海角社区 and Integer Technologies Announce $9.8M Navy Research Contract, Baton Rouge Office
July 30, 2024

Based in South Carolina, Integer Technologies is opening a permanent office on 海角社区鈥檚 flagship campus in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to work directly with students and faculty solving national security challenges. The strategic partnership is supported by an initial $9.8 million Navy research award to develop maritime technology. Integer continues to hire Louisiana engineers and recent 海角社区 graduates to create new capabilities for defense and intelligence customers.
Integer Technologies is a rapidly growing defense contractor that partners with top U.S. research universities to accelerate the development of scientific research in support of national security and U.S. military missions. The new partnership with 海角社区 positions Integer and the university to jointly pursue a range of technology initiatives that will create high-paying jobs in Louisiana and unlock the potential for 海角社区 and the state to secure multiple multi-million-dollar federal defense contracts. The first, will engage a multi-disciplinary research team in the 海角社区 College of Engineering and the 海角社区 College of Science to create new solutions for naval operators, including technologies to improve the intelligence, autonomy and decision-making abilities of distributed networks of maritime intelligent autonomous systems, such as underwater robots.
鈥淢y administration is committed to the continued economic growth of our great state of Louisiana,鈥 Governor Jeff Landry said. 鈥淪upporting our military, increasing port security and supporting the offshore energy industry through projects like this will bring continued investment and high-earning jobs to the hardworking men and women of Louisiana.鈥
鈥淲ith our proud military legacy and flagship mission, 海角社区 continues to serve and protect Louisiana and the nation,鈥 海角社区 President William F. Tate IV said. 鈥淲e have world-class problem solvers in coastal science and engineering, in cybersecurity and energy, and are excited to partner with Integer Technologies to put our research faculty and outstanding students and graduates in a position to support the U.S. Navy in defense of our great nation, in a way that creates jobs right here in Louisiana.鈥
Integer鈥檚 headquarters in Columbia, South Carolina, is located less than a mile from the University of South Carolina where 海角社区 President William F. Tate IV previously served as Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost. Integer鈥檚 pursuit of a research partnership with 海角社区 is a testament to the success of 海角社区鈥檚 Scholarship First Agenda, launched by Tate in 2022, where coast, defense and energy are three of the university鈥檚 top five research priorities.
鈥淭he entrepreneurial spirit and excitement I鈥檝e felt from the 海角社区 team since we began this partnership is contagious,鈥 Integer CEO Duke Hartman said. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 be more pleased to announce the opening of Integer鈥檚 new permanent office in Baton Rouge to work on this and other important national security projects with 海角社区. Together, we are building high-end technology research capacity that will become an asset to our national security customers in the areas of coast, defense, cyber and energy over the next decade.鈥
Prior to announcing the Navy contract, Integer already employed a Louisiana engineer and recently hired three more, including an 海角社区 mechanical engineering graduate. The company is also relocating top talent from across the country to support its new office in the Digital Media Center on 海角社区鈥檚 flagship campus in Baton Rouge.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not just managing the program administratively; our scientists and engineers are actually doing applied research, tech development and commercialization alongside our university partners鈥攖hat鈥檚 why we need to be here,鈥 Hartman said. 鈥淪ome people think you can do everything remotely, and I disagree. We need to be at the source of talent, where many graduates want to stay and where we can foster an intimate partnership with the 海角社区 research team. Proximity is part of our secret sauce. Our goal at the end of every project is to have a technology prototype we can demonstrate, often in the ocean, for our national security customers, and we need a tight collaboration to make that happen.鈥
Integer鈥檚 facilities will be capable of doing secure U.S. government work, with the potential for 海角社区 student interns and faculty to participate. Integer and 海角社区 have additional pending research proposals for cybersecurity, defense and energy-related efforts.
Maritime engineer Dillon Helfers, originally from St. Louis but a four-year resident of Lafayette, Louisiana, who previously worked on some of the largest autonomous ship programs for the U.S. military, was recently hired by Integer to support the growing research collaborations with 海角社区.
鈥淢y wife and I have been trying to stick around because we love Louisiana and we love Lafayette, but it can be hard to find jobs,鈥 Helfers said. 鈥淚nteger moving here is the perfect opportunity to stay and work for an organization that will have a regional economic impact.鈥
Helfers is already a frequent face in 海角社区鈥檚 robotics research labs.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 beat being here in person to help guide research toward relevance,鈥 Helfers said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e looking at the development of a robot and I can say to the professor or student, 鈥楽ee that piece? The Warfighter needs that piece today.鈥欌
Three recent 海角社区 engineering graduates from the Baton Rouge area鈥擟aleb Stewart, Jared Suprun and Pacco Tan鈥攁ll decided to pursue their master鈥檚 degrees at 海角社区 just to work on the newly funded 海角社区-Integer-Navy project.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very interesting research,鈥 said Tan, who graduated from 海角社区 last December with a dual bachelor鈥檚 degree in computer science and electrical engineering. 鈥淲e鈥檙e enabling acoustic communication between multiple robots that have to be underwater for a long time and can鈥檛 communicate too frequently as they otherwise run out of power. It鈥檚 challenging, and a great opportunity to refine my skills.鈥
鈥淜eeping our country safe in the future is all about how well we can gather and make sense of data and intelligence,鈥 Senator Bill Cassidy said. 鈥淭his partnership between 海角社区 and Integer Technologies helps our Navy defend our nation better. Louisiana can be proud that 海角社区 is who the Navy is working with.鈥
About Integer Technologies
Integer is a science and technology company that protects freedom by transforming innovative research into fieldable technology for our national security customers. Visit for more information.
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