The Undersea Technology Innovation Consortium (UTIC) is celebrating three years of supporting the Navy this June. UTIC has built a national community to advance and accelerate undersea and maritime technology innovation. UTIC members are an important resource for the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC), Division Newport.
In three years, UTIC members have received 57 awards totaling $296 million. In addition to the awards, more than 200 proposals have been placed in a “basket” provision, which means the proposals have gone through source selection and may be considered for up to 36 months after submission. The basket is a powerful tool allowing the government to award OTA prototype projects expeditiously, and effectively use funds that may become available at a later date. Six awards have been made so far from the basket provision.
Of UTIC’s 297 members, 75 percent are non-traditional defense contractors and 70 percent are small businesses. The U.S. Department of Defense actively seeks innovative research and technology from companies and academic institutions that have not typically done business with the government in the past. These non-traditional organizations can provide unique and critical capabilities and team up with traditional defense contractors to augment their solutions. Sixty-five percent of the proposals selected for award have been to non-traditional organizations.
The OTA consortium model helps the federal government reach innovative solutions from non-traditional partners and expand its industrial base. The model also helps non-traditional companies transition their products to the federal government through training and networking opportunities.
About UTIC:
The Undersea Technology Innovation Consortium (UTIC) promotes the rapid development, prototyping and commercialization of innovative undersea and maritime technology and advances learning in the undersea and maritime sector for commercial, academic, and defense organizations. UTIC welcomes participation by organizations – both traditional and non-traditional – who have technologies that can contribute to undersea and maritime domain applications. UTIC is supported by Advanced Technology International.
