The Northeast Tech Bridge activity is coordinated at NUWC Division Newport by the Northeast Tech Bridge director Dr. Steven V ... . Bordonaro. Its focus areas are ocean sciences, including maritime composites and textiles, undersea vehicles, undersea sensors, and undersea technologies. Polaris Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), a statewide nonprofit organization, is leading the 401 Tech Bridge, and is the Navy's partnership intermediary. The 401 Tech Bridge — one of the first to open in the country — is the nucleus of the Northeast Region Tech Bridge, establishing best practices for public/private partnerships that support and focus on the businesses and economies of the region. In this capacity, the 401 Tech Bridge has a goal of accelerating concept to prototype to commercial scale and is supported by the Office of Naval Research, the National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) award program, the R.I. Innovation Campus, network matching grants and private funding. read more