UD Blue Tech Initiatives

Advancing innovations in the Blue Economy through partnerships, entrepreneurships and research.

BlueTech Vision

In 2017, the UD BlueTech concept starts to take shape focus on forging partnerships focus on oceanography, engineering and business. In 2019, the UD Center for Autonomous & Robotic Systems (CARS) catalyzes development of a vision for automation in the Blue Economy

Project ABLE

Early 2021, the Project ABLE proposal was formalized and submit to Senator Coons and Senator Carper’s offices for Congressional Directed Spending funding consideration. ABLE was approved by congress, including in the FY22 OMNIBUS and signed by President Biden. Funding will arrive OCT 2022.

NSF IUCRC

UD was awarded a National Science Foundation Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers planning grant. Team is currently in customer discovery stage with industry partners to evaluate value proposition for a BlueTech Center of Excellence.

Interested parties can find more information about the prospective Center here.

NSF ERC

UD was awarded a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center planning grant. UD is leading proposal development in partnership with UPenn, UNH, URI, UoSC, and DSU.

Art Trembanis, Associate Professor, Oceanography

Prof. Art Trembanis

CARS Deputy Director

Oceanographer & Roboticist

PhD in Marine Science

Herbert Tanner

Prof. Bert Tanner

CARS Director

Engineer & Roboticist

PhD in Mechanical Engineering

Rob Nicholson

Rob Nicholson

Strategic Innovations Partnership Director

Navy Oceanography Officer

MS in Management