Gulf Blue enters into new naval partnership advancing technology, innovation
GULFPORT, Miss. (WXXV) — Gulf Blue is entering a new five-year partnership with the Navy, aimed at connecting Gulf Coast innovators with naval oceanography.
The agreement with Commander Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (CNMOC) at Stennis Space Center, is expected to advance technology transfer and innovation on the Gulf Coast.
This partnership will benefit the Gulf Coast as a whole through its focus on identifying and commercializing new technologies that could support naval operations, helping to advance US warfighter capabilities, while also creating new research and economic development opportunities.
“Having a partnership intermediary agreement with an organization like Gulf Blue actually helps us to do some match-making and accelerate small businesses, start-ups, and especially non-traditional businesses, into partnering with the Department of War, whether its a demonstration, getting into an operational exercise, collaborative RND, or even tapping into the specialized naval expertise that we have,” said Sidney Dills with CNMOC Office of Research and Technology Applications.
Gulf Blue will also help connect companies with Navy research, licensing, and small business funding opportunities. This could include conducting technology showcases and supporting STEM outreach – further strengthening the Blue Economy.
“We do a lot with the Navy. Logistically, we’re on the Gulf of America. If you kind of look at where we’re located, we’re centrally located. We have a lot of assets here that a lot of other states do not have, so to better deploy that and be that strategic partner. And if you look at what’s going on in the world today, it all touches water, so here in Mississippi, we have those connections, we’ve built that infrastructure, we have those capabilities, and so we are a great partner for the Navy,” said Brian Cuevas, Associate Vice President of Research and Innovation at the University of Mississippi.
The agreement provides opportunities for CNMOC and Gulf Blue to showcase technologies, research, and strengthen the regional pipeline of companies and talent supporting ocean science, maritime technology, and national security.
