U2opia Technology has licensed Situ and Heartbeat, a package of technologies from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory that offers a new method for advanced cybersecurity monitoring in real time. Situ, which discovers and understands otherwise-undetectable events by analyzing security data, will go to the market through a commercial license. The company will continue to explore opportunities for Heartbeat, which detects cyber attacks by focusing on the physical behavior of a protected device, through a research and development license.
U2opia Technology, a woman- and minority- led company, is directed by Maurice Singleton III, chief executive officer, and chaired by Joaneane Smith.
Though Singleton first learned of the power of technology transfer partnerships 25 years ago, it wasn’t until 2019 that he began to pursue a partnership with a national laboratory.
During an event at ORNL on Sept. 5 to celebrate the licensing, Singleton recalled that Stacy Prowell, a cyber security scientist in ORNL’s Cyber Resilience and Intelligence Division, persuaded him to make the leap. “Stacy was enthusiastic. He said, ‘You have the right concept, and we have the right tools at ORNL. We can solve this problem.’”
Situ, developed by a team led by ORNL’s John Goodall, was supported by funding through ORNL’s Laboratory Directed Research and Development, or LDRD, program, DOE, the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security. Heartbeat, developed by a team led by Prowell, was supported through the lab’s Technology Innovation Program, or TIP.
“This partnership is a great example of connecting researchers and innovators to companies through programs like LDRD and TIP, which leads to global impact,” said Jennifer Caldwell, ORNL director of technology transfer.
U2opia licensed both technologies for research and development purposes in 2023. The partnership between ORNL and U2opia has been recognized by the Federal Laboratory Consortium, earning an award for excellence in technology transfer.
Situ and Heartbeat were developed through multi-disciplinary research drawing on mathematics, data science, software engineering, computing, artificial intelligence and complex systems, creating practical solutions to protect the nation’s infrastructure.
Enhancing digital security is a key priority for DOE and ORNL, as threats to America’s national security emerge at a rapid pace.
“Thanks to our researchers’ creativity and dedication, ORNL continues to advance technologies that benefit our nation’s security,” said Moe Khaleel, associate laboratory director for the lab’s National Security Sciences Directorate.
Improved cyber security is also a pressing concern for small businesses. “Fifty percent of all small businesses breached by cyber security attacks go out of business,” Singleton said. “We need to get research out of the filing cabinets and into the marketplace, because it is difficult as a small business to allocate funds and resources to conduct R&D.”
Delphia Howze, chief inclusion officer at ORNL, said, “Technology developed in the national laboratory system has the potential to transform small businesses; equitable access to its resources is very important to the Department of Energy. At ORNL, we have the privilege and responsibility to be intentional and inclusive. ORNL works with hundreds of small businesses through our Small Business Office, in regional economic development efforts, partnership agreements and technology licenses. Nearly half of our licenses in 2024 are with small businesses.”
In addition to Goodall and Prowell, the ORNL development team includes Joel Reed, Joel Dawson, Aaron Ferber, Ali Passian, Jeff Nichols, Kelly Huffer and Dave Richardson. Former ORNL researchers Bobby Bridges, Erik Ferragut, Michael Iannacone, Jason Laska, Lane Harrison, Jarilyn Hernandez Jimenez and Christopher Rathgeb also contributed to the technologies.
Senior commercialization manager Andreana Leskovjan negotiated the terms of the license. Browse ORNL’s portfolio of information technology and communications innovations.
UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science. — Brynn Downing
