The Electro-Optics Center (EOC) at Penn State's Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) recently secured a contract for services by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to address manufacturing challenges for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The contract, worth up to $99 million, is known as an IDIQ or "Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity" contract, and is not awarded as upfront funding but instead allows for the purchase of supplies or services within a fixed time period.
The contract, part of the Navy's Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) Centers of Excellence program, recognizes the EOC's continuing excellence in light-based technology, said EOC Director Andrew Trageser.
"Our center's emphasis on accelerating technology for deployment to our government sponsors allows them to quickly meet the often rapidly-evolving national security challenges they face," he said. "We've proudly supported the U.S. Navy and other government sponsors for more than a quarter century, and we're grateful for the opportunity to continue that partnership."
One of only seven ManTech Centers nationwide, the EOC completed a rigorous proposal process and demonstrated quality standards that emphasize transitioning affordable technology to the fleet, Trageser added. The contract runs through July 2035 with an opportunity for extension.
The Penn State Electro-Optics Center has been a ManTech Center of Excellence since 1999. Much of its evolving technology focuses on the manipulation and conversion of light into electricity or electronic information, or converting electricity into useful light. With technology that includes lasers, sensors, communications equipment, and optical materials, the EOC addresses manufacturing challenges for the Department of Defense industrial base. The Electro-Optics Center typically manages 10-20 manufacturing-related projects per year.
As part of its mission, the EOC spearheads the Electro-Optics and Electronics Alliance, a network of U.S.-based industrial, academic and government organizations that links applied research and development in electro-optics and electronics to the transition of that technology to the DoD. The EOEA brings together teams that may be geographically dispersed with different areas of expertise in support of solving highly complex, unique problems.
