TCRDF A Year In Review 2023

It is an honor to serve as President and CEO of the Tougaloo College Research and Development Foundation. Through the years, my belief remains the same: The fastest way to increase HBCU competitiveness is by forming partnerships. By providing partnerships with our schools who have been doing this work for years,​ we can build capacity.

In this newsletter, I am delighted to provide you with an overview of the TCRDF, highlighting our significant accomplishments and outlining events from 2023. It is my hope that through this newsletter, we can foster a deeper understanding of our mission, engage with our valued stakeholders, and continue to build a vibrant community dedicated to supporting HBCUs.

Sincerely,

John Rosenthall

President & CEO

The concept for a research foundation at Tougaloo College was presented to the Tougaloo College Board of Trustees (Board) in October 2015 to engage Tougaloo alumni in supporting the College’s research and contracts pursuit. We believed that the talented alumni could help the College establish new partnerships, strengthen existing partnerships, and help pursue, capture, and manage new opportunities for the faculty, students, and the institution.

The Board presented a series of questions, took the idea under advisement, and placed it on the agenda for the May 2016 meeting.

At the May meeting, the Board entertained a discussion and decided that the concept was worth moving forward, gave approval to form a non-profit organization, and requested a plan for moving forward to be presented at the October 2016 meeting.

The board made it clear that the College was not investing any of its limited resources in the organization’s formation and operation.

TCRDF was incorporated as a Mississippi not for profit corporation in October 2016 and recognized as a non-profit organization under Section 501C(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code on June 20, 2019. The Board decided that TCRDF should support the research and development mission of Tougaloo College and all HBCUs.

Historically, there have been disparities in the amount of funding provided by government sources to different institutions of higher education. Our mission is to assist HBCUs in obtaining a greater portion of these funding opportunities by facilitating partnerships between them and research entities, such as University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs), Majority Serving Institutions, federal contractors, and other organizations.

The mission of the Tougaloo College Research and Development Foundation is to support the research and development mission of Tougaloo College, in partnership with Historically Black colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Encourage | Engage | Enhance

• Encourage...
• Collaboration among institutions of higher learning, with a special focus on HBCUs
• Department of Defense (DOD) activities designed to implement National Defense Authorization Act requirements to enhance engagements with HBCUs
• Engage...
• A broad-based coalition of corporate partners and government agencies to support HBCU research and contract activities
• With the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), the Congressional Black Caucus and the Bipartisan HBCU Caucus as supporters in our efforts to enhance DOD engagements with HBCUs
• Enhance...
• Communication between Congress and HBCUs regarding funding opportunities
• HBCU efforts to capture Department of Defense research and contract opportunities

TCRDF supports Tougaloo College and other HBCUs by fostering external partnerships and pursuing new opportunities. Here is a list of new partnerships coordinated by TCRDF.

• Amazon Web Services – provided a $20,000.00 grant to pursue a certification program.
• Deloitte – Provided a senior executive to serve on a Cybersecurity Advisory Board to help the College establish a Cybersecurity program and seek Cybersecurity funds.
• Mississippi State University – Provided a key staffer to help the College build a vibrant Cybersecurity program, offered partnership roles on research projects, collaborated with faculty members on white papers, and agreed to partner with the College to prepare competitive proposals.
• The Institute for Creative Technologies at the University of Southern California – Provided support to the College’s Cybersecurity program, made internships available to students, and collaborated with the College on proposals.
• Georgia Tech Research Institute – Supported the Cybersecurity effort and agreed to collaborate with the College on proposals.
• Georgia Tech – Hosted faculty members at Georgia Tech events to explore funding opportunities and agreed to partner with the College on competitive proposals.
• SOL Engineering – Provided Cybersecurity experts to support the Cybersecurity effort and agreed to partner with the College on contract proposals.
• Venly Corporation – Partnered with the College to present a proposal to the Department of Commerce. The project was not funded and Venly is interested and available to jointly pursue additional opportunities.
• Tennessee State University – Agreed to partner with the College to prepare proposals in areas where the College lacks competencies.
• Tuskegee University – Agreed to partner with the College to prepare proposals in areas where the College lacks competencies.
• The Institute for Applied Engineering at the University of South Florida – Agreed to partner with the College to pursue opportunities in areas where the College lacks competencies.
• The Stevens Institute – Agreed to partner with the College to pursue opportunities where the College lacks competencies.
• The Applied Research Institute – Agreed to support the Colleges efforts to pursue opportunities under the UARC vehicle.
• Purdue University – Provided opportunities for students to engage in research at Purdue, internships, stipends, and the opportunity to receive a security clearance.

Department of Energy Scholars Project ($250,000.00) – A project produced entirely by TCRDF that made scholarships and internships available to 20 Tougaloo students.

Department of Commerce Entrepreneurship Project ($750,000.00) – An opportunity TCRDF presented to the College and wrote most of the proposal. The College received more than $300,000.00 in indirect funds from that project.

CEDI Project ($250,000.00) – A Cybersecurity Education opportunity TCRDF introduced to the College and lead the proposal preparation with the College. This effort also included intern opportunities for students.

Mansion Improvement Project ($1,000,000.00) – TCRDF received a $1,000,000.00 grant to restore the interior of the Mansion on campus. The College manages the project and the funds. TCRDF does not participate financially in this project.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) Certification Grant ($20,000.00) – TCRDF formed a partnership with AWS and secured a grant in the amount of $20,000.00 to produce a technology certification program.

Jackson Heart Study- TCRDF prepared for the College a Jackson Heart Study Data Science Scholars proposal for the National Institutes of Health to develop an undergraduate Data Science JHS-Scholars program to prepare STEM students for data-related graduate programs and employment in the emerging and high-growth fields of digital information and big data.

Deloitte - TCRDF is on a Deloitte led team that has won an Indefinite Quantity Indefinite Delivery contract from the federal government that holds the potential to increase Tougaloo College's presence in the federal contracting space and hire additional faculty.

ARI – Partnered with TCRDF to win an award to attract additional HBCUs and other underrepresented performers to apply for and receive Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency research grants and contracts.

• TCRDF has contributed over $300,000 for Tougaloo College employee salaries for faculty and staff to participate in research and education projects funded by TCRDF.

• 2023 Business Luncheon - $2,000.00
• 2023 Two Rivers Gala $60,000.00 (Check presentation said $100,000.00. The additional $40,000 was given prior to the Gala).

19 January 2023

TCRDF Business Advisory Board Members Major General Abraham Turner, USA (Ret) and Major General Byron Bagby, US Army (Ret) hosted a conversation to discuss opportunities and paths to HBCU research and contract successes in the Department of Defense and DARPA. Reggie Cooper (DARPA) and Lt. General Masiello, USAF (Ret) also participated in the conversation that was streamed to HBCUS.

23 January 2023

TCRDF represented Tougaloo College at the announcement of the first University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) hosted by an HBCU. Tougaloo College is a member of the HBCU UARC Consortium and is the only four year liberal arts institution in any of the 15 UARCs in the country.

3 February 2023

The TAMPA, FL Pop-up introduced DARPAConnect to researchers and potential DARPA performers. Three HBCUs participated in the event.

10 February 2023

The purpose of the meeting was: 1) for General Officers (GO) and Senior Executive Service (SES) members to gain understanding of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Requirements, 2) to suggest policies and programs that GO, and SESs could develop and implement to ensure HBCUs are part of DoD research and development (R&D).

9 May 2023

This event was an actionable outreach activity that allowed the DARPAConnect stakeholders the opportunity to introduce our Pop-Up concept to the Defense research performers and research capable HBCUs within the radius of Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane). Four HBCUs participated in the event

15 May 2023

TCRDF participated in the initial HBCU University Affiliated Research (UARC) Consortium at Howard University.

June 2, 2023

TCRDF discussed DARPAConnect with the Council of HBCU Engineering deans. The Council consists of the deans of engineering at the fourteen (14) ABET accredited HBCUs with a school or college of engineering.

9 June 2023

This event provided a venue for DARPAConnect participants to speak to HBCUs. A session was devoted to DARPAConnect and means to become a DARPA performer. This 108-member organization has provided the opportunity for another DARPAConnect workshop at their 28th Technical Assistance Workshop June 6 – 9, 2024 in San Antonio, Texas.

7 September 2023

This 30-minute session via Zoom provided participants with information about DARPA and how DARPAConnect is designed to broaden DARPA’s reach and stimulate growth and collaboration between DARPA and small businesses and HBCUs new to the agency or to the national security space. Presenters: Jennifer Thabet, J.D., Director, Small Business Programs Office DARPA; Bill Kiser, Ph.D., Executive Vice President for Science and Technology, The Applied Research Institute; and Jess Resig, Ph.D., Director of Solutions Innovation the Applied Research Institute. This session was hosted by John Rosenthall, President & CEO, TCRDF.

19 September 2023

The DARPAConnect stakeholders collaborated with the North Carolina Defense Technology Transition office (DEFTECH), a component of the NC Military Business Center to execute the North Carolina Regional Pop-up event at The Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, a partnership between North Carolina A&T and UNC Greensboro in Greensboro, NC. Fourteen (14) HBCUs participated in this event.

24-28 September 2023

The Annual National Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Week Conference was conducted under the leadership of the White House Initiative on HBCUs with input from the President’s Board of Advisors on HBCUs and its conference sponsors. ARI and TCRDF presented a DARPAConnect workshop.

3 November 2023

This event provided a venue for DARPAConnect to specifically target the HBCUs landscape. Dr. Stefanie Tompkins, Director, DARPA was very articulate in her enthusiasm for 2-year research capable HBCUs and Community Colleges to envision their research activities as the foundation for pre-baccalaureate research experience and preparation for the next step in their transfer to four-year academic career journey. Tougaloo College’s Provost Sampson, two faculty members and nine students participated in the event. Major General Abraham J, Turner, US Army (Ret) participated in a lightening round talk.

Notable Participants

• U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) – Ranking Member, Senate Armed Services Committee
• Dr. Stefanie Tompkins, Director, DARPA
• Josiah J. Sampson, III, Ph.D., Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs, Tougaloo College
• Major General Abraham J, Turner, US Army (Ret)

6-9 November 2023

The third Annual HBCU Research and Innovation Week (HBCU RIW) event was held in Jackson, Mississippi with the theme Driving Innovation Through Data Science. DARPAConnect was introduced to participating institutions of higher learning and others including the University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University, the University of Memphis, Princeton University, the Army Materials Command (AMC), the US Army Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC) and Innovate Mississippi.

7-8 November 2023

TCRDF joined forces with Georgia Tech to produce a research collaboration to help Georgia Tech build research and contract partnerships with HBCUs. These partnerships will pursue opportunities that institutions lack the capacity to capture and manage. Tougaloo College faculty researchers have access to extensive partnership capacity that should enhance the college's ability to win new awards.

16 November 2023

TCRDF convened a 30 Minutes With session with U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC) featuring Christina L. Freese, Acting Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, G-1, and Ann Nollett, Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff (Civilian Personnel), G-1. During this session HBCUs had the opportunity to receive information about AMC opportunities, navigate their website, and find their key points of contact. While this session focused primarily on workforce development, interested institutions that contact TCRDF for AMC support will also receive DARPAConnect information.

30 November 2023

TCRDF teamed with five retired African American Army Generals to help HBCUs gain a greater understanding of how the Army and Department of Defense work, develop solutions, and prepare competitive proposals. This event was hosted by Alabama A&M University with streaming available to all HBCUs. Five additional HBCUs were invited and participated in person. Georgia Tech Research Institute and DARPAConnect presented in the session. The next Generally Speaking session will convene on February 20, 2024 with TCRDF partner Deloitte serving as co producer and host.