UMass Dartmouth Gets $4.57M for Navy Undersea Warfare Research

UMass Dartmouth announced today that it won a $4,576,764 grant from the U.S. Navy to fund research projects in collaboration with the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. It's the largest research award in UMass Dartmouth history.

At an awards ceremony, UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Robert E. Johnson said the grant will strengthen the university's relationship with the Navy and bolster workforce development in the marine science and technology industries.

The university's Marine and UnderSea Technology research program (MUST) was recently formed "to address needs of the United States Navy," including "new sources of cutting-edge research and the development of a highly trained workforce," according to a press release.

MUST will address technologies including acoustics, signal processing, sensing, communications, and autonomous underwater vehicles. MUST says it has developed research projects "that leverage faculty strengths to respond to critical needs of the Navy."

Johnson thanked U.S. Rep. Bill Keating for his support in Congress. “Southeastern New England is the hub of the Blue Economy and UMass Dartmouth is unquestionably a preeminent leader in this field,” Keating said.

University of Massachusetts President Martin T. Meehan delivered congratulations, and said the grant will "enhance national defense, create jobs, and strengthen the region as a hub of marine innovation." Members of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation, including Sen. Ed Markey, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III all sent statements of praise. Ronald Vien, Technical Director at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, spoke of the agency's "long term collaborative relationship with UMass Dartmouth."

"UMass Dartmouth and the Navy has long enjoyed a great synergistic partnership. I look forward to taking it to the next level," said Associate Provost and Professor of Computer Science Ramprasad Balasubramanian, who leads the MUST research program.

Since 2015, UMass Dartmouth has secured 19 awards from the Navy totalling nearly $5 million before today's grant announcement.