LaTech, CIC plan new partnership
Bossier City’s Cyber Innovation Center and Louisiana Tech University, which have partnered in the past for educational initiatives, plan to form another one.
It will be called the Louisiana Tech Research Institute and its purpose is to accelerate 21st Century research and economic growth, leaders of the institutions say.
Over the past seven years, the CIC and Tech have secured millions of dollars in research funding, created a knowledge-based economy in the region, and attracted national attention from industry, government, and communities. Creation of the Louisiana Tech Research Institute, or LTRI, is meant to build on that in light of anticipated growth in the region over the next decade.
“The results are undeniable,” said Craig Spohn, CIC president. “Our local cyber education model is being rolled out across the country with the Department of Homeland Security. We’ve seen a dramatic increase in enrollment at Louisiana Tech in the engineering and computer science programs. And CSC, a global IT leader, is locating over 800 jobs in our community — all because of the collaboration between CIC and Louisiana Tech. The sum is truly greater than the parts.”
LTRI will be a 501c3 not-for-profit corporation dedicated to promote and advance public/private partnerships, accelerate applied research and development. It also hopes to commercialize technology in three fields: cyber, energy and resiliency.
It will also provide office and laboratory space as well as technical support for research activities, workforce development efforts and external partnerships with industry and government.
“Louisiana Tech is a nationally recognized research institution,” said Tech President Les Guice. “Through LTRI, our faculty and students will have even more opportunities to innovate, showcase their skills, and create solutions to solve the complex problems that face our nation.”
LTRI will operate within the Cyber Innovation Center headquarters, the 135,000-square-foot flagship building facility at the National Cyber Research Park in Bossier City. Other tenants range from Fortune 200 companies and defense contractors to cyber security start-ups. Computer Sciences Corporation, CSC, is building an adjacent 110,000-square-foot Integrated Technology Center.
LTRI also will assist Tech and CIC in efforts to obtain and manage external funds, such as research grants or government contracts. Since 2007, Louisiana Tech has secured more than $20 million in research grants focused on cyber. CIC has received $13 million in grants from the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense.
“LTRI will support Louisiana Tech by enhancing its excellence as a research institution,” said Stan Napper, Tech’s vice president for research. “Leveraging the physical infrastructure, intellectual capital and national reputations of both organizations, this cooperative research center will create a center of gravity, a driver for research and development efforts throughout the region.”
Existing CIC and Louisiana Tech relationships with the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security will enable LTRI to continue the partnership’s history supporting national security research and programs. Initial research focus areas include cyber security, cloud computing, big data, sensors and mobile technologies, both unclassified and classified. It also will address supervisory control and data acquisition, or SCADA, systems.
LTRI will also work with local, state and federal government, industry and private individuals expand educational facilities located within the National Cyber Research Park. GB Cazes, Vice President of the CIC said, “This institute will enhance Bossier City and Northwest Louisiana’s competitiveness in the knowledge economy and expand Louisiana Tech’s impact and contribution to the region.”