Accelerating Talent Development and RD Partnerships at Aberdeen
Accelerating Talent Development and R&D Partnerships at Aberdeen Proving Ground: Establishing the Business Case Phase One: Identification of Technology Opportunities Battelle Technology Partnership Practice September 13, 2012 BUSINESS SENSITIVE 1
Today’s Discussion • Recap Project Purpose, Objectives and Approach • Present & Discuss Results of Phase One Identification of Opportunities for University-Related Collaborations with APG: - What is the value of having closer proximity between APG organizations and their university collaborators - Specific areas of opportunity in emerging technology focus areas for more intensive talent development and R&D collaborations in proximity to APG • Focus of Next Steps 2
Quick Word on Battelle’s Technology Partnership Practice Technology-based economic development consulting arm of Battelle Demonstrated track record in translating technology strengths into development strategies and designing and evaluating key initiatives from research parks to incubators to research centers Talent & Workforce Experience n Connecticut Career Choices and Talent Based Strategy n Maricopa Community Colleges – Arizona Bioscience Workforce Strategy & High Tech Manufacturing ’s Future in Greater Phoenix Technology Assessment and R&D Partnerships n Ohio Third Frontier n Pennsylvania Ben Franklin Partnership n Massachusetts Technology Roadmap & Strategic Alliances n Connecticut SBIR n NAVSEA & HBCU Engineering Research Park Experience n Rutgers University n West Virginia Education, Research & Tech Park n University of Colorado HSC/Bio Park n Du. Page County Research Park, IL n AURP Benchmarking of North American Maryland Experience n Maryland Bio 2020 n East Baltimore Life Science & Technology Park n UMAB Research Park n Prince George’s County n Allegheny Ventures/Friends hip Technology Park n TEDCO Policy Development n Former Technology 3
Project Purpose • Fully maximize the opportunity for Aberdeen Proving Grounds to thrive and be a world class technology hub for Maryland the nation. “Aberdeen Proving Ground has been, but will be to a greater extent, one of the Army’s major hubs of research and development of new technologies, and the testing and evaluation of those new technologies that lead to fielding new systems to support the warfighter. ” Comments from Army Col. Andrew Nelson, deputy garrison commander for transformation, “BRAC • For APG to thrive and be a worldclass technology hub also requires the broader community in Harford County and surrounding areas to offer a location rich in science & technology resources. – Already a substantial increasing in leading technology companies now located in the county. – What is missing is the presence of research university resources for access to top scientific and engineering talent development as well as research collaborations 4
The Project Objectives & Focus • Fact based assessment for aligning APG talent and R&D partnership opportunities with Maryland universities and colleges, as well as other leading universities. Project Objectives • Identify specific technology focus areas at APG requiring university and college collaborations • Assess the capabilities and alignment of Maryland universities and colleges, as well as other leading universities in the broader region • Set out the business case with identified strategic opportunities for collaboration 5
6 Project Methodology Benchmarking Communities and Universities Aligned with Opportunities Assessment of APG Talent and R&D Requiremen ts for University Partnerships Map Opportunities for APGUniversity Collaboration Business Case Statement Assess Capabilities of Maryland Universities & Colleges 6
Assessment of APG Talent and R&D Requirements for University Partnerships • Relied on review of web sites, grant awards and solicitations, published studies – Limitation for study -- No comprehensive database exists of education & training activities, skill sets or university research activities with APG organizations. • Plus conducted interviews with senior leadership at APG and contractor communities to learn about capabilities. • Developed a Technology Framework to translate the 11 major commands and 80+ tenants at APG into universityrelated talent and research focus areas. • 4 -5 Opportunity Areas to advance university-related talent and research collaborations 7
What’s the Value Proposition for APG in Advancing Locally-based University-Related Talent and Research Collaborations? (1 of 2) • Talent: Importance of close proximity for more master’s level education resources and greater ability to advance interactions with doctoral level students and post-docs – Key issue on master’s education is to go beyond book learning and promote hands-on learning via application labs near APG Need cutting edge applied master’s level programs that couples teaching basic methods with research projects involving topics relevant to organizations at APG – Key issue for Ph. D students/post-docs is that talent recruitment needs to go beyond arm’s length relationship via research projects at distant university campuses Make use of co-located university sites to APG for Ph. D students and Post-Docs to gain greater exposure to high quality of APG labs and scientific working relationships. 8
What’s the Value Proposition for APG in Advancing Locally-based University-Related Talent and Research Collaborations? (2 of 2) • University Research Collaborations: Importance of close proximity is not for improving quality of university research projects, but raising the broader level of science and creativity found at APG. – Increasingly multi-disciplinary nature and integrated systems approaches for APG scientific challenges demand a more interactive environment with university researchers – Would also promote efficient and faster pace for generating advances more through-put in incubating new ideas and then can move quickly pilot development projects – Plus many unique university facilities supported by APG organizations would be more valuable as shared-use facilities used in collaboration with APG researchers 9
Possible Opportunity Area: System of Systems Network Development Applied Education and Collaboration Center Possible activities: What is it? • Emergent class of systems which are built from independent components that are often large scale on their own. Spans physical, information, cognitive and social domains – highly interactive, focus on real time decision-making, mutually interdependent • Broader applied education and training of engineers with tailored courses, instructional labs, and master’s research projects • Create a dedicated collaboration space in which best practices with academia and industry on system of systems networks can be Why? shared and new innovation • Integral to network centric warfare explored – military’s equivalent of “Big Data” • Significant cross-cutting needs in talent and applications development 10
Possible Opportunity Area: Systems Biology Collaboration Center What is it? Possible activities: • Considers the complex interactions within • Focus on creating collaboration space for biological systems on how cells function wide range of university within particular networks such as in cell researchers and doctoral signalling or metabolic processes that students/post-docs to determine the physiological and work in proximity with biochemical properties of cells. APG researchers, Why? including possibly joint • Enhance next generation of detection and projects. countermeasures for chem/bio warfare • Augment existing lab facilities with enhanced • Expose APG researchers to cutting edge modeling and informatics approaches • Multi-disciplinary nature of systems biology requires a more collaborative approach 11
Possible Opportunity Area: User/Applications Center in High Performance Computing Possible activities: What is it? • High performance computing has • Create a dedicated become the critical third leg to scientific collaboration and user research along with theory and support center for experimentation. Focus on computercomputational sciences based models and numerical analysis, visualization techniques to simulate, evaluate and modeling – example solve research problems. of Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center, Why? but for multi-university • Strong demand for broader uses of HPC presence including network centric • Tap in a more efficient warfare/cybersecurity, chem/bio and timely way the broad pathogen research, and testing and expertise found at evaluation, among others. • Lack of capacity today at APG to support universities on project efforts involved with broader applications development and applications development user engagement 12
Possible Opportunity Area: Incubating Material Sciences Solutions What is it? Possible activities: • Increased focus on engineering of • materials is becoming a more complex effort with rise of multi-functional and advanced composite materials involving a convergence of technologies and more sophisticated trade-offs across key requirements. • Why? • Quicken the pace of “lab to solution” cycle from proof of principle to commercializable product • Value to have a range of collaborators from university, SBIR and other industry players Create a Materials Applications Center with flexible lab space and access to existing material sciences facilities at APG Consider ways to invite collaborators to Materials Applications Center through open solicitation of best ideas to conduct proof of concept and other development activities 13
How Do We Make This Happen? • No mechanism found across the organizations at APG to advance these collaborative approaches with universities on talent development and R&D • Suggest need for an Intermediary Entity to facilitate cross-organizational need identification for universityrelated talent development and research collaborations – Have an APG Science & Technology Council govern efforts of Intermediate Entity – drawn from senior research leadership at APG organizations. - Have powers to set business models and policies for advancing new activities – Form a university advisory council to work alongside APG S&T Council – Have a full-time staff director – possibly a loaned executive from APG – Would need administrative support – possibly accessed through CSSC 14
Contact Information Mitch Horowitz Vice-President & Managing Director Battelle Technology Partnership Practice Voice: (240) 462 -5456 E-mail: horowitzm@battelle. org 15
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