Dr. Jeffery Holland became Director of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in January 2010. Since then, his vision and leadership have been instrumental in improving and increasing industry partnerships to enhance both technology development and the subsequent transfer of that technology to the ultimate end user.

Under Dr. Holland’s leadership, the ERDC has consistently reached new heights in the number of Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs), licenses, and other industry partnership agreements. In fiscal year 2013 (FY13), the ERDC entered into a record 61 CRADAs with revenues topping $6 million. The ERDC currently has more than 150 active CRADAs and 25 active licensing agreements. In FY13, the ERDC entered into 342 Testing Services Agreements (TSAs) with industry and academia, giving participants access to over $2 billion in unique research and testing equipment. Under Dr. Holland’s leadership, ERDC manages 38 Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) projects with industry, totaling over $15 million in funding.

Emphasizing to ERDC leadership and researchers the importance of teamwork and a corporate outlook in program execution, Dr. Holland has encouraged partnerships with federal and state agencies, universities, and private industry. To this end he established the ERDC Business Development Office. One initiative of this office is assisting technical staff with developing Strategic Engagement Plans for reaching out to customers and industry. Another involves promoting awareness among ERDC researchers of industry capabilities in key areas. This, in part, serves to strengthen plans for partnering and developing relevant, impactful solutions.

Dr. Jeffery Holland became Director of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in January 2010.

During his tenure as ERDC Director, Dr. Holland has been active in a number of economic development organizations in Mississippi. In one example of Dr. Holland’s leadership and initiative, representatives from the Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce and Innovate Mississippi, a state-chartered, nonprofit economic development group, met with ERDC senior managers to discuss potential technology spinoffs to Mississippi-based companies, leading to patent license applications from Mississippi companies for the Hardened Alternative Trailer System (HATS). Also, in FY13, ERDC completed a license agreement with Mississippi Prison Industries for the SACON® bullet-trapping technology.

Dr. Holland also created the Human Capital Initiative (HCI), which has identified science, technology, education, and mathematics (STEM) as major foci. In FY13, ERDC’s STEM programs reached more than 7,000 students and nearly 550 teachers. The cornerstone of the HCI is to attract and retain high-quality employees by offering them the opportunity to work with world-class experts—not only at ERDC, but also in industry and academia—all accomplished through partnership agreements.