Daily Business Report-Sept. 4, 2018

Illustration courtesy of Northrop Grumman.

Northrop Grumman among firms chosen for DARPA’s

 $1.5 billion electronics resurgence initiative

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected Northrop Grumman Corporation as one of the performers for its Electronics Resurgence Initiative (ERI). The decision was announced by DARPA during the first annual ERI Summit in San Francisco.

The five-year research initiative led by DARPA’s Microsystems Technology Office is potentially worth upward of $1.5 billion over five years, shared among all participants.

Established by DARPA in 2017, the initiative is comprised of existing programs as well as six new programs – two for each of the three key research thrusts. The initiative has been crafted to spark the next wave of U.S. semiconductor advancement, particularly in the areas of microsystem materials, designs, architectures and integration. ERI is meant to increase momentum for innovation in the microelectronics industry while maintaining technical superiority and advancing national defense.

Northrop Grumman, along with subcontractor JITX, headquartered in Berkeley, was one of 11 chosen research teams to perform on the Intelligent Design of Electronic Assets program, one of the efforts part of the ERI. The company will attempt to create an automated electronic circuit layout generator that enables users with no experience to create circuit designs ready for manufacturing within 24 hours. The technology could reduce design times for electronic circuitry from potentially years to a single day.

____________________

Viasat lands $560 million

communications contract

GovCon Wire

Viasat has landed a potential eight-year, $559.9 million contract to provide Ku-band and Ka-band communications service to Defense Information Systems Agency senior leaders and staff when they travel by aircraft.

The contract has a one-year base value of $55.7 million along with seven option years, the Defense Department said.

DISA received one proposal for the firm-fixed-price contract through a solicitation on FedBizOpps and will use fiscal 2018 and 2019 operations and maintenance funds to cover the contract’s face value.

Initial work will mainly take place in California and Colorado from Sept. 1, 2018 to Aug. 31, 2019.

____________________

MTS receives first of 45

new trolley cars from Siemens

The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) received the first of 45 new Trolley cars from Siemens as part of an order placed by the agency in 2016. The first vehicle was delivered to MTS’ Downtown rail yard, with the remaining vehicles being delivered over the next two years. The new Trolleys will allow MTS to improve service on existing Trolley lines, while providing the additional trains needed to operate the 11-mile extension of the UC San Diego Blue Line in 2021.

The 45 new S70 light rail vehicles (LRVs) have the same low-floor characteristics as newer models in MTS’ current fleet, but will feature a redesigned middle section to improve passenger flow and provide greater wheelchair accessibility. To facilitate cleaning and maintenance, trains seats will be upholstered in vinyl rather than the cloth used in previous models. Another new feature of the S70s includes the relocation of operational equipment to make access and maintenance easier.

____________________

Legislation extending 4-year degree program

at community colleges heads to the governor

Legislation extending a pilot program allowing San Diego Mesa College and 14 other California community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees has been approved by the California State Legislature and is headed to the Governor Jerry Brown’s desk.

Under Senate Bill 1406, introduced by state Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo), students can begin their bachelor’s degree program as late as the 2022-23 academic year and graduate by July 2026. Unless the current sunset provision is extended, students participating in the Baccalaureate Pilot Program must earn their diploma by the end of the 2022-23 academic year.

California’s Baccalaureate Degree Pilot Program, authorized through legislation by former state Sen. Marty Block, allows 15 California community colleges to offer one bachelor’s degree each in a limited number of workforce preparation areas not available at a University of California or California State University campus. San Diego Mesa College became the first in the state to launch a baccalaureate program when it began offering its bachelor’s degree in Health Information Management in 2015. Mesa’s first cohort of graduates secured their bachelor’s degrees in May.

____________________

Lucky Duck Foundation gives funds

to 2 key homelessness programs

The Lucky Duck Foundation (LDF) announced that it has advanced $283,700 to support the Regional Task Force for the Homeless. The funds will be used to expedite the updates needed for its Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).

The Homeless Management Information System is the data system all federal and state funded homeless programs must use to track and measure the number of people in need, local trends and report outcomes to both federal and state offices.  This upgrade from an antiquated system allows for more efficient and effective coordinated efforts and report needs and outcomes not only to government but to the public at large.

LDF also has provided $322,728 to help fund a pilot jobs program, The Rapid Re-Housing and Employment pilot, in collaboration with the Regional Task Force for the Homeless, the San Diego Housing Commission, the San Diego Workforce Partnership and the city of San Diego’s Select Committee on Homelessness.

 ____________________

USD named a top performer

in Sustainable Campus Index

The University of San Diego has been recognized as a top performer in the 2018 Sustainable Campus Index, ranking second for Public Engagement and tying for eighth in Campus Engagement. The Sustainable Campus Index, a publication of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, highlights top-performing sustainable colleges and universities overall and in 17 impact areas, as measured by the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System.

Several programs elevated USD’s ranking in Public Engagement, including its Electronic Recycling Center, as well as its sponsorship of and membership in the San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative.

 ____________________

Ajinomoto Althea opens

new facility in San Diego

Contract development and manufacturing organization Ajinomoto Althea, Inc. celebrated 20 years in San Diego with the grand opening of its new 57,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Sorrento Mesa. The facility is an antibody drug conjugate and highly potent fill and finish facility with space for bioconjugation, quality control, and sterile fill and finish.

____________________

Tech startup Puls Technologies

raises $50 million to expand services

Local software startup Puls Technologies has raised $50 million in a Series C round. This investment will allow the company to expand the scope of its software-as-a-service, adding other on-demand services like HVAC and plumbing to its current IT support offering. Read more…