One of Naval Surface Warfare Center – Crane Division’s (NSWC Crane) most impressive successes over the past year can be directly traced to its Technology Transfer (T2) Agreements Administrator, Jenna Dix, and her exceptional service and outstanding execution of the laboratory’s T2 responsibilities.

In June 2018, after nine months of negotiations and careful planning, Dix executed a singularly important multi-party Collaborative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) that will benefit the entire region for decades to come and make Southwest Central Indiana the preferred destination for microelectronics. This CRADA leverages the talent, resources and expertise of multiple entities (Advanced Research Institute, Indiana University, Purdue, Notre Dame and NSWC Crane) and pools everyone’s strengths to fulfill their missions and benefit the entire regional ecosystem of federal, state, academic and business organizations and leaders.

Dix’s creative use of existing contract vehicles has allowed her to support the warfighter directly by structuring 47 limited use CRADAs for vendors demonstrating their gear to warfighters at the Advanced Naval Technology Exercises (ANTX), thus enabling military personnel to provide real-time feedback and input on the gear shown to allow the vendor companies to improve and adjust their products to better serve our troops.

In June 2018, after nine months of negotiations and careful planning, Dix executed a singularly important multi-party Collaborative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) that will benefit the entire region for decades to come and make Southwest Central Indiana the preferred destination for microelectronics.

Since Dix started in her position in 2015, newly executed CRADAs have increased by an unbelievable 1,360 percent (from 5 to 73), and total active CRADAs have increased by 892 percent (from 12 to 119). The overall active T2 agreements of any kind have shot up by 91 percent (from 129 to 246). She has completely overhauled, restructured, and streamlined NSWC Crane’s tech transfer agreement process and implemented efficient standard operating procedures to achieve these unbelievable increases in active tech transfer activity.

Dix comes highly recommended for this award by her supervisor and NSWC Crane Office of Research and Technology Applications (ORTA) representative Brooke Pyne, who summed up Dix’s outstanding qualities: “The transformation Jenna has effected has been incredible.  The background, the integrity and honesty, and the professionalism that Jenna has brought to the team and the office is foundational to the culture shift we’re seeing in our program. It has fostered trust with all the stakeholders involved, and provided confidence in the program and system. At the core we’re relationship builders, brokers and facilitators, and Jenna epitomizes our conviction that we will seek out internal partners and external collaborators while capitalizing on tech and talent to serve our lab’s mission to support the warfighter. Looking at what she’s been able to accomplish in such a short time, I can’t wait to see what she’ll do next - Jenna Dix is just getting started!

Contact: Jenna Dix, (812) 854-5049, [email protected]