Technology Center
The westgate tech center, to be called the westgate institute,
represents a key strategic recommendation drawn from several
recent studies, including the Comprehensive Indiana Defense Asset
Study. When built, the WestGate Tech Center will serve as an important
vehicle to drive new investment to the region and grow the
commercial defense sector in the westgate region.
When funded and developed, the tech center will establish
technology-based program areas such as Radio Frequency (RF)
technology, electronic sensors, batteries and fuel cells, aircraft
survivability, and microwave components. Each technical program
area will support current regional and state businesses and new
business development. The tech center will also support and
facilitate the deployment of crane capabilities into existing
business clusters and will incubate new crane capability-based
businesses. The Tech Center will also serve as a strategic for
crane's technical assistance program.
Specifically, the tech center would perform the following functions:
- Establish a dod nationally recognized center of excellence
in the Radio Frequency (RF) technology area of military and
defence communications
- Support regional defense-focused education and training
opportunities
- Promote cranes business assistance programs
- Assist in technology transfer and intellectual property areas
The tech center represents a key component to the growth
strategy of the westgate Park and the growth of the regional commercial
defense industry throughout the region. The program to
be facilitated through the tech center will potentially include:
Indiana Radio Frequency (RF) Center of Excellence
The indiana RF alliance, which recentlhy received $4 millin in dod
funding, will facilitate the transition of innovative rf and electronic
technology into both department of defense programs and to the
commercial sector.
The RF alliance, uniting commercial, academic and military
resources from across the state, will help establish a nationally
recognized federal center of excellence that provides an efficient
transition of r&d/s&t into dod systems. the center will create
a program of record or permanent line item within dod for key
technologies; leverage a new federal pipeline of rf funding into
indiana; and foster economic development through collaboration,
networking, and business opportunities.
Education and Training
There exists a growing need to attract technical-level talent to the
WestGate region to support the growth of the commercial defense
sector. The tech center will be home to multiple education and
training programs to help accomplish this goal. These programs
will train employees in logistics, administration, procurement,
engineering support and other needed skills. Additional training
and assistance will be available in the areas of entrepreneurship,
sBir, sttr, business planning, and market analysis.
Business Assistance Programs
The Tech Center will serve as a "store front" for crane's services
to the Indiana business community. the potential for adding
additional programs such as the Department of Defenses Procurement
Technical Assistance Program and an indiana small Business
development center office to the Tech Center.
Crane Learning & Employment Center
for Veterans with Disabilities (CLEC)
CLEC provides education and on-the-job training for disabled
veterans. It was created in 2007 through the combined efforts of
the indiana office of defense development, U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs, Indiana Department of Workforce Development
and the Lilly Endowment. The current pilot program runs through august 2009 at which time it will be serving approximately 100
veterans with disabilities. clec is currently working to develop
a second phase to follow the pilot project and plans to operate
within the Tech Center.
Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property
NSA Crane offers strategic opportunities for commercializing
defense-driven intellectual property and to creating an
entrepreneurial environment for business start-ups in the
WestGate Park. The base possesses a wealth of technologies,
that can be useful to the private sector. If funded, the Tech
Center will play a key role in the transfer of technology and
research and development through partnerships with Indiana's world-class research universities.
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"The WestGate represents a strategic opportunity for the creation of high-impact jobs and regional growth for south central and southwest Indiana. The parks potential to spur broad economic
development across the region is an asset to the growth of Indianas defense industry."
Becky Skillman,
Lt. Govenor Indiana
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