DOE Invests $264M in 29 Projects to Support Energy Earthshots Initiative; Jennifer Granholm Quoted
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DOE Invests $264M in 29 Projects to Support Energy Earthshots Initiative; Jennifer Granholm Quoted

The Department of Energy has selected 29 projects to receive $264 million in total funding in support of a DOE program to research, develop and demonstrate clean energy technologies that can address climate challenges.

Eleven new Energy Earthshot Research Centers operated by eight DOE national laboratories will receive a combined $195 million over four years to support multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional teams addressing research challenges in clean energy transition, DOE said Friday.

“The Energy Earthshot Research Centers and the related work happening on college campuses around the country will be instrumental in developing the clean energy and decarbonization solutions we need to establish a 100% clean grid and beat climate change,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

DOE’s Office of Science also awarded $69.1 million in funding to researchers at 18 different universities across 14 states to build science foundations for DOE’s Energy Earthshots initiative.

The projects were selected by competitive peer review under two DOE solicitations for the first six Energy Earthshots focused on areas such as removing carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere and reducing the cost of clean hydrogen.

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NASA Requests Comments on Commercial LEO Destination Development Program Requirements
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NASA Requests Comments on Commercial LEO Destination Development Program Requirements

NASA has begun seeking industry input on the draft requirements and standards of a multiphase strategy to develop end-to-end services for commercially owned and operated low-Earth orbit destinations.

A notice posted Saturday on SAM.gov states that the draft document outlines requirements and standards for crew and systems supporting the commercial LEO destination and crew transportation system.

According to NASA, the requirements will be used to certify commercial systems for government use.

NASA’s Commercial LEO Development Program aims to build and expand commercial on-orbit activities by transitioning current International Space Station operations to new CLDs and acquiring end-to-end services, such as ground and mission system development and crew and cargo transportation, from the private sector.

Interested parties have until Nov. 17 to submit comments on the draft requirements.

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DOD Seeks Comments on Proposed Rule for Low-Rate Initial Production Lot Procurement
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DOD Seeks Comments on Proposed Rule for Low-Rate Initial Production Lot Procurement

The Department of Defense has proposed changes to the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement to restrict the government from procuring more than one low-rate initial production lot, or LRIP, related to a major defense acquisition program under certain conditions.

The proposed rule intends to implement section 808 of the fiscal year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, according to a Federal Register notice published Friday.

Contracting officers should not procure more than one LRIP lot “when the milestone decision authority authorizes the use of a fixed-price type contract at the time of Milestone B approval and the scope of the fixed-price contract includes both development and low-rate initial production,” the notice reads.

The service acquisition executive may waive the limitation if a waiver’s written notification is handed to the congressional defense panels no later than 30 days and the contract file contains the congressional notification and a copy of the waiver.

Comments on the proposed rule are due Nov. 28.

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DOD, USPAE Announce Defense Business Accelerator to Aid Commercialization of Advanced Electronics
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DOD, USPAE Announce Defense Business Accelerator to Aid Commercialization of Advanced Electronics

The Department of Defense and the U.S. Partnership for Assured Electronics have kicked off an experimental program aimed at innovating commercialization of advanced electronics.

Through the $10 million Defense Business Accelerator program, DOD and USPAE look to support companies working to speed up product development and commercialize their technologies, the organization said Thursday.

The program will solicit proposals for qualified electronics technologies and materials and will review and rank submissions to determine the finalists that will pitch their technologies at the Defense TechConnect Innovation Summit & Expo in November. A panel of industry, government and investment subject matter experts will determine awardees of $500,000 and $2 million in government funding.

It will focus first on commercialization in an effort to enhance product innovation, facilitate industrial base growth and draw private investment to benefit national security and government contractors.

“This experiment is an important effort for the electronics technologies industry,” remarked USPAE Executive Director Nathan Edwards. “If we prove it successful, we can radically change the funding process so that it encourages innovation and participation from a broader range of companies.”

For the program, USPAE is also collaborating with ATI’s TechConnect Division, a global research and innovation organization that works to connect funders and emerging technologies.

Navy Commissions Austal USA-Built USS Augusta Littoral Combat Ship
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Navy Commissions Austal USA-Built USS Augusta Littoral Combat Ship

The U.S. Navy has commissioned the USS Augusta (LCS 34), the service branch’s 17th Independence-variant littoral combat ship, during a ceremony held in Eastport, Maine, DVIDS reported Saturday.

The Austal USA-manufactured LCS is the second naval ship named after the capital city of Maine and is the latest vessel to join the Navy’s class of multi-mission ships capable of operating independently in near-shore and open-ocean environments.

Naval Inspector General Vice Adm. John Fuller said the ship will assist maritime operations that “provide presence and support both sea control and power projection.”

Austal USA delivered the USS Augusta to the Navy in May after completing acceptance trials for the vessel.

The company is constructing the service branch’s last two Independence-variant LCS, the future USS Kingsville (LCS 36) and USS Pierre (LCS 28).

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New NSA Cybersecurity Guidance Recommends Additional Requirements for Government IT System Purchases
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New NSA Cybersecurity Guidance Recommends Additional Requirements for Government IT System Purchases

The National Security Agency published a cybersecurity information sheet urging the implementation of a robust supply chain risk management strategy among government departments with national security systems.

The guidance is focused on the acquisition and acceptance testing of servers, laptops and desktop computers, and it encourages the use of platform certificates and trusted platform modules, or TPMs, NSA announced Thursday.

TPMs, which are small security chips that store certificate-related keys, are a required element in the enterprise computer systems purchased by the Department of Defense.

NSA is recommending that TPMs also be a requirement in NSS acquisitions by other agencies. The information sheet also underscored the importance of automated acceptance tests as a security and procurement validation tool for platform certificates from vendors and manufacturers.

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Commerce Department Opens Funding Opportunity for Smaller Semiconductor Supply Chain Projects; Laurie Locascio Quoted
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Commerce Department Opens Funding Opportunity for Smaller Semiconductor Supply Chain Projects; Laurie Locascio Quoted

The Department of Commerce has launched an opportunity for smaller supply chain projects and vendors to secure CHIPS for America funds to produce the equipment, chemicals and other materials that are critical to U.S. semiconductor manufacturing.

The funding opportunity has a two-phase application process and is open to projects with less than $300 million in capital investment focused on building, expanding and modernizing facilities for the semiconductor supply chain, the department said Friday.

Under the initial phase, the Commerce Department will accept — from Dec. 1 to Feb. 1 — concept plans describing how the proposed projects will address the strategic objectives.

With Phase 2, the department will assess the concept plans and ask the selected applicants to submit a full application for the CHIPS incentives.

“The smaller supply chain projects enabled by this funding will play a crucial role in creating a sustainable U.S. semiconductor ecosystem, providing large chipmaking facilities with access to the equipment, materials, and supplies required to boost U.S. domestic manufacturing,” said Laurie Locascio, undersecretary of Commerce for standards and technology.

“By investing up and down the supply chain, CHIPS for America will enable a diverse range of critical businesses to contribute to advancing U.S. technology leadership and fuel innovation for decades to come,” added Locascio, who also serves as director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

DOD, Small Business Administration Launch Critical Technology Investment Initiative; Lloyd Austin Quoted
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DOD, Small Business Administration Launch Critical Technology Investment Initiative; Lloyd Austin Quoted

The Department of Defense’s Office of Strategic Capital and the Small Business Administration’s Office of Investment and Innovation have launched a joint initiative to increase private sector investment in national security technologies.

DOD said Friday that the Small Business Investment Company Critical Technology program will match private capital with federally guaranteed loans to boost investment in critical technology areas and modernize the U.S. national security supplier base.

“In alignment with the National Defense Strategy, the SBICCT Initiative will further enable DoD to work with both government and the private sector to build enduring advantages for the warfighter and for the taxpayer,” said Lloyd Austin, secretary of defense and a 2023 Wash100 awardee.

The SBICCT program is the first initiative launched as part of the SBA-DOD partnership announced in December 2022.

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SEC Awards Chenega Subsidiary $47M Protective Security Force Services BPA
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SEC Awards Chenega Subsidiary $47M Protective Security Force Services BPA

A subsidiary of Alaska native organization Chenega Corporation has won a blanket purchase agreement worth an estimated $47 million from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for protective security force services.

Under the BPA, Chenega Integrated Security Solutions will outfit the SEC’s headquarters and 11 regional offices with security guard services including armed and unarmed enforcement administering access control and emergency response, the Chantilly, Virginia-based company said in an emailed statement to ExecutiveGov on Monday.

The guards installed by CISS — who must be trained and certified via the Force Protection Services smartbook — will additionally conduct screening and patrol duties at the protected SEC locations. The company’s team is also expected to carry out control center monitoring and offer locksmith capabilities.

The services provided by CISS are intended to keep SEC’s staff and their visitors safe.

In July, another of the corporation’s arms, Chenega Security California, landed a $61 million contract from the U.S. Space Force for fire protection, emergency management and emergency medical services.

Chenega Global Protection, which is headquartered in Chantilly alongside CISS, is still working under a $27 million contract from the U.S. Army to facilitate and man security and access control at the Garrison-Kwajalein Atoll / Reagan test site. The contract runs through early 2026.

SEC Awards Chenega Subsidiary $47M Protective Security Force Services BPA

If you want a thorough immersion into all of the ways various government agencies are working to protect the nation and the opportunities they’re giving contractors to assist in this daunting mission, be sure to register for and attend the Potomac Officers Club’s Nov. 15 Homeland Security Summit. This event will be bookended by delicious breakfast and lunch spreads and hosted at the Hilton-McLean in Virginia.

NSF Invests $35M in Research, Seed Grants to Support Biomanufacturing Sector; Sethuraman Panchanathan Quoted
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NSF Invests $35M in Research, Seed Grants to Support Biomanufacturing Sector; Sethuraman Panchanathan Quoted

The National Science Foundation has invested more than $35 million in new research projects to advance the domestic production of biological materials and create cybersecurity and sustainability approaches for the biomanufacturing sector.

Ten projects will each receive up to $3 million in research grants over four years through the Future Manufacturing program for fundamental research and workforce development and 11 projects will each get up to $500,000 in seed grants to develop multidisciplinary teams and generate preliminary results relevant to their proposed research grant proposals, NSF said Thursday.

“NSF will continue to push the frontiers of what is possible — advances such as the manufacturing of biological therapeutics, manufacturing in space and underwater, and optimizing manufacturing with AI — to improve our nation’s prosperity, competitiveness and quality of life,” said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan.

To date, the agency has invested more than $137 million in Future Manufacturing projects to overcome scientific, technological, economic, educational and social barriers to advancing manufacturing capabilities for U.S. companies.

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