learn about our nonprofit partner 401 Tech Bridge in a very tangible way,” Kallfelz said. “They’ll see the collaboration and laboratory space that is available to support experimentation and testing.”

    Some benchtop lab equipment will be on display to demonstrate how the space can be utilized. Division Newport engineers who took advantage of the Northeast Tech Bridge’s services last year will present their projects.

    “Some of the technical program managers and principal investigators will talk about how they successfully leveraged the Northeast Tech Bridge to find the right small business partner, do equipment demonstrations, and accelerate progress on their projects,” Kallfelz said.

    The Technology Showcase will facilitate interactions between Division Newport, industry, and academia. There will be opportunities to meet small companies with innovative technologies that overlap with Division Newport’s technology focus areas. An agenda for the meeting is posted at: https://401techbridge.org/event/technology-showcase/.

    Representatives from universities interested in partnering with Division Newport on research will attend, including staff from the University of Rhode Island, Roger Williams University, and University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth.

    Four Division Newport scientists will present their patents to industry representatives to encourage commercialization partnerships.

    Kallfelz is hopeful that there will be a strong turnout at the Technology Showcase among Division Newport engineers and scientists, and representatives from industry and academia who are interested in partnering with them on research, testing, and development.

    As a former technical program manager, Kallfelz knows the challenges acquisition programs face and appreciates the importance of knowing what resources are available to complete a project. Many resources, as Kallfelz discovered, are closer and more accessible than people may be think.

    “The Northeast Tech Bridge not only helps principal investigators find resources outside of Division Newport, but also within the Division, such as the Narragansett Bay Test Facility or the Technology Partnership Office,” Kallfelz said.

    Kallfelz plans to build the Northeast Tech Bridge network by meeting with each of Division Newport’s departments, holding lunch and learn sessions, offering to make guest appearances at branch meetings, and through social media. The Northeast Tech Bridge has a LinkedIn page at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/northeast-tech-bridge

    “I plan to build upon initiatives that were successful the last two years, such as Tech Scouting, Prize Challenges, demonstration days, and accelerator events,” Kallfelz said. “The Northeast Tech Bridge has a lot of tools in its toolbox, each one designed to address different business needs.”

    To discuss any of the programs or resources available through the Northeast Tech Bridge, contact Kallfelz at julie.a.kallfelz.civ@us.navy.mil or (401) 712-3450.

    NUWC Newport is the oldest warfare center in the country, tracing its heritage to the Naval Torpedo Station established on Goat Island in Newport Harbor in 1869. Commanded by Capt. Chad Hennings, NUWC Newport maintains major detachments in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Andros Island in the Bahamas, as well as test facilities at Seneca Lake and Fisher's Island, New York, Leesburg, Florida, and Dodge Pond, Connecticut.

    Join our team! NUWC Division Newport, one of the 20 largest employers in Rhode Island, employs a diverse, highly trained, educated, and skilled workforce. We are continuously looking for engineers, scientists, and other STEM professionals, as well as talented business, finance, logistics and other support experts who wish to be at the forefront of undersea research and development. Please connect with NUWC Division Newport Recruiting at this site- https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Home/Warfare-Centers/NUWC-Newport/Career-Opportunities/ and follow us on LinkedIn @NUWC-Newport and on Facebook @NUWCNewport.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 04.12.2023
    Date Posted: 04.12.2023 11:23
    Story ID: 442484
    Location: NEWPORT, RI, US
    Hometown: JAMESTOWN, RI, US

    Web Views: 65
    Downloads: 0

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