Battelle Team Wins $16.6 million in Contract Awards for Microelectronics Security from Air Force Research Laboratory

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Aug. 27, 2020)—To assist the Department of Defense as it pivots from a Trusted Foundry approach to a Zero Trust architecture in production of critical microelectronic components, Battelle continues its work developing and validating quantifiable assurance tools and processes; thereby, mitigating the threat of counterfeit and untrustworthy integrated circuits and embedded systems in the military’s supply chain. This program further enables Battelle to partner with government and industry in developing and transitioning the underpinning technologies for quantifiable assurance of microsystems.

Building upon its proven expertise in cyber hardware trust and assurance, Battelle was awarded a $16.6 million task order contract under the Microelectronics and Embedded Systems Assurance (MESA) IDIQ contract vehicle, where Battelle is a prime contractor.

On the new task order, which continues through 2022, Battelle will develop and validate techniques for quantifiable assurance of microelectronics devices and systems. The new award will accelerate the pace of technical activity for the customer, including new lines of effort supporting verification and validation tool development and demonstration.

The contract builds on Battelle’s experience in conducting basic and applied research on technologies designed to address the increasing threat and proliferation of counterfeit microelectronics and integrated circuits, as well as untrusted fabrication of critical microelectronics. Recently, senior leaders in OSD, DARPA and Industry at the DARPA 2020 Electronics Resurgence Initiative (ERI) Summit highlighted how critical securing our microelectronics hardware supply chain is to national security. All modern defense weapon systems are inherently reliant on microelectronic devices and embedded systems for their operation. Threats to the integrity of these components could result in significant harm to operations, people and systems.

“We’re excited to continue our collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Sensors Directorate developing innovative trust and assurance solutions to enhance the security and reliability of DoD systems,” said Tom Bergman, cyber program manager at Battelle.

For more than a decade, Battelle has been trusted by government clients to solve some of their most perplexing cyber challenges and manage the ever-changing cyber landscape through custom solutions, discipline-diverse talent, and unique tools, technology and expertise.

About Battelle

Every day, the people of Battelle apply science and technology to solving what matters most. At major technology centers and national laboratories around the world, Battelle conducts research and development, designs and manufactures products, and delivers critical services for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio since its founding in 1929, Battelle serves the national security, health and life sciences, and energy and environmental industries. For more information, visit www.battelle.org.  

Posted

Aug 27, 2020

Author

Battelle Media Relations

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