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NEWS | Sept. 10, 2019

NSWC Crane selected to host Midwest Tech Bridge to enhance collaboration and agility

By NSWC Crane Corporate Communications

CRANE, Ind. – Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) has been selected to host the Midwest Tech Bridge to improve collaboration and agility throughout the Department of the Navy (DoN). James Geurts, assistant secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition, announced five Tech Bridges launching across the country September 3, 2019.

“Earlier this year, the Naval Expeditions (NavalX) office was stood up to facilitate rapid adoption of proven agility-enhancing methods across the Department,” said Geurts speaking from the NavalX office on Sept. 3. “And today, I’m proud to announce that NavalX in collaboration with our workforce has furthered this effort by creating the first five regional “Tech Bridges” across the country to better connect the DON and the private sector.”

NSWC Crane was selected to host along with Newport, RI, Keyport, WA, San Diego, CA, and Orlando, FL.

Monica Price Hutchins, the Regional Director of Midwest Tech Bridge, says the newly launched Midwest Tech Bridge will further collaborative partnerships with startups, small businesses, academia, non-profits, and private capital.

“The Midwest Tech Bridge will be a central access point for innovators, especially those who have never worked with the Navy before,” says Price Hutchins. “We’ll be able to drive collaboration throughout the state of Indiana, as well as with partners like the Army Research Laboratory in Illinois and Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in Ohio.”

The Midwest Tech Bridge, located outside of NSWC Crane, will develop alongside the unique innovation ecosystem that has been evolving over the past several years. This enterprise includes entities such as the Indiana Office of Defense Development, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, Radius Indiana, Regional Opportunities Initiative, Inc., Indiana Innovation Institute, Indiana University, Purdue University, University of Southern Indiana, and University of Notre Dame and many other government, regional, and academic institutions.

“The ecosystem NSWC Crane has been working with for more than ten years is rich with resources, talent, and opportunity,” says Price Hutchins. “The Midwest Tech Bridge will strengthen our ability to collaborate swiftly and effectively across the U.S. Navy.”

The Midwest Tech Bridge will enhance agility to ensure the latest technology will be in the hands of the warfighter so they can complete their missions successfully.

“By leveraging the Midwest Tech Bridge here at Crane,” says Price Hutchins, “we’ll be able to cut out unnecessary time from the standard acquisition process and harness the power of technology for the warfighter.”

NSWC Crane is a naval laboratory and a field activity of Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) with mission areas in Expeditionary Warfare, Strategic Missions and Electronic Warfare. The warfare center is responsible for multi-domain, multi- spectral, full life cycle support of technologies and systems enhancing capability to today's Warfighter.