This panel will explore current and future communications landscape for the power grid, focusing on two key programs for DOE's Office of Electricity: Secure Pathways for Resilient Communication (SPaRC) and the Center for Alternate Synchronization and Timing (CAST). SPaRC addresses communications challenges in the evolving grid, including secure communication pathways, data communication requirements, and the roles of latency, bandwidth, and throughput. CAST focuses on designing and testing a secure, non-GPS terrestrial synchronization architecture for the power grid and other critical infrastructures, providing precision timing services, and developing educational tools.

This session will discuss three novel approaches to risk management and resilience. Participants will leave with a nuanced understanding of the complex risks facing critical infrastructure and equipped with a suite of strategic tools and knowledge to bolster infrastructure risk management, resilience, and security.

The Basics about the SBIR Program

The Defense TechConnect(DTC) Innovation Spotlights are designed to accelerate private-sector and defense-sourced technology solutions aligned with warfighter and national security problem-sets.

The Defense TechConnect(DTC) Innovation Spotlights are designed to accelerate private-sector and defense-sourced technology solutions aligned with warfighter and national security problem-sets.

The Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of the Navy (DON) Operational Energy Data panel will explore the data integration efforts across the Joint Force and Fleet. Topics of interest include how authoritative data sources influence the DON's planning factor updates, mission-based burn rates, Theater Energy Model (TEM), Joint Force Operational Energy Data Model (JFOEDM), Energy Command and Control (EC2), Energy Supportability Analysis (ESA) and Energy Key Performance Parameter (eKPP) Development. The panel will discuss how the DON is organized to address these pressing issues.

Modern vehicles are increasingly software-defined; that is, increasingly sensored, automated, and connected in ways that present significant cybersecurity, privacy, and resilience challenges across all missions. EVs are not only wirelessly connected, but also connect physically to charging infrastructure and often energy systems within facilities. Vehicles are also ubiquitous: every organization has a vehicle fleet and individual employees, contractors, and visitors bring their own devices onto federal facilities. National policies (e.g., the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Inflation Reduction Act, and E.O. 14057, Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability) are driving electrification of federal vehicle fleets and installation of electrical vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. However, the PRC is the dominant global producer of EVs, batteries, and related components. Technical vulnerabilities and supply chain risks from this new critical infrastructure are not well understood. This panel will discuss current R&D efforts and operational coordination across several federal mission partners to address cyber threats and vulnerabilities associated with connected vehicles and EVs.

The power grid, once viewed as a standalone physical entity, has undergone a profound transformation in recent years, evolving into a complex cyber-physical system through its integration with advanced digital technologies and communication networks. The increasing presence of Distributed Energy Resources (DER) (e.g., solar, battery storage, wind and electric vehicles) in the modernizing electric grid requires a revolutionary change in data management and utilization, while also demanding long-term cyber-physical security and resilience measures tailored to DER that are critical for ensuring a clean energy future. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) and advanced controls can play a crucial role in addressing these challenges by providing high-fidelity cyber-physical data insights, and predictive capabilities to ensure a secure, efficient, and sustainable integration of DERs into the grid. This panel will discuss the state of the art in cyber physical security at the grid edge.

An inside look into the world of SBIR/STTR. You should leave with an understanding of how to figure out which agency is right for you and concrete next steps.

The Defense TechConnect(DTC) Innovation Spotlights are designed to accelerate private-sector and defense-sourced technology solutions aligned with warfighter and national security problem-sets.

The Defense TechConnect(DTC) Innovation Spotlights are designed to accelerate private-sector and defense-sourced technology solutions aligned with warfighter and national security problem-sets.

The OELS Pitch Sessions are designed to accelerate private-sector and defense-sourced technology solutions aligned with warfighter and national security problem-sets. DOD and Industry feedback provided to presenters on: solution fit, strengths of technology, challenges of implementation/adoption, positioning guidance, and potential collaboration opportunities.

The growth of renewable energy technologies that require geographic distribution, smart energy technologies that make energy usage more efficient, and the advances in software that make use of large amounts of data to enable new grid functionalities are transforming the electric energy system from a largely analog, centralized system, to a digital distributed and virtually orchestrated environment. This transformation is being driven by challenges in increasing demand, aging infrastructure, and the urgent need to reduce the impact of that delivery on the environment and climate globally. Digital transformation represents a strategic response to these challenges, offering opportunities to enhance energy delivery reliability, resilience and cost. However, the features included in this digital environment could increase our cyber management without adequate risk assessment and mitigation and proactive planning efforts. Cyber risks are exacerbated by growing adversarial interest in targeting critical infrastructure, including energy infrastructure, and intensifying natural hazards. This session will focus on enhancing resilience and reliability of power systems over the course of the digital energy transition. Discussions will include focus on mitigations for systems already in the field, increasing cyber resilience as upgrades and additions are made, and design choices for more secure systems currently being planned.

Leave with an understanding of what needs to be done during Phase I to comply with grants/contracts and to put your organization in the best position for Phase II.

This panel will highlight the various types of help and support available for SBIR applicants.

The Defense TechConnect(DTC) Innovation Spotlights are designed to accelerate private-sector and defense-sourced technology solutions aligned with warfighter and national security problem-sets.

The OELS Pitch Sessions are designed to accelerate private-sector and defense-sourced technology solutions aligned with warfighter and national security problem-sets. DOD and Industry feedback provided to presenters on: solution fit, strengths of technology, challenges of implementation/adoption, positioning guidance, and potential collaboration opportunities.

The panel session on "The Future of Distributed Wind" will provide a comprehensive exploration of distributed wind energy, focusing on its application, evolution from past and present technologies to cutting-edge developments like airborne wind systems, as well as its critical integration with other energy sources. Experts will dissect the significance of wind as a renewable resource and underscore the necessity for coupling it with alternative energy sources and storage solutions to ensure a reliable and resilient power supply. The discussion will emphasize the geographical importance of wind energy, acknowledging areas where wind is a particularly viable option. The panel will address the various risks and issues that have hindered distributed wind's progress, including supply chain challenges, siting conflicts such as NIMBYism, environmental concerns, and the nuances of wind resource availability. Economic hurdles, especially in the context of rural United States, will be examined alongside opportunities presented by new funding mechanisms. This session aims to provide a roadmap for overcoming barriers and harnessing the full potential of distributed wind energy.

The Defense TechConnect(DTC) Innovation Spotlights are designed to accelerate private-sector and defense-sourced technology solutions aligned with warfighter and national security problem-sets.

The OELS Pitch Sessions are designed to accelerate private-sector and defense-sourced technology solutions aligned with warfighter and national security problem-sets. DOD and Industry feedback provided to presenters on: solution fit, strengths of technology, challenges of implementation/adoption, positioning guidance, and potential collaboration opportunities.

The Defense TechConnect(DTC) Innovation Spotlights are designed to accelerate private-sector and defense-sourced technology solutions aligned with warfighter and national security problem-sets.

Municipalities and military instillations are increasingly vulnerable to cyber attacks, natural and man-made disasters, and disruptions to energy, food, and water supply chains. This panel will discuss dual-use innovations in this space from industry, military, and government.

The character of war is changing. Hear from military leadership on how they are operating in a 21st century enviroment. Overall military logistics and specific projects will be discussed.

A non-proprietary, vendor agnostic reference framework and architecture

State-sponsored actors are “targeting American civilian critical infrastructure, pre-positioning to cause real-world harm to American citizens and communities in the event of conflict.” Critical infrastructure owners and operators are being challenged to operate through digital compromise in the face of an evolving cyber threat landscape. In this session, we discuss practical applications of critical functional assurance with the objective to demonstrate approaches that organizations can use to optimize security strategies, focus resources and protect their most critical assets from cyber-enabled sabotage

Energy resilience is increasingly recognized as a crucial factor in ensuring the stability and security of modern societies, yet current resilience assessments often overlook critical dimensions. This panel session will delve into the gaps present in contemporary energy resilience assessments, exploring how these shortcomings impact our ability to prepare for and respond to energy disruptions. Experts from diverse fields will discuss the limitations in existing assessment frameworks, such as insufficient consideration of interdependencies between energy systems and other critical infrastructure, underestimation of emerging threats like wildfires or cyberattacks, and the need for more inclusive and adaptive metrics. The session aims to highlight the implications of these gaps for infrastructure planning and community preparedness. Attendees will gain insights into innovative approaches and strategies to address these deficiencies and enhance the robustness of energy resilience assessments, ultimately contributing to more secure and resilient energy systems in the face of evolving challenges.

Learn key insights on the criteria used to evaluate SBIR/STTR proposals.

Learn about the key steps and success factors for moving from Phase I to Phase II

Presented by TechConnect, Advanced Technology International (ATI), and the RISE Consortium, the Smart Cities - Smart Bases Innovation Challenge delivers cutting-edge, dual-use technology pitches to address the overlapping technical, environmental, and security challenges facing both smart cities and smart bases.

The Defense TechConnect(DTC) Innovation Spotlights are designed to accelerate private-sector and defense-sourced technology solutions aligned with warfighter and national security problem-sets.

Purpose: Experts from research institutes and the manufacturing industry will discuss the challenges and opportunities of a diverse, small and medium-sized manufacturers-dominated manufacturing supply chain, needed strategies and innovations to create secure building blocks throughout the digital life cycle of engineering design and modern manufacturing operations, and how to accelerate security technology deployment and explore its impact on a capital-investment-intensive sector with energy consumption and environmental emissions challenges. . Supply chain resilience and the democratization of manufacturing through advanced technologies is driving an industry ecosystem in the U.S. where 98% of companies are Small and Medium (sized) Manufacturers (SMMs). Currently accelerating investments in new manufacturing capacity provide both new threats and opportunities if security innovations can be aligned in a timely fashion. This panel will discuss these and related areas of questions: • the challenges and opportunities of a diverse and SMM-dominated manufacturing supply chain, • the needed national strategies and technology innovations to create “secure building blocks” that extend across the digital life cycle of engineering design and modern manufacturing operations, • How to accelerate security technology deployment and explore its impact on a capital-investment-intensive sector with energy consumption and environmental emissions challenges. Overview: In past decades, the digitization of the business world has led to tremendous efficiency gains and made it far easier to conduct business in a variety of sectors in a distributed fashion. In manufacturing, digital designs, automated operations, and product innovations are creating a new “digital thread” between consumers, small and medium manufacturers (SMMs), large manufacturers, and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). These digital thread ecosystems create opportunities to increase our global competitiveness, democratize manufacturing, and revitalize American innovation and supply chain resilience. However, with this exponential increase in connectivity, there is an exponential increase in exploitable security flaws, leaving manufacturers vulnerable to severe consequences if their operational technology (OT) boundary detection systems fail. Currently, these digital threads are a patchwork of architectures, protocols, and information sharing with incomplete or unenforceable security that creates additional complexity and expenses for many manufacturers. Consistent with Manufacturing USA strategic guidance, industry assessments, and threat estimations by the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, Defense Science Board, and National Intelligence community, the current state of cybersecurity is not sustainable. The technology push for the integration of information technology (IT) and OT is not sufficient to secure manufacturing systems within complex supply chains that exchange both digital designs and a variety of subcomponents across sectors. There are simply not enough resources to safeguard software, hardware, networks, and systems that were never designed to be secure end-to-end. New approaches are needed and being developed by national consortiums and industry leaders. The Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute’s (CyManII) vision for the future of robust, resilient, and decarbonized advanced manufacturing extends beyond the current aggregation of insecure technologies to new systems that use flexible and verifiably secure architectures that will exponentially increase our Nation’s ability to adapt to the fiercest cyber-attacks.

A non-proprietary, vendor agnostic reference framework and architecture

The U.S. transmission grid we rely on to deliver electricity nationwide to power communities, businesses, and military installations is increasingly vulnerable to threats and needs massive expansion to meet future resilient power needs. This panel will convene experts from public policy, national laboratories, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense to unpack the imperative for transformative transmission expansion. The discussion will cover leading innovations and industry practices accelerating transmission development and resilience and identify next steps for aligning transmission grid investment with the needs of the Department of Defense (DoD), installations, and their surrounding communities. Panelists will reference the methodology and results behind two influential transmission reports, both released in 2024: “Transmission Expansion For National Defense” and the “National Transmission Planning Study.” DHS and its partners have forged a robust public-private partnership and have a strong and demonstrated track record of securing and safeguarding the MTS. This panel will touch on the importance of understanding the consequences of a port disruption to make better plans and invest in port infrastructure resiliency. Technologies to be discussed include an application for emergency planning for civilian and DoD missions and a platform to enable the study of physical effects caused by cyber-attacks against seaport Industrial Control Systems (ICS) infrastructure. Please join us for an informative discussion to create a more secure and resilient U.S. MTS by securing our nation’s interconnected ports.

Learn the keys to a successful SBIR/STTR journey and Phase III success.

The Defense TechConnect(DTC) Innovation Spotlights are designed to accelerate private-sector and defense-sourced technology solutions aligned with warfighter and national security problem-sets.

Presented by TechConnect, Advanced Technology International (ATI), and the RISE Consortium, the Smart Cities - Smart Bases Innovation Challenge delivers cutting-edge, dual-use technology pitches to address the overlapping technical, environmental, and security challenges facing both smart cities and smart bases.

There are efforts by the Department of Defense (DOD) Operational Technology (OT) for Industrial Control Systems (ICS) to align the Joint More Situational Awareness for ICS (J-MOSAICS) framework with government standards and Zero Trust Strategy. The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Acquisition and Sustainment (OUSDA&S) in support of the DOD Chief Information Office (CIO) Zero Trust Program Management Office has identified the J-MOSAICS vendor agnostic, non-proprietary framework as the DOD approach to overcome cyber vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure and as an enabler to meet Zero Trust for OT capabilities and target objectives by FY30. This session will share how the J-MOSAICS Block acquisition strategy aligns with Zero Trust. J-MOSAICS and Zero Trust are complementary approaches. J-MOSAICS addresses behavioral anomalies and Advanced Persistent Threats (APT) and the Zero Trust Strategy reduces the attack surface and prevents unauthorized access. This approach is fully sharable with commercial industry. J-MOSAICS is a groundbreaking cybersecurity framework which offers for the first time an operational capability for enhanced cyber threat detection and protection of critical infrastructure assets from cyber-based attacks. J-MOSAICS delivers advanced sensing and intrusion protection capabilities within OT networks, augmented by security orchestration to enable facilities engineers and cyber defenders to semi-autonomously identify, respond to, and recover from asymmetric cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure in cyber-relevant time. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) FY2024 calls for the transfer of data and technology developed under the J-MOSAICS framework to eligible private sector entities to enhance cyber threat detection and protection on critical ICS assets used for electricity distribution. J-MOSAICS is applicable to all critical infrastructure sectors such as power utility, water/wastewater, manufacturing, and Facility Related Control Systems (FRCS) found in building assets. This session will share how J-MOSAICS aligns with the government’s Zero Trust Strategy, and share a DOD Use Case.

A non-proprietary, vendor agnostic reference framework and architecture

Learn about programs that can support your transition to development and production. Learn what you can do to better position yourself for assistance.

Presented by TechConnect, Advanced Technology International (ATI), and the RISE Consortium, the Smart Cities - Smart Bases Innovation Challenge delivers cutting-edge, dual-use technology pitches to address the overlapping technical, environmental, and security challenges facing both smart cities and smart bases.

A non-proprietary, vendor agnostic reference framework and architecture

Gain insight into the role major primes play in acquisition programs and how R&D from other businesses transitions into those programs.

Presented by TechConnect, Advanced Technology International (ATI), and the RISE Consortium, the Smart Cities - Smart Bases Innovation Challenge delivers cutting-edge, dual-use technology pitches to address the overlapping technical, environmental, and security challenges facing both smart cities and smart bases. The winner of the Smart Cities - Smart Bases Challenge will be announced in this session!

This interactive conversation will focus on the next steps for aligning transmission grid investment to support the needs of the Department of Defense (DoD), installations, and their surrounding communities. The U.S. transmission grid we rely on to deliver electricity around the country to power both our installations and communities is increasingly vulnerable to threats and needs massive expansion to meet future resilient power needs.

Procedural justice is arguable one of the more difficult principles of energy justice to put into practice. A major factor of that is the significant challenge of reconciling preferred energy futures and transition pathways across spatial scales. Technological and policy solutions that provide the most equitable access to resilience, affordability, sustainability, and reliability benefits when implemented at the individual household or single community scale, may have unintended consequences at large scales and quickly become the wrong solution for all households when the “ambient” conditions of the system as a whole are changed. In reconciling these tradeoffs at the utility, PUC, or other regional/aggregated level, remote, island, and islanded (end-of-line) communities may be disproportionally disenfranchised, since a utilitarian approach that picks solutions providing the greatest good for the greatest number of people will deprioritize the needs of frequently small, end-of-line, communities. To address the question of how external technical assistance partners can best support energy transitions in these contexts, and how our energy planning efforts can better reconcile potentially competing needs and priorities at different scales, this session will feature panelists who share lessons learned and recommendations drawing on their experiences working across spatial scales and stakeholder/organization types across the US. Insights will be integrated into a publicly available framework for how these perspectives can be better aligned to arrive at complementary, additive energy planning decisions.

Part 1: How much is your city or region doing (or not doing) to prepare for the arrival of increasingly extreme weather and other climate change-amplified physical impacts to infrastructure? This talk, based on the Climate Resilience Maturity Model (a joint INL/EDF initiative), will describe how two fictional North American cities are approaching these challenges, with an eye on illuminating the actions of critical infrastructure owner and operators as well as policy at the state and local government levels. Part 2: This session will focus on how electric utilities can and are building risk-informed approaches to address the impacts of climate change on existing and emerging critical infrastructure systems. Topics will include a brief overview of utility climate vulnerability and action plans, ongoing efforts to support smaller utilities with limited resources in developing climate resilience plans, and a maturity model for assessing utility climate resilience initiatives. The session will feature short presentations followed by a series of stories from utility representatives directly involved in crafting climate resilience plans

The Defense TechConnect(DTC) Innovation Spotlights are designed to accelerate private-sector and defense-sourced technology solutions aligned with warfighter and national security problem-sets.

Participation in data sharing is now a regular part of utility projects. For rural and remote towns, community energy projects, and Tribally-owned utilities, participation in data sharing can come at a price. Increasingly, unaddressed concerns about data sharing is causing friction between project funders- such as State energy authorities and federal agencies awarding funds through the Infrastructure Bills- and the communities they mean to serve. At stake is a just energy transition- one that includes communities left behind by previous iterations of infrastructure development. This panel will provide three case studies that reveal lessons learned, to help funders and project managers avoid these conflicts. We will also discuss a range of solutions- from community engagement and information sessions, to more theoretical ideas like bundling small utilities into a single data hub, and offering access to the data through a cooperatively managed “data utility.”

The microgrid market in the US is growing quickly, and it is estimated to grow annually at 19% through 2027, and the Inflation Reduction Act spurred large investments in microgrids for both electric reliability and resilience and as a means to integrate renewable energy investments, including solar, storage, hydrogen, and others. New business models allow asset owners to leverage microgrids as an incrementally funded service rather than as a capital investment. With the growing popularity of microgrids and the changing market conditions, building cyber resilience into the design of these assets is critical to ensure that they can provide reliable service to the asset owners deploying them. This talk will discuss how Cyber-Informed Engineering can be used to create a template for resilient security features, appropriate for the critical functions of a microgrid or Battery Energy Storage System. These features, incorporated into the design of a microgrid or BESS effort, add engineered resilience to cyber attack and add a layer of defense beyond traditional cybersecurity mechanisms. This talk will demonstrate a workflow for quickly prioritizing critical functions and identifying opportunities for engineering controls to enhance the system security protection.

The Defense TechConnect(DTC) Innovation Spotlights are designed to accelerate private-sector and defense-sourced technology solutions aligned with warfighter and national security problem-sets.

Hear directly from the people writing SBIR/STTR topics and evaluating the proposals. Topics: keys to a successful proposal, what you should know about TRLs and MRLs, and so much more.

The Defense TechConnect(DTC) Innovation Spotlights are designed to accelerate private-sector and defense-sourced technology solutions aligned with warfighter and national security problem-sets.

This session will spotlight a collection of IEEE papers selected as the best in from submitted papers. These presentations will showcase the latest research, expanding the frontiers of knowledge. Attendees can anticipate engaging with leading experts and participating in thought-provoking discussions about the potential impact of these cutting-edge findings.

This panel session will include supply chain leaders from electric power utilities and industry trade associations across the U.S. who have been critical contributors to the industry’s supply chain resilience in a time of radical technological change, rapid demand growth, and heightened geopolitical tensions. This panel will address three primary questions: This session will widely focuses on critical materials supply chain sustainability for energy and chips security. Sessions will envisions to hold interdisciplinary approaches, use inspired research, and perspective on workforce development, private and academic sectors innovations that advance nation's circular economy for critical materials value chain. The vision and expected outcomes of the session is to pioneer the complete materials supply chain for clean energy technologies and Semiconductor chips from resource management, extraction, refining, and conversion of critical raw materials to ultra pure value products and components, providing potential policies and approaches for inclusive innovation ecosystem that drives economic growth, workforce development, use-inspired research and development, and the translation of innovations to practice, alleviating the potential supply chain risks of critical materials.

Learn about how companies can start with one agency in Phase I and move to a different agency in Phase II

Join us on a walking tour of downtown Austin, featuring the Seaholm District, a 90-acre living lab which demonstrates Austin's commitment to sustainable urban living and contains green features that are good for the environment and people who, live, work or play here. We will visit City Hall, where transportation policies are made and learn about sustainable urban design, pedestrian activation, dockless mobility, shared e-mobility, and green streets along the way.