BRIDG gets defense grant worth up to $20M
A high-tech sensor research facility in Kissimmee has landed its first major contract with the Department of Defense, one that could eventually lead to $20 million in funding for building new technology to defend the nation’s microelectronics.
Officials with 2-year-old BRIDG, which is striving to establish the region as a national leader in sensors, said the money will help the site develop new technology that will enable faster and more-efficient electronics for the military.
“This positions BRIDG to be at the forefront of protecting our nation’s technical leadership and global competitiveness,” BRIDG CEO Chester Kennedy said in a release.
The contract has a more symbolic meaning, as well.
As the first from the Department of Defense, it could signal to other agencies, manufacturers and large private defense companies that BRIDG is a viable option, officials said in the release.
Among the quickly emerging industries that the facility hope to lead in are 5G, the Internet of Things and sensor production.
The government’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment office, which boosts programs that may not be receiving the necessary investment to sustain a project, awarded the contract.
Microelectronics are generally outsourced to businesses in other countries, officials said.
“In order to retain the leading edge for our warfighters, we must take the necessary steps to increase domestic development and manufacturing capacity for critical emerging technologies,” U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio said in a release. “BRIDG is very well positioned to provide the Defense Department with this critical, next-generation technology that will strengthen national security and cyber resiliency for the United States defense industrial base.”
BRIDG, a not-for-profit, publicprivate-partnership in Osceola County, operates an advanced microelectronics fabrication plant using state-of-the-art manufacturing.
“BRIDG is well-positioned to be a ‘trusted foundry’ on the front lines of developing sensors and other microtechnology domestically to strengthen and protect our U.S. Military,” U.S. Rep. Darren Soto said in an emailed statement.
The facility is the anchor to NeoCity, an emerging technology cluster in Osceola County.