Companies / JVs / Partnerships

U.S. buys additional shot-spotters
The U.S. Army already deploys more than 6,000 Boomerang shot-spotter systems; the manufacturer, BBN, has just received a $22.5 million contract to supply 3,300 additional units
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NSF international marks Food Safety Education Month
NSF, founded in 1944, is a veteran in the food safety business; September is U.S. National Food Safety Education Month, and NSF highlights its different activities aiming to improve food safety
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New business model for researching, producing vaccines
Relying on venture capital-funded biotech research is problematic when it comes to vaccines for pandemics and bioterrorism; an expert proposes a private-public partnership within the HHS Biomedical Advance Research and Development Authority
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U.S. pays $31 million for development of smallpox treatment
Florida company awarded $31 million to to produce an inhaled version of an existing smallpox drug; Danish company in negotiations with the U.S. to develop a freeze-dried form of its smallpox vaccine
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FDA requires faster food safety reporting
FDA unveiled a new electronic database where manufacturers must notify the government, within 24 hours, if one of their products is likely to cause sickness or death in people or animals
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Developer of system to prevent ID theft forms joint venture
The new identity theft prevention system — software and countertop machines — would verify Social Security numbers when people do business at government agencies, banks, stores, and other businesses
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Voice biometrics have not yet caught on in the United States
Canada and Australia are further along than the United States in this regard, mostly because of U.S. critics spreading unnecessary fear and doubt about the technology
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Trojan horse virus allows hackers, law enforcement, to eavesdrops on VoIP
A Trojan horse virus allows hackers, but also law enforcement, to record VoIP calls; law enforcement in the U.S. would presumably need a court order to surveil someone’s Skype calls, but the barriers to deploying the virus might be lower for intelligence agencies and authorities in other countries
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Purdue University, 21CSI to pursue homeland security opportunities
The two organizations will collaborate in implementing new decision support tools and processes at the federal, state, and local levels
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Boeing successfully tests airborne tactical laser
Silent death ray from the skies may usher in a new chapter in warfare: the laser may cause a cell tower to stop working, a vehicle’s fuel tank to suddenly explode, or a single person to inexplicably be incinerated — all completely silently and tracelessly, without anyone knowing they were ever there and not so much as a spent bullet left behind
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National Grid to use Swiss company's solution for SCADA/EMS
National Grid currently owns more than 4,000MW of contracted electricity generation capacity in the United States, delivering electricity to around 3.3 million customers; the company will use Swiss company ABB’s network management solution in its SCADA/EMS
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Pakistan to build own UAV
Under a program launched this month, Pakistan’s domestic version of the drone or unmanned aerial vehicle to be called Falco will be made in collaboration with Selex Galileo of Italy at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in Kamra in Punjab province
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Sanswire has lofty plans for airship
The Florida company has seen its ups and downs, but it now has a joint venture with TAO Technologies of Germany to develop and manufacture airships for use in war zones, border security, and for commercial purposes
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TSA awards private screening contract airports in Montana
TSA has selected Trinity Technology Group of Fairfax, Virginia., as the private screening contractor for seven airports in Montana under the Screening Partnership Program (SPP); the 5-year contract is worth $10,947,820
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Throwable robots for U.S. Navy SEALs
The U.S. military has ordered 150 Recon Scout devices (at a cost of $9,000 each) for the special forces; the beer can-sized robot is equipped with infrared night sight video; the robot is tough enough to be thrown through a door or window, dropped down a chimney, etc. before being driven about to see what it can see
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