Newport, Rhode Island –
More than 30 technology companies are expected to showcase their wares at the 2024 Blue Tech Demo Day, which will be held in part at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Newport Branch on Aug. 29.
The day-long event was hosted by NUWC Division Newport’s Northeast Tech Bridge in collaboration with non-profit partner 401 Tech Bridge and aims to connect innovative small businesses with U.S. Navy scientists and engineers and Department of Defense officials to accelerate the rapid delivery of capabilities to the warfighter.
“The goal of this event is to introduce the scientists and engineers on our campus to the innovative technologies of these small businesses in a mission-relevant way,” said Julie Kallfeltz, director of Northeast Tech Bridge. “Each company has a technology that is particularly interesting to our engineers. At this event, we will showcase the companies and their technology, and then strive to support next steps and further meaningful engagement.”
Underwater demonstrations will be conducted in Division Newport's Narragansett Bay operational area, including the Narragansett Bay Test Facility (NTBF) Indoor and underwater presentations will be held at Sail Newport at Fort Adams State Park in Newport.
The showcase will begin at 10:30 a.m., with closing remarks and a networking opportunity scheduled for 4 p.m. Speakers will include U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Newport Division Technology Director Marie Bussière, University of Rhode Island Research Executive Director Christian Cowan, and Scott Bewley, deputy director of NavalX, which oversees the Navy's technology bridge.
Participating companies will team up to tackle a cross-domain mission to find and characterize an object of interest, bring that data to the surface or land, perform data analysis on the object, and determine a course of action. Two teams will depart from NBTF and four will depart from Sail Newport. Each group will be assigned one of three operational areas, and all will execute the same defined mission back-to-back.
Upon completion of the mission portion of the event, each company will have the opportunity to individually present their capabilities to an audience of more than 150 people, including representatives from Newport Division, the Office of Naval Research, industry and academia.
Northeast Tech Bridge 2024 Demo Day is the culmination of smaller technology presentation events held over the past few months, focusing on four mission areas: cross-domain communications in March, modeling and simulation/digital twins in April, persistent sensors and surveillance in May, and unmanned vehicles in June.
These demos were held virtually at the 401 Tech Bridge office in Middletown, Rhode Island, and included an opportunity for a wide range of stakeholders to ask questions. A panel of government and other stakeholders scored the products using evaluation criteria, and the top companies were invited to participate in the Blue Tech Demo Day event.
Space is limited for Sail Newport and advance registration is required. Visit 401techbridge.org/event/bluetide-2024 for a registration inquiry form (which does not guarantee admission) and more information.
Naval Torpedo Station Newport is the nation's oldest military center, tracing its history to a naval torpedo station established in 1869 on Goat Island in Newport Harbor. Commanded by Capt. Chad Hennings, Naval Torpedo Station Newport has major detachments in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Andros Island in the Bahamas, with test facilities on Seneca Lake and Fishers Island in New York, Leesburg, Florida, and Dodge Pond, Connecticut.
Join our team! As one of the 20 largest employers in Rhode Island, NUWC Division Newport employs a diverse, highly trained, educated and skilled workforce. We are continually looking for engineers, scientists and other STEM professionals who want to be at the forefront of subsea research and development, as well as talented business, finance, logistics and other support professionals. Connect with NUWC Division Newport Careers at https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Home/Warfare-Centers/NUWC-Newport/Career-Opportunities/ and follow us on LinkedIn @NUWC-Newport and Facebook @NUWCNewport.
