CIT, The Center for Innovative Technology, announced today a ground-breaking contract that will improve state agency access to unmanned aerial systems service providers. Virginia’s Department of General Service (DGS) and the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) led the contracting effort on behalf of all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the territories of the United States.
This initiative, a first for the UAS industry, now connects state agencies with approved vendors. These technologies will enable state agencies to have more affordable access to problem solving data and imagery. The four Virginia companies chosen in this historic initiative are:
Draper Aden Associates, Richmond, Virginia, provides a depth of UAS services including aerial inspections and mapping data services. www.daa.com
DroneUp, LLC, Virginia Beach, Virginia, is an end-to-end drone pilot service provider for aerial data collection. DroneUp received the Virginia Unmanned Systems Center at CITS’s highest humanitarian honor earlier this year for finding a lost couple in the Amboy Crater National Natural Landmark. www.droneup.com
ERUdyne, Inc, Lancaster County, Virginia, features a Drone Flight School to fill a gap in commercial drone operations training including crisis management and disaster response and recovery support training. www.erudyne.com
SkyShots, Mechanicsville, Virginia is UAS video and photography services company. www.skyshots.com
“We are exceptionally pleased with the number of Virginia companies that met the rigorous Virginia (DGS) and National (NASPO) requirements. These companies continue to proudly represent why Virginia was recently chosen as the #1 place in America for unmanned aerial systems business. Two of the four Virginia companies selected, Draper Aden and DroneUp, are members of the CIT Unmanned Systems Advisory Board. Their experience on this contract will provide excellent insights to the Board as it shapes public policy proposals to maintain Virginia's leadership in this rapidly growing industry”
-Ed Albrigo, CIT CEO & President
This pioneering UAS service company selection continues to validate an industry poised to have a positive economic impact on innovation, job creation and opportunity throughout the State of Virginia. According to Tracy Tynan, Director of Virginia’s Unmanned Systems Center at CIT, “Unmanned systems continue to prove themselves incredibly valuable in a wide range of uses including engineering, agriculture, environmental assessment and crisis response. The data-rich UAS industry is poised to grow, and Virginia’s leadership is assuring that the Commonwealth will fully benefit from the economic impact this industry will ignite.”
About DGS and NASPO:
The Department of General Services (DGS) provides procurement, laboratory, construction management, vehicle management, graphic design, engineering, architectural services, mail and surplus property services, as well as Capitol Square facility and grounds operations, security, and maintenance. More information can be found at https://dgs.virginia.gov.
NASPO / National Association of State Procurement Officials: ValuePoint provides the highest standard of excellence in public cooperative contracting. By leveraging the leadership and expertise of all states and the purchasing power of their public entities, NASPO ValuePoint delivers the highest valued, reliable and competitively sourced contracts - offering public entities outstanding prices.
About the Center for Innovative Technology (CIT)
Investing for Commonwealth Growth | CIT concentrates on the early commercialization and seed funding stages of innovation, helping innovators and tech entrepreneurs launch and grow new companies, create high paying jobs and accelerate economic growth throughout the entire state of Virginia. Founded in 1985, CIT accelerates next generation technologies and technology companies through commercialization, capital formation, market development initiatives, and expansion of broadband throughout Virginia. Our programs include | CIT GAP Funds | Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund (CRCF) | Virginia Founders Fund | Broadband/Rural Broadband | Smart Communities | Cybersecurity | Unmanned Systems | SBIR/STTR Support (Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) & Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs) | University Partnerships | Startup Company Mentoring & Engagement. CIT’s CAGE Code is 1UP71. Contact: 2214 Rock Hill Road #600, Herndon, VA 20170 | 703.689.3000 | www.cit.org
You can also follow CIT on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
About The Virginia Unmanned Systems Center at CIT
Launched in 2017, the Virginia Unmanned Systems Center serves as a unifying voice and primary source for information and assistance related to the unmanned systems landscape in Virginia and is charged with building on the rich assets and business climate to make Virginia "THE" state for unmanned systems. The Center is responsible for developing an entrepreneurial culture regarding Autonomous Systems across Virginia, encouraging economic growth across the Commonwealth via Autonomous emergent business activities, and continuing to increase the Commonwealth's position as a leader of the Autonomous Systems community. For more information about the Virginia Unmanned Systems Center at CIT, please visit https://www.vus.virginia.gov/. You can also follow on Twitter
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