Building Bridges to Accelerate Innovation

The University of Maryland (UMD) A. James Clark School of Engineering MATRIX Lab is building partnerships and sparking innovation in Southern Maryland.

The team held its first Industry Open House, sponsored by HII's Mission Technologies division, on July 15 at the USMSM SMART Building. The event brought together professionals from organizations across industry, government, and academia. Sessions highlighted how each sector can help create a seamless pathway from idea to capability, and how the Clark School and the MATRIX Lab can support that mission with their innovation opportunities. Dr. Reza Ghodssi, UMD Distinguished University Professor and MATRIX Lab Executive Director of Research and Innovation, described the lab as a regional resource for industry and government partners.

“This event was an excellent example of how our highly skilled faculty, researchers, students, staff and our world-class capabilities in autonomy, robotics, advanced manufacturing, test & evaluation of autonomous systems can create value for everyone involved when industry and government engage with them directly,” said Dr. Ghodssi. “The Open House was a success on all fronts - I look forward to seeing what collaborations form as a result of this event, and what those teams are able to accomplish together.”

In the afternoon panel, leaders across industry, government, and academia (KBR, HII, NAWCAD, and UMD) explored what makes long-term partnerships successful and how collaboration can be strengthened across the defense innovation ecosystem. The discussion focused on reducing institutional barriers, expanding workforce pipelines, embracing more flexible partnership models, and building the trusted relationships needed to move new technologies from research into operational use.

More information can be found on the Baynet News and UMD ECE News (20 - July / 2026)