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Bailey DeVries: SBA Ramping Up Efforts to Help Startups Advance AI Research
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Bailey DeVries: SBA Ramping Up Efforts to Help Startups Advance AI Research

Bailey DeVries, director of the Office of Investment and Innovation at the Small Business Administration, said SBA is advancing efforts to provide funding support to small companies that are conducting research in the field of artificial intelligence as part of the agency’s “customer-centric” transformation initiative, Federal News Network reported Tuesday.

“There is a big buildout in the agency to have a more customer-centric view and more customer-centric support. That means connecting the dots broadly across programs,” DeVries said during a webinar.

“That requires a lot of funding, and that’s a different world than we’ve operated in the past – and one that will create many efficiencies if we’re able to invest in those improvements and enhancements for the agency,” she added.

DeVries stated that SBA’s efforts to advance funding in AI research builds on the current administration’s focus on ensuring trust and pursuing responsible development of AI tools.

She noted that SBA and the Small Business Digital Alliance introduced a public-private partnership linking tech companies like Microsoft, Google and Meta with small firms focused on adopting AI technologies.

“Some of these companies are going to be focused on very discrete issues, very discrete markets. Some are going to be looking at broader opportunities and applications,” DeVries said.

In March, SBA and the Department of Defense unveiled the Small Business Investment Company Critical Technologies Initiative, which seeks to bolster investments in AI and other emerging technologies.

Trusted AI and Autonomy Forum

Listen to public sector leaders and technology experts weigh in on the opportunities and risks associated with generative AI and related tools at ExecutiveBiz’s Trusted Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy Forum on Sept. 12. Register here.

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David Huitema, Christopher Charles Fonzone Nominated to Government Ethics Office, DOJ Legal Counsel Office Leadership Posts
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David Huitema, Christopher Charles Fonzone Nominated to Government Ethics Office, DOJ Legal Counsel Office Leadership Posts

President Joe Biden has announced plans to nominate David Huitema, a legal adviser in the federal government, as director of the Office of Government Ethics and Christopher Charles Fonzone, general counsel at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, as assistant attorney general at the Department of Justice’s office of legal counsel.

Huitema holds a law degree from Stanford University and has been serving as assistant legal adviser for ethics and financial disclosure and alternate designated agency ethics official at the State Department since 2016, the White House said Tuesday.

He previously served as an attorney-adviser advising several bureaus at the State Department and offered legal advice on matters related to internet and international telecommunications and foreign service personnel.

Prior to ODNI, Fonzone was a partner at the Washington, D.C. office of law firm Sidley Austin.

His government career includes time as deputy assistant and deputy counsel to President Barack Obama, legal adviser to the National Security Council and special counsel to the general counsel at the Department of Defense.

Fonzone also spent time as a clerk for Justice Stephen Breyer of the U.S. Supreme Court and Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

GSA Stands Up New Office to Advance Open Government Initiatives; Robin Carnahan Quoted
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GSA Stands Up New Office to Advance Open Government Initiatives; Robin Carnahan Quoted

The General Services Administration has established an office to support the implementation of the Biden administration’s national action plan to advance open government initiatives.

The Open Government Secretariat Program Management Office includes a permanent team to help implement the Fifth Open Government National Action Plan, which was issued in December 2022 and designed to improve the public’s access to government data, research and information, GSA said Tuesday.

GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan unveiled the new office at the Open Government Partnership Global Summit in Tallinn, Estonia, where she represented the U.S. on the OGP steering committee.

“The U.S. Government is pleased to be deepening its commitment to open government and GSA is proud to be home to a new Secretariat that will help us coordinate and drive toward our goals of empowering people to fully participate in democracy,” Carnahan said. 

“Through our upcoming work on the OGP Steering Committee and through many other efforts, we will continue to deepen relationships among civil society in the U.S. as well as globally,” she added.

The U.S. will serve on the committee for the next three years starting in October.

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House Panel Inquires About CISA Partnerships With Energy Threat Analysis Center, ARC
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House Panel Inquires About CISA Partnerships With Energy Threat Analysis Center, ARC

The House Homeland Security Committee’s cybersecurity and infrastructure protection subpanel has asked the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency about its role in the establishment of the Energy Threat Analysis Center and how it engages with ETAC.

The House panel is making the inquiry amid the lack of clarity about the future of CISA’s partnership with ETAC and the Analysis & Resilience Center for Systemic Risk, according to an Aug. 28 letter addressed to CISA Director and two-time Wash100 awardee Jen Easterly.

The subcommittee has asked CISA of any plans to absorb the risk register methodology of ARC and ETAC as a “spoke” of the agency’s Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative, how it supports cross-sector systemic risk and resilience efforts as it moves toward a sector-specific approach and how it intends to resource any expansion of JCDC’s spokes with the budget request for fiscal year 2024.

“The ARC model has proven effective and I encourage CISA to continue bolstering established partnerships. These partnerships will be crucial for the agency’s broader public-private partnership strategy, at a time when threats from adversarial nations are unrelenting,” the letter reads.

CISA has been asked to brief the House panel no later than Sept. 28.

Equus Compute Solutions & Zscaler Join Forces to Build Secure Computing Platform; Jay Lawrence Quoted
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Equus Compute Solutions & Zscaler Join Forces to Build Secure Computing Platform; Jay Lawrence Quoted

Equus Compute Solutions has teamed with zero trust-focused company Zscaler to expand its portfolio of secure computing offerings.

When incorporated into ECS’ Innovation-as-a-Service suite, Zscaler’s technology will enable ECS customers to access applications securely from any location, the company announced from City of Industry, California on Wednesday.

“This partnership with Zscaler empowers us to further enhance the security and reliability of our digital infrastructure solutions, ensuring that our clients’ data is secured against increasingly sophisticated cyber attackers,” said ECS CEO Jay Lawrence. 

Zscaler’s Zero Trust Exchange platform will serve as a building block for a strong, high-performance product able to shield itself from modern cyberthreats. Its integration aligns with the ECS’ goal, which Lawrence said is to “create an unparalleled ecosystem of high-performing technology solutions.”

Ken Urquhart, global vice president of Zscaler, said the partnership with Equus addresses the need for powerful but cost-effective hardware and associated cybersecurity needs, which make up “the two most difficult aspects that our customers face when building new solutions.”

“By integrating Zscaler’s zero-trust security solutions with Equus’s technology framework offerings, customers can create and deploy new technologies with confidence and thrive in the digital era,” he added.

To watch Uruqhart’s recent interview with Executive Mosaic’s Summer Myatt, click here.

The partnership will bring about a product that follows best security practices across both the public and private sector markets and is expected to grow the companies’ reach in the telecommunications, 5G and 6G, artificial intelligence and machine learning, government and defense markets.

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7 Projects to Receive DOE Funding for AI-based Fusion Energy Research
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7 Projects to Receive DOE Funding for AI-based Fusion Energy Research

The Department of Energy has allocated $29 million in funding to support seven projects that will harness artificial intelligence to tackle challenges in fusion energy research.

DOE said Thursday fusion and plasma science researchers from 19 institutions will employ autonomous technologies such as machine learning and AI for the effort, additionally utilizing data management techniques.

Their studies will delve into scientific discovery, diagnostic data analysis, model extraction, plasma control, extreme-scale simulation data analysis and data-driven predictions. Several of the awards will emphasize the development of data management systems and are positioned to ensure that research products are accessible via public databases.

Chosen via a competitive peer review process, the projects will span a maximum of three years, with $11 million earmarked for fiscal year 2023, subject to additional congressional appropriations.

“These awards will advance a broad set of capabilities across the Fusion Energy Sciences program, making essential capabilities available for all stakeholders,” commented Jean Paul Allain, associate director of science for FES at the DOE.

FES is a research initiative focused on facilitating the development of practical, safe and environmentally responsible fusion energy as a source of power.

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SBA Names Investment Capital Advisory Committee Members; Isabella Casillas Guzman Quoted
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SBA Names Investment Capital Advisory Committee Members; Isabella Casillas Guzman Quoted

The Small Business Administration has appointed 14 members to a newly established committee to create a more diverse and inclusive investment environment for small businesses and start-ups.

Arjun Gupta, chief believer and founder of TeleSoft Partners, and Carl Kopfinger, senior vice president and managing director of TD Bank, have been appointed chair and vice chair respectively of the federal Investment Capital Advisory Committee, SBA announced Friday.

Members of the committee include current and former small business owners and officials of trade associations and investment institutions. Each member is appointed for a two-year term.

“The launch of SBA’s inaugural Investment Capital Advisory Committee with its distinguished membership will serve as a critical resource to the Biden-Harris Administration as we strengthen our policies and programs to foster a more inclusive investment ecosystem,” said SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman.

The committee was established in August 2022 to promote and expand the network of domestic private funds committing capital to U.S. small businesses and start-ups.

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NSF Selects University of Chicago to Operate New Synchrotron Research Facility
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NSF Selects University of Chicago to Operate New Synchrotron Research Facility

The National Science Foundation awarded the University of Chicago a $35 million contract to operate a new facility specializing in the application of a cyclic particle accelerator called synchrotron to Earth and environmental sciences.

The university was chosen to manage the Synchrotron for Earth and Environmental Science facility, which will serve as a central hub for accessing analytical instrument capabilities from different laboratories across the United States, NSF said Friday.

The award makes the University of Chicago the newest addition to the collaborative effort between NSF and the Department of Energy, which operates synchrotrons across the country. SEES will give Earth and environmental scientists access to technical support, instrumentation and techniques and synchrotron beamlines from DOE laboratories.

Synchrotrons are used in the molecular study of critical minerals, which are valuable to multiple sectors, from information technology to healthcare and national security. Beam sources include DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory and the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource.

“The new SEES award will provide Earth and environmental scientists with a ‘seat at the table’ to access over 30 synchrotron beamlines at DOE laboratories, including 19 new beamlines that were not previously supported by NSF,” said Maggie Benoit, program director in NSF’s Division of Earth Sciences.

Labor Department Proposes Acquisition Regulation System Revisions
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Labor Department Proposes Acquisition Regulation System Revisions

The Department of Labor is requesting comments on a proposed rule to revise the DOL Acquisition Regulations in its entirety to align agency procurement regulations with the Federal Acquisition Reform Act and the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act.

In a notice of proposed rulemaking published in the Federal Register, DOL submitted to remove redundant or obsolete provisions and codify the use of certain contractual provisions that address matters related to government property, continuity of operations, system requirements, mandatory training for contractors and organizational conflicts of interest.

DOL also seeks to make edits to existing language for clarity and streamlining purposes and remove current DOLAR provisions that are internal operating procedures and do not have a significant impact on contractors or offerors.

The comment period will close on Nov. 6.

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Bridge Core Federal Boosts Data & Analytics Portfolio With GeoYeti Acquisition; Lee Garber Quoted
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Bridge Core Federal Boosts Data & Analytics Portfolio With GeoYeti Acquisition; Lee Garber Quoted

Bridge Core Federal, a NewSpring Holdings platform company, has acquired analytics, data science and development-focused company GeoYeti LLC.

The move will expand Bridge Core’s portfolio of data and analytics offerings to provide broad, end-to-end mission expertise to meet federal intelligence demands, the McLean, Virginia-based company announced on Tuesday.

Lee Garber, general partner at NewSpring, said integrating the platforms is a “significant step forward in aligning technology directly to mission outcomes.” 

GeoYeti uses non-traditional data analysis to develop tailored applications and approaches, such as Agile Analytics, and its repeatable processes can provide notable time-savings for intelligence community clients. The company applies a ‘connective tissue’ method as a tech-level cross-functional tie between federal organizations to link individuals and teams with different specializations.

Combining GeoYeti’s Agile Analytics with Bridge Core’s Tech-to-Mission services, said Garber, will “enhance the speed and precision of intelligence operations.”

Bridge Core CEO Chad Kim said the acquisition is not only an integration of capabilities, but an “investment in the brilliant minds who are redefining how analysis is performed in the intelligence community” that highlights the organization’s commitment to “nurturing talent that can innovate and excel in this complex arena.”

“As the data landscape evolves, the human element – our analysts, data scientists, and engineers – becomes increasingly critical in transforming raw data into precise, actionable insights,” he said.

Joe Governski, CEO and co-founder of GeoYeti, said the company was founded in pursuit of advancements in data and analytics, which led to the Analysis-as-a-Service approach that “seamlessly integrates agile software development principles with intelligence analysis.”

“Our core values of a shared commitment to excellence resonate seamlessly with Bridge Core’s culture of trust and teamwork to advance mission through innovation. I’m thrilled that our next phase of growth is with an organization whose principles align so closely with ours,” he said.

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