Industry collaborators

The two industry relationships with the deepest record are the Energetics Technology Center, the non-profit spinoff founded in 2006, and the NEILOM Foundation, which funded the Center's Engineering for Social Change course.

Energetics Technology Center.

ETC was incorporated in Maryland as a 501(c)(3) in 2006 and originally headquartered at 107 Centennial Street in La Plata, on land donated by the State of Maryland through the Southern Maryland Initiative for Energetic Capability Development.

Dr. Richard Nadolink served as founding Executive Director. Robert "Bob" Kavetsky, a co-founder who held senior positions at ONR and the Office of the Secretary of Defense before joining the founding team, now serves as Chairman of the Board, President, and CEO. ETC has executed more than $40 million in Department of Defense R&D and policy programs since its founding.

Current ETC locations are 4445 Indian Head Highway in Indian Head, Maryland, and 210 Research Boulevard in Aberdeen, Maryland. Active partners listed on the ETC site include DEVCOM ARL, ONR, NRL, NAVSEA, the University of Maryland, Purdue, Catholic University, American University, and the College of Southern Maryland.

Visit etcmd.com

NEILOM Foundation.

A 501(c)(3) established in 2013 by Davinder K. Anand in memory of his son Dilip Anil "Neil" Anand. Anand serves as Founder and Executive Director.

The Foundation funds CECD's Engineering for Social Change program, which ran as ENME/ENES 467 at the University of Maryland from 2015 through 2023 in collaboration with the UMD School of Public Policy. Students in the course direct a $10,000 annual grant to a nonprofit of their choosing. More than 500 engineering and computer-science students have taken part. By 2017 the program had awarded more than $40,000 in student-directed grants.

Documented grant recipients include FRESHFARM Markets for the FoodPrints garden program at Ludlow-Taylor Elementary in Washington, D.C. (2015–16); Bread and Water for Africa for a community well in Sierra Leone (2016–17); the Oyster Recovery Partnership in Annapolis for shell-handling improvements, accepted by ORP Director of Program Operations Ward Slacum on December 8, 2017; and V-LINC for its Custom Assistive Technology program serving Marylanders with disabilities.

The Foundation also sponsored the prize pool ($1,500 first place, $500 second place) for the Entrepreneurship in Southern Maryland Challenge co-developed with the College of Southern Maryland.

Visit neilom.org