Black Tie Networx Awarded €1.9MM Grant for IED Detection Project

 

The Hague, the Netherlands – Dutch government agency NL Innovation has awarded Black Tie Networx (BTNX) a grant of 1.9MM euros to commercialize its improvised explosive device (IED) detection solution.  “This grant is a major step in securing the funds necessary to develop the technology,” comments John Ellingson, CEO of BTNX.   “Eliminating the threat of IEDs is a global problem and one that needs to be addressed now.”   The Marietta, Georgia-based high-performance computing company has Dutch operations in Amsterdam. 

 

The grant, available to foreign companies locating in the Netherlands, is in the form of an Innovation Credit.  Under a Dutch Royal Decree, these Innovation Credits are to be used by small and mid-size enterprises to commercialize new and innovative solutions in the areas of energy and climate, innovation and environmental health and safety.  BTNX is the first US company to receive this grant.

 

The Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA), an operational unit of the ministry of Economic Affairs, assisted BTNX in obtaining the grant.  The NFIA helps and advises foreign companies on the establishment, rolling out and/or expansion of their international activities in the Netherlands. 

 

Over the past year, BTNX’s Advanced Visualization OPS team has developed an integrated extreme computing solution that will use 2D data collected by unmanned aerial aircraft to locate roadside bombs, mines and unexploded ordinance on a 3D visualization map in near real-time.  Detecting IEDs from the air greatly increases the kilometers of ground that can be analyzed and gives NATO, the Red Cross and civilian convoys advance notice of possible areas of concern and increased route flexibility.

 

“It is our intention that using this application will eventually make IEDs obsolete,” says Ellingson.  “We are looking forward to working with partners like Nokia, Teledyne and TNO to continue to develop the military theatre-ready solutions that will be used by bomb disposal teams to remove these threats.”

 

About BTNX

Black Tie Networx ( http://www.btnetworx.com ), based in Marietta, Georgia, was formed in 2009 by former technology executives from Deloitte, IBM, Oracle and Linux Networx to deliver high performance computing solutions to the market.  Through its extensive HPC Eco-System, BTNX works with software application companies, researchers and scientists to provide turnkey, optimized HPC software and hardware packages to their SME markets.  BTNX reaches the following market sectors: biosciences, CAE, CFD, chemical engineering, DCC, economics. EDA, geosciences, mechanical design, defense, academic research, climate, and technical management.

 

About NL Innovation

NL Innovation (http://www.nlinnovatie.nl) is a Dutch government agency which is part of NL Agency which came about through a merger of EVD, the Netherlands Patent Office (Octrooicentrum Nederland) and SenterNovem.  Focusing on sustainability, innovation, international business and cooperation, NL Agency is the number one contact point for businesses, knowledge institutions and government bodies.  It advises on financing, networking and regulatory matters.  The division NL Innovation helps businesses to innovate, by providing finance, advice and contacts.