LSU and Integer Technologies announce $9.8M research contract, partnership

Navy funding advances intelligent autonomy for maritime vessels, supporting LSU research priorities in coast, defense and energy

COLUMBIA, SC – LSU and Integer Technologies announce the Office of Naval Research has awarded their team a $9.8 million contract to research and develop new solutions for improving the intelligence, autonomy and decision-making ability of distributed networks of maritime intelligent autonomous systems for naval operators.

The program, titled Intelligent Data Management for Distributed Naval Platforms, will support the U.S. Navy’s goal of transitioning to uncrewed and autonomous vessels to achieve Distributed Maritime Operations. The LSU-Integer team will research and develop digital engineering and artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches to enable naval autonomous vessels with three essential functions: 1) make sense of limited data to determine its importance to the mission, 2) communicate securely, effectively and efficiently with other assets, and 3) independently determine best actions through global models, particularly in scenarios with high uncertainty.

“With our proud military legacy and flagship mission, LSU continues to serve and protect Louisiana and the nation,” LSU President William F. Tate IV said.

In support of the program, Integer Technologies has established a permanent research and development office in the Louisiana Digital Media Center on LSU’s flagship campus in Baton Rouge. The Integer office will be home to scientists, engineers and staff to establish a dedicated Department of Defense capability in Louisiana, supported by a pipeline of qualified LSU graduates.

“We’re excited about this partnership as the breadth and depth of the research capacity and the entrepreneurial spirit we’ve found at LSU is outstanding,” said Duke Hartman, CEO of Integer Technologies. “This partnership has absolutely huge potential for the state, and has already led to additional high-impact, multi-million-dollar proposals between Integer and LSU. I couldn’t be more pleased to announce this partnership, hire LSU grads and establish a permanent office in Baton Rouge.”

Duke Hartman is also one of the co-founders of the company. He is a professional engineer who has focused his career in the maritime and defense industries, leading R&D and product development efforts. ​Duke earned his bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from the University of Hawaii. He lives in Columbia, South Carolina, with his wife and three children.

– BUSINESS WIRE

About LSU

LSU is one of only a handful of universities in the United States that are designated as land-grant, sea-grant and space-grant institutions with an R1 designation for “very high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation. Coast, defense and energy are three of the university’s top five priority areas for research as part of LSU’s Scholarship First Agenda, which also supports agriculture and biomedical science to improve lives.

About Integer Technologies

Integer is a science and technology company that protects freedom by transforming innovative research into fieldable technology for our national security customers. Visit www.integer-tech.com for more information.