Ohio Third Frontier Creates Military Innovations for National Security

COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 29 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ohio Third Frontier, an unprecedented and bipartisan commitment to create new technology-based products, companies, industries and jobs, is uniting Ohio's history of military innovation with new technologies that are leading the way for developments in national security. Ohio Third Frontier funds research that will greatly reduce casualties of war by improving the intelligence and data gathering capabilities of today's military and first responder communities.

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One example of Ohio Third Frontier's impact is found in STAN Solutions. In collaboration with an Israeli company and the Institute for the Development and Commercialization of Advance Sensor Technology (IDCAST), STAN Solutions is using advanced sensor technology to develop a system that allows the United States military to identify the enemy as well as American forces, which could prevent friendly-fire incidents.

"The Ohio Third Frontier has given us a platform to demonstrate our capabilities," said Tony Manual, president of STAN Solutions. "We're able to bring innovations to this collaboration of businesses academia and military and it gives us a broad base to work our initiatives and to develop concepts and create jobs."

Both STAN Solutions and IDCAST are beneficiaries of Ohio Third Frontier Funding. IDCAST was created with the support of a $28 million grant to the University of Dayton and partner organizations in academia, industry and the military to create Ohio jobs and technology innovation in the sensors industry.

"The idea of technology based economic development is key to what we're doing here at IDCAST and it's set up not only to develop technology, but to develop technology to create jobs," said Larrell Walters, director of IDCAST.

Other types of sensors being developed by Ohio Third Frontier partners include pathogen detections systems to protect the military from chemical and biologic threats and biometric systems for facial and real-time fingerprint recognition that will help guard against terrorism. Research and development projects being conducted by IDCAST and its partners support the needs of the Air Force Research Laboratory and its Sensor Directorate, centered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Additionally, companies throughout Ohio are partnering to provide the devices and equipment needed by the military.

"New technologies that protect our service members also result in good jobs for Ohioans who make next-generation intelligence gathering sensors and medical devices, helping our brave young men and women avoid injury first and live stronger and better lives in the event that they do need to heal when they come home," said Norm Chagnon, executive director of the Ohio Third Frontier Commission. "Ohio Third Frontier's investments in these companies' research, development, and capital infrastructure, aligned with Ohio's educational programs focused on technological excellence, creates an environment where young people and existing workers are prepared to fill the jobs of the future enabling them to remain in Ohio."

Since its inception, the Ohio Third Frontier has created, capitalized or attracted more than 600 companies, has created nearly 55,000 direct and indirect jobs and helped create $6.6 billion in economic impact in Ohio, a 9:1 return on investment.

More information about Ohio Third Frontier's impact on national security innovation can be found by viewing the video at http://ohiomeansbusiness.com/newsroom/multimedia-library/video-archive/index.php.

Additional information about Ohio Third Frontier can be found at www.OhioThirdFrontier.com.

SOURCE Ohio Third Frontier