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July 10, 2025
TechPort hosted the Navy Summer Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) event at TechPort. Industry professionals were invited to participate in an engaging three-hour virtual and in person event featuring key insights from Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), and Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) as well as NavalX’s Southern Maryland Tech Bridge, Ventura Tech Bridge, High Desert Tech Bridge, Inland Empire Tech Bridge, and Hawaii Tech Bridge. The program included briefings on Tech Bridge capabilities, System Command overviews, and best practices for proposal submissions. The highlight of the event was the Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) panel discussion, which provided expert insights and valuable perspectives. The event offered industry professionals an opportunity to connect with key stakeholders, explore the SBIR and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program and Tech Bridges, and discover how these initiatives could support their work.

On June 24, 2025, a Tide Talks collaboration was held at TechPort and TechGrid. This was a hybrid event that took place both virtually and in person at the Southern Maryland and High Desert Tech Bridges. The event featured a joint discussion between Rick Tarr, Director, NAWCAD Technology Transition Office, Director, SOMD Tech Bridge, and ORTA and Dylan Riley, Co-Director High Desert Tech Bridge, NAWCWD Director of Technology Transfer, and ORTA. They discussed the intricacies of their roles, how they collaborate together, and the ways they work with small businesses and academia, all to support the warfighter. They specifically covered the topics of partnering with the Navy, the roles of Office of Research and Technology Applications (ORTA) Representatives, Technology Transition (T2) and Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs).
The NavalX Tech Bridge Network provides front-door access to Department of the Navy (DoN) priorities and opportunities for academia, startups, small businesses, and local experts who want to work with the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Serving as technology scouts, local networking hubs, and connection points between potential solution providers and Naval Warfare Centers and Labs, the NavalX Tech Bridges have the connections and expertise to help nontraditional technologists navigate the naval innovation ecosystem.

Naval Aviation Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Technology Transition Office (TTO) team members sat on a panel for Maryland TEDCO and Deftech’s cohort. Rick Tarr, TTO Director, Amy Ketelle, NAWCAD Commercial Service Agreements (CSA)/Educational Partnership Agreements (EPAs) Program Manager, and Michelle Miedzinski, Cooperative Research And Development Agreements (CRADA)/Patent License Agreement (PLA) Program Manager participated in this informative exchange. They discussed how to partner with NAWCAD with non-traditional agreements like CRADAs, CSAs, and Other Transaction Authorities (OTAs) and continued to explain how these innovative pathways open doors for collaboration, tech transition and impactful Research and Development (R&D).

25.1/A NAVAIR SBIR/STTR Topic Launch Event

USMSM SMART Building, 44219 Airport Road, California, MD 20619. December 11, 2024, 9AM-4PM

The NAVAIR Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) Programs Office held its 25.1/A NAVAIR SBIR/STTR Topic Launch on December 11, 2024. Held in conjunction with the Southern Maryland Tech Bridge, the Topic Launch was an opportunity for businesses of all classifications to interact with NAVAIR SBIR/STTR Programs Office representatives and technical points of contact. Participants were able to engage on a one-on-one basis with topic authors to ask questions about the 25.1/A-released topics and learn more about the SBIR/STTR process. This event was also held in other locations across the country to include, the Ventura Tech Bridge @ Fathomwerx, the Central Florida Tech Bridge @ the UCF Business Incubator and the Liberty Tech Bridge @ Rowan University.

See Event Highlights:
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7273083232038842368

The USMSM SMART Building, 44219 Airport Road, California, MD 20619, is the main hub location, there are three additional satellite locations spread across the country with their own unique programming and event times:

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