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.