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Undersea defense technology innovators gathered Thursday in Middletown for a members-only industry event.
The Undersea Technology Innovation Consortium, or UTIC, sponsored the "industry day" where defense contractors large and small learned about new opportunities to provide products and services for the U.S. Navy’s submarine program, UTIC said in a release.
Representatives from the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport and a consultancy called Advanced Technology International spoke about best practices in defense contracting, and Navy subject matter experts presented technical challenges and asked attendees to submit proposed solutions, UTIC said.
UTIC oversees a so-called “Other Transaction Authority” with the Newport-based undersea warfare center. The OTA is a contract between the federal government and industry or academia that helps accelerate R&D or prototyping.
“This Industry Day again highlighted the power of collaboration, innovation, and the agile OTA contracting environment in providing our warfighters the technology they need, when they need it,” said UTIC chief operating officer Molly Donohue Magee.
UTIC since its inception has awarded $700 million to 59 companies for their defense-related R&D or prototypes via the OTA authority. The consortium has roughly 270 member companies, the majority of which are small businesses or non-traditional companies.
The Naval Undersea Warfare Center promotes the rapid development, prototyping, and commercialization of innovative undersea and maritime defense projects. The UTIC industry group says it breaks down barriers to growth and builds member capacity to collaborate with the center on innovative solutions.
