Held at the Havelock Tourist and Event Center, the event focused on problem-solving, networking and STEM pipeline development. The Industry Day/Technology Scan marked the first working event held by the ENC Tech Bridge, which was launched Jan. 27.

As part of an Office of Naval Agility (NavalX) network, 17 Tech Bridges aim to bridge the gap between the Navy and emerging entities like startups, small businesses, academia, nonprofits and private capital that aren’t traditionally part of the Navy’s development and acquisition process. The ENC Tech Bridge operates in conjunction with a partnership between Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) and Craven County.

FRCE Commanding Officer Capt. James M. Belmont said he was excited to see participants from a wide variety of backgrounds taking part in the event, and was hopeful the ENC Tech Bridge would continue to build on the energy it has generated since the organization’s launch three months ago.

“The ENC Tech Bridge is still young, but we are enthusiastic about the opportunities it brings,” Belmont said. “It serves as a conduit that allows for us to share ideas, identify possible solutions and deliver capabilities to the warfighters, ideally faster than we could through traditional methods, and allows us to enlist these nontraditional partners in solving some of the Navy and Marine Corps’ most pressing issues. We are excited and committed to this initiative.”

In the Technology Scan aspect of the event, three companies presented briefings or demonstrations of technologies they offer that could help solve issues facing naval aviation and military maintenance, repair and overhaul operations: digital inventory tracking of small tools, and the on-aircraft measurement of a bearing liner’s remaining thickness. In order to participate, the companies first submitted white papers regarding their technologies. FRCE technical experts reviewed submitted white papers, assessed the technologies’ potential usefulness in a military depot or fleet environment, and issued invitations based on those criteria.

One participant, Anurag Kulshrestha, said he was excited about the opportunity to demonstrate his company’s tracking technology during the Technology Scan. The president and chief executive officer of Anantics said the company has done similar work for other American and international clients, and has been searching for an opportunity to do the same with the U.S. federal government. Kulshrestha said he saw the call for submissions on SAM.gov, the federal government’s website for contracting and award management initiatives, and recognized an opportunity to provide a live demonstration of the technology as a sort of proof of concept.

“I’m happy to be here and, hopefully, we have the technology solution the Navy needs,” he said.

In addition to the Technology Scan, the day’s events also featured a brief introduction to the Tech Bridge Program, an overview of the FRCE Advanced Technology and Innovation Team, an explanation of the Department of Defense’s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs, and a discussion about expanding outreach and awareness for STEM programs to build a sustainable STEM education and training pipeline for the production efforts of the U.S. Navy and beyond.

With such a wide range of topics covered, the event offered something for everyone who attended, said ENC Tech Bridge Director Jeff Nelson. All participants benefitted from at least one of the in-depth briefings that opened the event, and the expo provided an excellent opportunity for networking.

“I saw a lot of the attendees having very in-depth conversations with the exhibitors and with each other during the expo, and I believe that speaks to the success of today’s event,” Nelson said. “We’ve been able to strike a chord with information that was pertinent to our participants, and also facilitated them making connections with the ENC Tech Bridge, with FRCE and with each other, and that’s an important part of what we’re trying to accomplish here.”

The ENC Tech Bridge works to build an ecosystem of innovation to support the Navy and Marine Corps with a focus on several areas of consideration, including manufacturing and repair technologies; advanced manufacturing; big data, data analytics and visualization; technical insertion; augmented and mixed reality; automation and robotics; and soft and wicked problem solving.

FRCE is North Carolina's largest maintenance, repair, overhaul and technical services provider, with more than 4,000 civilian, military and contract workers. Its annual revenue exceeds $1 billion. The depot provides service to the fleet while functioning as an integral part of the greater U.S. Navy; Naval Air Systems Command; and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers.