Public-private partnership weighs homeland security technology ideas

The Center for Commercialization of Advanced Technology (CCAT), a public-private research and development partnership funded by the Defense Department, announced Thursday that it has received more than 100 responses to its recent solicitation for innovative technologies related to defense and homeland security.

Most applications submitted during the month-long solicitation, which closed May 15, were for emergency "first responder" technologies such as wireless communications devices, global positioning systems for tracking, and training software.

Other popular categories included explosive-detection technologies, chemical and biological detection systems, border-intrusion sensors, encryption decoding devices, and language-translation systems.

The center plans to announce the winners by mid-July. Awards include product-development funding, marketing assessments, business planning and strategic consulting services.

"There is an increasing and urgent need for an organization like CCAT to assist in the development of promising homeland security- and defense-related technologies to the marketplace," CCAT Chairman Lou Kelly said Thursday.