‘FlightLink’ idea takes off with SPAWAR, SCRA on board

FlightLink, an idea bank that has forged a link between the South Carolina Research Authority, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Charleston, the state’s three research universities and other research and technology institutes, has lifted off.

What began as a simple method of getting assistance with engineering problems for the employees at SPAWAR has grown into a collaborative statewide portal for idea-sharing, troubleshooting and problem-solving.

“The concept was that as a college senior you’re always required to do a student project,” said Thomas Kirkpatrick, senior systems engineer with SPAWAR. “and we have ideas around here that we need people to check and help out with, so we thought about putting the two concepts together.”

A prototype of the idea was formed back in 2003 when a professor at Clemson University lined up some students to talk to the staff at SPAWAR to discuss ideas for senior projects, Kirkpatrick said.

“We collaborated about every two weeks, then they came down and presented their projects at our command briefing theater,” he said. “They were very impressive ideas.”

In fact, the projects were so impressive that two of the students were subsequently offered jobs at SPAWAR.

SPAWAR is working with SCRA and the state universities to set up procedures to build relationships with the universities and continue the concept on a larger scale, Kirkpatrick said.

“We’re working on a mechanism to make it more formal instead of the ad hoc system that it’s been so far,” he said.

A more formal mechanism includes setting up a server to store the ideas and a process for allowing students to “check out” projects as well as for industry and academic professionals to deposit ideas for projects.

“A lot of people come up with great ideas,” he said. “I imagine it’ll be a huge benefit for the professors too. It’s hard to come up with great ideas year after year after year.”

The overall goal is for the schools to have useful projects to work on, while SPAWAR and the universities receive the results of the research as well as gain access to talented individuals, Kirkpatrick said.

“(FlightLink) also helps us get introduced to the universities so they get to know what we do, and because of the collaborative efforts, some of these students come to work at SPAWAR,” he said. “You get to learn a lot about the people (during the project) and how they work. It’s a ‘win-win-win-win’ if you think it all the way through.”

SPAWAR’s interests lean toward general engineering, communications technology and information technology, Kirkpatrick said.

Jim Stritzinger, executive vice president and general manager of SCRA’s Public Interest Research division, said hosting for the databank will be on the SCRA’s site, although other organizations will likely manage the project on a daily basis.

Stritzinger said SCRA also has been in discussions with other companies and organizations about the project.

“We’re starting with SPAWAR, but other companies will be coming online soon,” he said. “It’ll be a good mix of government and commercial entities, both contributing ideas and benefiting from them.”

Kirkpatrick praised SCRA’s initiative and collaborative approach to the project.

“We can’t say enough about SCRA’s involvement,” he said. “Without them, this would have been much more difficult. They’re paying for all the Web hosting and taking care of those details. That takes a lot of burden off of SPAWAR’s (Internet) firewall.”

FlightLink’s official kickoff will be Nov. 15 with a ceremony at SCRA’s facility in Charleston. Stritzinger said a number of representatives will be on hand from the universities along with several major research companies.

SPAWAR’s projects will be available to students starting in the spring semester.