Penn nabs Lockheed research grant

After six months of negotiation, Lockheed Martin signed a contract with Penn earlier this month to fund and collaborate on technological research.

Computer and Information Sciences Professor Norman Badler's pioneering work in digital human modeling and simulation spurred the deal. Badler received $100,000 to augment his software discoveries over a one-year period.

"We look at the first year as the basis for future advancement," Lockheed Martin engineer Richard Rabbitz said.

Rabbitz is among the staff at Lockheed who will collaborate with Badler and his team of Ph.D. students. Their goal is to build a group of digital humans capable of making autonomous decisions and carrying out tasks in simulated environments.

Lockheed Martin hopes to use the software to test potential technology and thereby avoid manufacturing product prototypes that can be costly. Possible applications include various air traffic control and transportation equipment.

The collaboration "opens a great opportunity for us at Lockheed Martin," Rabbitz said.

But for the company to finally access Badler's work and save itself considerable amounts of money in prototypes, a "difficult negotiation" took place, according to Penn Center for Technology Commercialization Alexey Melishchuk.

Melishchuk acted as one of many additional University representatives called in to work with the Office of Research Services in the lengthier than usual process.

The primary struggle involved Lockheed's export control law along with additional intellectual property rights. As a defense contractor for the U.S. Navy, the company must ensure that sensitive information linked with product design not go abroad -- meaning that any foreign Penn student would not be able to access or work on company-funded research.

Information access would entail the likelihood of foreign individuals exporting potential defense knowledge to other countries.

The standard procedure has no baring on Badler's work, according to Melishchuk. But future research deals with the University and Lockheed could easily fall under the law's jurisdiction.

"Export control provisions are not acceptable to the University... [the clause] would discriminate against certain students, and we couldn't have that," Melishchuk said.

To settle negotiations, Lockheed Martin agreed to relinquish the export clause by withholding any export information from the University for future collaborations.

Lockheed Subcontract Administrator James Leary Jr. commented on the unusually "strong reluctance" by the University to accept the clause.

"We were able to strike an a agreement a lot quicker [with other universities]... maybe they're more liberal than the Ivy League," Leary concluded.

Lockheed has made similar research agreements with Drexel and Penn State universities in the past.

Office of Research Services official Ed Pieters played a large part in representing Penn during negotiations.

Pieters noted that "We had to be sure that we had a freedom to operate in conducting this [study]."

"The main hope is to demonstrate that both parties can work together and strengthen ties between the University of Pennsylvania and Lockheed Martin," Pieters said of the current situation.

Badler said he is "delighted to have an industry view the University of Penn as a partner for a research project."

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